Algorithm Rolled Out: March 30, 2011.
Algorithm Summary: Overall Gist
Another attempt to socialize with Google is Google +1. It is Google’s equivalent of Facebook’s “likes,” a straightforward function that is extremely effective since it is a social networking component.
Along with encouraging other websites to add the buttons, Google will display the +1 buttons next to all search results and advertisements. Every single +1 is public and connected to Google profiles. By promoting websites that your friends have “+1’d,” this data is intended to help tailor search results and advertisements. Google Social Search already does it, but Facebook likes aren’t supported. Thus, Google had to devise a workaround. “The digital abbreviation for “this is quite great” is +1. All you have to do to share something is click the +1 button next to a webpage or advertisement that you find helpful. Then, these +1s will start to show up in Google’s search results. “According to Google.
Although Google.com is gradually rolling out this functionality, you may test it out by enabling the +1 search experiment.
What Was the Google +1 Button Update All About?
One thing is certain: When Google localizes the service, it won’t need to translate “+1,” but it will struggle to translate “+1’s,” “+1’d,” and other mysterious formulations. The URLs for Google +1 already appear strange (the main page is at http://www.google.com/+1).
You may manage your +1s by seeing them in a profile tab. There is also a place where you can stop Google ads from being tailored to you based on your Google profile information and +1s.
The key components of a social network are already present on Google (profiles, activity streams, likes, and apps), but there is still no social network and no secret “glue” that binds the components together. The “+1 social network,” as described by Danny Sullivan, currently consists of your Google Talk buddies, the individuals in your Gmail “My contacts” group, and the people you follow in Google Reader and Google Buzz.