Google has decided to offer a new option for its popular search engine. It will offer a "social search" called "+1" or "plus one". "+1" will allow users to receive search results recommended by friends. According to an article by Amir Efrati in the WSJ, the move to offer a social search is striking since nearly $30 billion in annual revenue comes from Ads placed in Google's traditional search engine. This move by Google is an attempt to stay at the top of Web innovation and to attract and maintain advertising revenue.
+1 works like this:
a. You must create a Google public profile through your Gmail or other Google account.
b. If searching while signed in, highlighted results will show sites that have been recommended by
your friends and contacts.
c. Search results can also contain content that has been highlighted by others using the +1 button.
Christian Oestlien, a Google product manager, stated, "Recommendations play a vital role in our decision-making process. You look at the advice of people you know and trust."
Google has attempted to enter the social-networking market several times before with little success. A year ago the attempt was called Google Buzz. This next attempt to become more "Social" won't replace the traditional Google search engine which is based on a mathematical algorithm that ranks sites on how "relevant they are to a user's search query". "+1" will allow friends to recommend websites via Gmail or other Google services. The "+1" button will be similar to Facebook's "Like" button for any site that installs the button. Users can recommend the site or content by clicking on the button. One of the purposes of "+1" will be to reorder search results so that the most useful sites are listed first. I'm sure the main purpose of "+1" is to keep advertising dollars coming in. For more info, go to: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703806304576232771273306208.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews
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