By now you have probably hear about the Google +1 announcement. If you haven’t, then you should probably head over to the Google blog I just linked to for the full scoop. But, if you don’t have time then I will try to summarize. It provides a “+1” button next to each search result that allows users to vote for the results they find the most useful. Essentially it’s Digg for Google Search. Here’s how it works in Google’s own words.
Say, for example, you’re planning a winter trip to Tahoe, Calif. When you do a search, you may now see a +1 from your slalom-skiing aunt next to the result for a lodge in the area. Or if you’re looking for a new pasta recipe, we’ll show you +1’s from your culinary genius college roommate. And even if none of your friends are baristas or caffeine addicts, we may still show you how many people across the web have +1’d your local coffee shop.
However, the +1 voting for blog posts and other internet content did not roll out along with yesterday’s announcement. In fact, reports say that ability to add this simple button to your site could be as much as months away. That’s baffling to me. Logic dictates that the two things go hand-in-hand. Google claims it will be a “slow roll out” and begin with English language sites only.
They have, however, set up a forum for users to enter their email address and, optionally, web site address to receive word as soon as the +1 buttons are available for use on sites. To be among the first to receive that information you can head over to Plus One Signup and fill in your information. Hopefully we can soon replace that Google Buzz button with this new one.