If you know anything about Google and their search engine philosophies, you know that they are all about relevance. It seems that no matter what new innovation they come out with, it’s always tied to making things relevant to the end user.
And that, of course, is what is behind their new “+1” button on their search results. It seems similar to the “like” function on Facebook or other forums where you can give a thumbs up to a post or comment. Now, you and your friends can “+1” certain results and you’ll now see what your buddies recommend for search results.
But don’t listen to us, listen to Google.
“The beauty of +1’s is their relevance — you get the right recommendations (because they come from people who matter to you), at the right time (when you are actually looking for information about that topic) and in the right format (your search results),” the company said.
“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.”
Of course, this new feature is not without criticism.
“Why would I ‘+1’ a link to a page before I’ve seen whether I like it and why would I go back to the results if I’ve found the best result?” asks Alex Rainert of Foursquare.
He makes a good point. We’ll see if this works. For the most part, Google comes out with some really neat stuff, but don’t forget about Wave and Buzz. Those…ummm…not so much.
