While it was only released a short time ago, the Google +1 button has already made its presence known on the social web. The +1 button which – much like share buttons offered by Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – allows signed-in Google users to share an article, blog post, web site or other +1-enabled web site content with friends.
One drawback at present is that Google Apps professional users are not currently able to share content using the +1 button because use of a Google profile is required to share using the button. Google Profiles are not currently available for Google Apps’ pro users. Boo! However, there is word from Google that this functionality will be forthcoming, so fear not, +1 is near. We are, ourselves, Google Apps users, so we’re looking forward to being able to test out +1 on a more extensive professional level.
Naturally, the primary appeal of the +1 button is its integration with Google’s search results. If many connections of a signed-in Google user have shared a particular piece of content using Google +1, that content will show up with personal annotations from that user’s friends, which may boost the likelihood the user will view that content as well. After all, information or products recommended by a friend are more likely to get a second look than random results from companies you’ve never heard of.
