Google +1 Button for Websites

The Google +1 Button enables you to "vote up and recommend" web items that you like on the web. It is part of Google's effort to get into social networks. Think of the +1 button as similar to the Facebook "Like" button.

You need to have a public Google Profile setup in order to use Google +1. When you are signed in to your Google account, the Google +1 button can show up on Google search results, on Google ads, and on other sites. If you see something that you like, you can click the Google +1 button to publicly give your own personal stamp of approval. Other people who then later come across that same item on the web will see that you have +1'd the item.

Clicking the plus one button is a public act. People in your social connections and complete strangers may see the name of the person that had +1'd the item. That is why the requirement of needing a Google Profile setup. This is so that people can see who +1'd the items. As such, you should only +1 items that you feel comfortable recommending to with the world.

In your Google profile, there is an additional tab that will show a consolidated list of all the items that you had +1'd. Although you can hide this +1 tab page on your Google profile, the +1 that you had made on the web item remains publicly visible on the web item.

Google +1 buttons are an extension of Google Profiles. Google Profile is a public page with information about you that you set up - similar to that of your Facebook Wall. At a minimum, your Google profile page will show your first and last name and a photo publicly. Other information about yourself such as your bio, your contact details, and links to other sites can be hidden for privacy. Your Google Profile is searchable by search engines by default. People who have your email address may be able to find your Google Profile and may see links to your Google Profile as offered by the Google system.

If you change your name and your Google profile, it changes your name in all the other Google products such as Gmail, Picasa, and others. You can however delete your Google profile later if you decide to; it will not delete your Google account

Can you delete your own +1's? Yes. If you no longer wish to recommend an item or change your mind in the future, you go to the +1 tab of your Google Profile and you can manage your +1's there.

With this new social networking feature, will this make Google become more like a social network? Google already has a social network called orkut.com Although, big in Brazil, Orkut did not gain traction in the North America. Will Google +1 be a major game-changer? Certainly, if you see your friend's +1 on some search result, it would make you more incline to click on it. But as with any social network, you need a lot of people using it to have it become useful. So only time will tell.

Google +1 Button Now Available for Websites

How To Get A Google +1 Button for your website: You need to add a small code snippet on the web pages where you want a +1 button to appear.

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js"></script>
<g:plusone></g:plusone>

You can also customize the size and style of the above Google +1 Button using the link -  Configure +1 Button

What is Google +1 Button?