The announcement by Google that users could flag content or a search result with a “+1” button has been taken by some to be an answer to Facebook’s “like” button. John Bell thinks it is very del.ici.ous-like and that tagging is a natural extension that will follow. Over dinner last night with Ming Yee, SVP at Edelman Digital, he delivered the opinion that Google’s addition of its version of a thumbs-up indicator is a brilliant move to enhance search results — a verification of content and intent that plays to one’s social graph. In essence, he believes this allows Google to socialize search in a very simple, but emphatic way.
I have yet to see a result tagged by any of my Google contacts. But if you are in my Google rolodex and you search on Cotuit, you should see some indication of my recommendation. Twitter and Facebook are sure to follow. John Battelle’s take here.
