Google mimics Facebook with new +1 button

By David Goldman, staff writer


NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Facebook has the "Like" button. Now Google has the "+1" button.

In Google's (GOOG, Fortune 500) latest attempt to become relevant in the social networking space, the search giant on Wednesday unveiled a new tool that allows people to share helpful search links with their friends.

The +1 button will soon appear next to links on Google's search results page. By clicking the button, users will be able to recommend links to their list of Gmail chat buddies and those in their Gmail "My Contacts" group. The button will work both with search links and advertisements on the results page.

In a blog post introducing the feature, Google declared that the +1 button is "digital shorthand for 'this is pretty cool.'" It's meant to help guide friends through search results, allowing them to see what people they know think is most useful. It adds a human element to Google's automated search algorithm.

As an example, Google said that if you're looking for a new pasta recipe, search results could be populated with +1's from your "culinary genius" friend. You could also, for instance, see how many people recommend your local coffee shop.

For now, Google is limiting +1 to its search results, but in the coming weeks, the company said it will start introducing the buttons on other Google products.

Google also plans to offer the buttons up to third-party websites, as Facebook did with its Like button. It currently has such a button for Google Buzz, and some analysts speculate that +1 will eventually replace the Buzz button.

Google has struggled to develop its social business. Its first attempt at a social network, Orkut, has not caught on in most places in the world (though it remains popular in Brazil). Its second attempt, Buzz, encountered a Buzz-killing privacy debacle at launch.

In an ironic twist, Google also on Wednesday announced a settlement deal with the Federal Trade Commission over charges stemming from its Buzz misfire. The FTC said that Google "used deceptive tactics and violated its own privacy promises" when it launched Buzz. The company has agreed to implement a privacy program and undergo independent privacy audits for the next 20 years.

The +1 launch appears to be part of what outgoing CEO Eric Schmidt described as "layers" of social across the Web rather than yet another attempt at a Facebook-like social network solution. Schmidt has repeatedly maintained that Google does not compete with Facebook, saying Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) is the company's biggest rival.

Still, Facebook is dashing past Google in many Internet milestones. Web users now spend more time on Facebook than Google. And most recently, according to Hitwise, Facebook passed Google as the most-visited website on the Internet. (See correction below.)

For now, however, Google says it is focused on social as a way to power search. It's experimenting with the idea that those you know will be even better search guides than its famed algorithms.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Facebook had topped Google for the lead in the number of website referrals. To top of page

Just the hot list include
Frontline troops push for solar energy
The U.S. Marines are testing renewable energy technologies like solar to reduce costs and casualties associated with fossil fuels. Play
25 Best Places to find rich singles
Looking for Mr. or Ms. Moneybags? Hunt down the perfect mate in these wealthy cities, which are brimming with unattached professionals. More
Fun festivals: Twins to mustard to pirates!
You'll see double in Twinsburg, Ohio, and Ketchup lovers should beware in Middleton, WI. Here's some of the best and strangest town festivals. Play
Index Last Change % Change
Dow 32,627.97 -234.33 -0.71%
Nasdaq 13,215.24 99.07 0.76%
S&P 500 3,913.10 -2.36 -0.06%
Treasuries 1.73 0.00 0.12%
Data as of 6:29am ET
Company Price Change % Change
Ford Motor Co 8.29 0.05 0.61%
Advanced Micro Devic... 54.59 0.70 1.30%
Cisco Systems Inc 47.49 -2.44 -4.89%
General Electric Co 13.00 -0.16 -1.22%
Kraft Heinz Co 27.84 -2.20 -7.32%
Data as of 2:44pm ET
Sponsors

Sections

Bankrupt toy retailer tells bankruptcy court it is looking at possibly reviving the Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us brands. More

Land O'Lakes CEO Beth Ford charts her career path, from her first job to becoming the first openly gay CEO at a Fortune 500 company in an interview with CNN's Boss Files. More

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.