I think the main point is that there may now be a +1 widget, but there's no solid social activity behind it - no destination where people gather. I guess Google wants to make the entire web that "socialized destination place" through their profile system.

With Facebook, many people spend (waste?) hours a day poking around. The social space came first and the Like button grew out of that. I guess Google now sees all their many log-in possibilities as loggin into their "social system".

Personally, I feel this is only going ruin search even more so that it is.

I don't want to know what my friends think are good results for everything.

That's not search.

Once again, Google thinks they are the sun and the Internet evolves around them.

Sorry Google, your not the center of my universe.

Will I use the +1 if it helps my sites. You bet, I'm going to spam it to death and will utilize the networks that are going to pop up offering +1 likes for a fee.

I spent my lunch hour talking with a co-worker about how Google doesn't seem to get why the facebook like has taken off. People don't "like" things to provide data to facebook, they do so to share interesting stuff with their friends and to provide positive reinforcement to their friends that share interesting stuff. Google thinks people will +1 things to provide Google with data. They won't. There is no social upside to the +1 action. Are you really going to +1 a website on the off chance that a gmail contact does a related search and sees your recommendation in the search results? I'm not.

Then this afternoon Google calls my cellphone to try to get me to put a +1 button on my website. I don't see that happening. When did Google turn into a marketing company with a hard sell?

I guess Google wants to make the entire web that "socialized destination place" through their profile system.

I guess Google now sees all their many log-in possibilities as loggin into their "social system".

If google were to consider their profile system or their search engine or the whole web as their social system, it is clear why they fail at anything social.

People don't "like" things to provide data to facebook, they do so to share interesting stuff with their friends and to provide positive reinforcement to their friends that share interesting stuff

Exactly. that is the point.people share interesting stuff on social platforms in real-time, to interact with their friends on them. They don't care about helping FB or in providing data to them.

Google is always in the mindset that we know what you want. That isn't the way it works in the social space.You will have to sit back and let the users decide what they want to share and discuss.

Google doesn't seem to believe in giving users options to choose. But they always want to force things upon users saying "we know well what they want or like" and they don't even have to discuss the shares in real-time.This runs contra to social principles.

+1 reinforces the perception that Google missed Facebook deal badly. Its a catching up game, not in the right direction. The same kind of game other search players play with Google.

I would only use +1 on my sites if it means when people search and see our listing with 10K +1's, then yes I would add it, otherwise no. I don't plan to send Google more free traffic.

this opens whole new area for manipulation. how many +1's will you be able to buy through different "SEO experts"? and if that affects search how bad it will be? it will be bigger mess than what we have now.

Other SEO firms may be able to sell you a +1, but I can offer you a bulk discount. Special today is a low price on a +3.

SEO company's ad copy, will degenerate still further, into (im)pure oneupmanship.