On every article, website, product review, or other piece of online content, you’ll see a set of buttons at the top, bottom, or side of the page. These buttons include share, Tweet, embed, and many others. Thus far, the most famous has always been Facebook’s Like button. It has allowed users to share their interests on the social network known for a gigantic user number. Facebook has become much more than just a social network these days, and Google once again found a way to compete with one of the most popular networks on the web. With the release of Google+, Google gave Facebook a run for its money.
The result wasn’t millions of people switching social networks, but people simply used both, just as they’ve done with Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Now, though, Google is assuring that it stays neck and neck with Facebook. A couple weeks back, Google announced the Google+1 Recommendation button on their blog. They didn’t necessary launch it as competition to the Like button, but that’s what it has become. “Working on +1, we often hear people say they want to see more of what their friends recommend. Likewise, when we talk to site owners, they ask us to help them show more relevant content to their users.” So, it won’t do exactly what the Like button does, but it may prove to be just as useful to advertisers.
With the Like button, a user can simply tell brands and advertisers what they like, and it ends there. With Google’s new interaction, people can pass on the name, recommending the product to friends, family, and other acquaintances. It has the potential to toss brand names and products around the web, touching down in numerous places. Since the Like button is so huge in marketing, Google’s +1 Recommendation will probably be as well.
“If you’ve already added the +1 button to your site, there’s nothing more you need to do. Recommendations will work across all +1 buttons for all users, whether or not they’re signed into Google+.” The mechanics of the button work just as simply as Facebook’s Like, but it may do a lot more. So far, if you look across different web pages, you can already see the tiny G+1 icon, and often you’ll see a decent number of clicks next to it.
It’s still new, and it’s anybody’s guess as to how successful the button will be.
If you think of it, regardless of how new it may be, +1 is already a pretty well known name. Almost everybody has heard of it already, some before they’ve even had a chance to try it out. Google has a reputation on its side, causing everything that comes out of the company to be at least decently successful. On the other hand, Facebook is very well liked in the digital world, and is becoming more so in the advertising world. So, I guess it’s possible that we’ll see a ‘+1 versus Like’ soon to come, and both contenders have a good shot.
