Can Google's +1 rival Facebook in the social media realm?

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SALT LAKE CITY -- In March, Google announced its new +1 feature that will rival Facebook’s “like” button on most websites.

This month, the feature was recently launched in beta form and has sparked many conversations concerning its staying power. The idea behind the +1 button is to have users rely on their friends’ recommendations, so the question is just that, will they rely on recommendations while searching Google?

Here is how +1 works:

1. While searching information on Google, click the +1 button of the site you preferred.

2. A user's friends will see this recommendation the next time they are searching something similar and will help lead them in the right direction.

3. The more friends a user has that clicks +1, the more recommendations he or she has.

Google is known for its outstanding search engine results and algorithm measuring techniques, but it’s not known for its social ability like Facebook and Twitter.

With the implementation of the +1 button, Google hopes to change that and in a sense, compete with Facebook. What it really boils down to is advertising dollars. Both Google and Facebook make most of their money through advertisements.

While Facebook can offer advertisers a more targeted audience because of its ability to capture important data such as age, location, gender and lifestyle, Google must now compete for that ability if it wants those same advertising dollars.

Google’s answer to the lack of social ability is Google Buzz and Google Profiles. Introduced over a year ago and implemented into any Gmail user account, a profile can be set up and information shared over the Web much like Facebook and Twitter. A Google account is required to take advantage of the new +1 feature and will likely increase the amount of Google Buzz users.

While there are some pluses to the new +1 feature, there seem to be more negatives and many questions asked.

On the plus side:

1. Facebook needs competition and who better to compete than Google, right?

2. Google is constantly tweaking its algorithm for improved search results, and the social-sharing aspect of user feedback could change the way we receive our information.

3. Search results could become more personal and relevant to the end user

On the negative side:

1. A Gmail account in needed to participate

2. Not all friends can see the +1 feature as they can on Facebook or Twitter. When someone “likes” an article it posts to his or her wall and allows for comments. Google’s +1 is only seen by Google friends and/or friends who happen to be searching the same thing.

3. There is currently no mobile version of the +1 feature

4. Facebook is already a proven marketing system and is already recognizable

5. A Google Buzz account can be connected with Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, and a user's Gmail contacts but is not available to connect with Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn or Yelp.

For now, the +1 feature is still in experimental phase and as a Gmail user, it needs to be opted in to use it. It has a lot of room to grow and will no doubt increase the number of Google account users, but the question still remains” Will Google compete with Facebook? Possibly down the road, but with Facebook’s 500 million-plus users, Google has a long road to travel.

Chanda Gunter is the owner of The Social Network, a social-media marketing company based out of southern Utah. She is a marketing consultant, public speaker, columnist, event planner and teaches several social media seminars and classes monthly.