1 UP - Not Just For Mario Anymore - Google Likes With +1

Google is getting into the social game again. Why should Mario (and Facebook) have all the fun. Hopefully the big G will play it right this time it won't be a sleeper like Google Buzz. 

Google's social strategy seems to be looking much more like Facebook's social strategy. Facebook launched its Open Graph and social plugins (including the Like Button) around this same time last year. They made a big impact in the social and SEO world with the potential for a major game changer. Google seems to be following and trying to duplicate what Facebook has started. 

The video below explains the new concept of Google +1. It's about putting a little +1 button in search results, paid ads and basically all over the web. 

Click +1 to publicly give something your stamp of approval. Your +1's can help friends, contacts, and others on the web find the best stuff when they search.

Individuals within your social circle (on Google) can recommend things they like on the web and you will be able to see those recommendations. You will also see the 1up's (I like this so much better than +1, but maybe there are rights issues with nintendo) of other individuals not within your social network. This could definitely influence overall SEO, although at the current time, google intends to only use it for personal search. So if you have that turned off, it should not affect the overall Search Engine results.

As of right now, the +1 button is in beta and you can opt in to the experiment here. But it should be rolling out to everyone real soon.

Google defines this action as a “public stamp of approval,” and just like the Facebook "Like" button that is what it is. Pressing on the +1 button will associate your name with that link in search, ads and across the web. The +1 will also show up in your public Google Profile, which is needed in order to participate in this experiment.