Google introduces "+1" social functionality to search
Google has announced that from today it will introduce enhanced social functionality to its search service, a move which will manifest itself in the form of a “+1” button.
Designed to mimic Facebook’s popular “like” feature, the new tab will allow searchers to recommend sites and ads to friends through Google profiles.
At present the system will pull contact information from Gmail, Google Reader and Google Buzz but this will soon be expanded to include the likes of Twitter and Flickr.
A Google spokesperson said: "+1 is the digital shorthand for 'this is pretty cool.' To recommend something, all you have to do is click +1 on a webpage or ad you find useful. These +1's will then start appearing in Google's search results.”