Google + button added

[I, Brian]

Just to let everyone know I've added a Google + button to the top right of the forums.

Good for clicking on when on the index page, if you have a Google account.

[TheEndIsNigh]

Er....

Where is that button exactly?

Is it a pop up that can be blocked?

Does it only appear if you do have an account?

Am I being stupid?

(not an open question)

[The Judge]

I can see the button, just to the right of the "SFF Chronicles" sign at the very top of the page.

What is it, though? What does it do? And what happens when we click it?

(I refuse to add TEiN's final question...)

[Lenny]

When you click it, you're adding your recommendation to the page/site. The idea is that, if a site has tens of thousands of +1's, it's a good site to visit. If you have, and are logged into, a Google account then people can see that you +1'ed the page/site. It also pops up in Google searches, giving them a more social aspect - "such and such a friend +1'ed this site, so it must be worth having a look at" - and giving the user a better idea of which search results are best.

Think of it as an extended Facebook "Like" button.

[Perpetual Man]

But better.

Just +1'd it!

[The Judge]

Ah-ha! Mystery solved. Thanks, Lenny.

[hopewrites]

I use my + as like bookmarks as well. you can see all the pages you have +ed and go instantly to them.

also thank you for the button. I like it.

[HoopyFrood]

Originally Posted by Lenny

When you click it, you're adding your recommendation to the page/site. The idea is that, if a site has tens of thousands of +1's, it's a good site to visit. If you have, and are logged into, a Google account then people can see that you +1'ed the page/site. It also pops up in Google searches, giving them a more social aspect - "such and such a friend +1'ed this site, so it must be worth having a look at" - and giving the user a better idea of which search results are best.

Think of it as an extended Facebook "Like" button.

Hmm. Will these +1s actually affect the listings of searched sites? Not sure I like the idea of working hard at my building links all day, only to have some upstart button come make faff it up

One of these days I'll check out this Google+. One more wrong step by Facebook...

[alchemist]

Originally Posted by Perpetual Man

But better.

Just +1'd it!

So did I. Now it tells me that 2 people have hit the button. Has it only been the two of us? I assumed others would have done it.

[hopewrites]

each thread is its own page, each sub-forum is its own page, ect... when you hit the +1 you are liking that page, not the whole of Chronicles.
there is a lot to 'like' here

[TheEndIsNigh]

Intererestingly, the button is here on my home PC.

However there was no sgn of it on my PC at work.

[hopewrites]

I think you have to be signed into your Google account to see it.

[TheEndIsNigh]

As far as I know I haven't got one.

How would I know if I did?

[Lenny]

Most people have a Google account from having a Gmail account, or an iGoogle account. If you have, or get, an Android phone, then you'll be asked to make an account. If you've never signed up for a Google product, then you won't have a Google account.

As for the PC at work, it may be a case of it rendering pre-cached pages. Next time you log in, if the button isn't floating around press Ctrl + F5 - it will clear the cache and refresh the page. Hopefully that will work.

---

Originally Posted by HoopyFrood

Hmm. Will these +1s actually affect the listings of searched sites? Not sure I like the idea of working hard at my building links all day, only to have some upstart button come make faff it up

As I understand it, the number of +1s augments search rankings, rather than replaces the current system. If a result is relevant and people think the content of the page is helpful, they can +1, making it more likely to appear closer to the top of the page in future searches.

With the rise of the "semantic web", links count for very little these days. So what if your page sits in the middle of an intricate web of links? If the content is sketchy at best, then why should you deserve a higher ranking than a smaller site with the perfect content for a search result?

By coupling their existing algorithms with a human-driven social search feature, Google hope to deliver information more accurately. With the sheer number of searches carried out daily, all Google need are a few people in tens of millions to be able to make it work.

tl;dr version: yes, +1s affect results, but the feature works in tandem with the existing algorithm to give more relevant results.

[alchemist]

Originally Posted by Lenny

As for the PC at work, it may be a case of it rendering pre-cached pages. Next time you log in, if the button isn't floating around press Ctrl + F5 - it will clear the cache and refresh the page. Hopefully that will work.

It all shows up well at home but not on the work PC. This isn't a particular problem, but I've noticed that when I click the back page button now, nothing happens. I go to drop down back page list and find that the previous page is always something like plusone.google.com, so I have to go back 2 pages to go back one. Not a problem really, just something I've noticed.