Comment by giberson | Hacker News Reader

Comment by giberson | Hacker News Reader

I really surprised at Google by this implementation--it seems like they didn't really think it through.

When I'm searching for something, my behavior is usually:

     Google search term
     Open the top couple results in a new tab
     Check each tab, to see if they contain the information I was looking for
     If tab is not useful, or more information is required, check next tab. 
     If information is satisfied, close window (all tabs, including search)
     If no tabs remain, and still need more information, return to search page and check next results.

That process has been in place since I upgraded to firefox from ie6 all those years ago. Before then, my search process consisted of:

     Google search term
     Check first result link
     If information has been satisfied, close window.
     If more information is needed, go BACK, check next link.

My point is, Google search is a launching platform. I typically only go back to the results page when the result didn't provide the information I was looking for. In order to use the feature, I'd have to alter my process to include a return trip to the results page, find the link that led to the page I found interesting and then +1 it. No way this is gonna happen. Ever.

The only way I see this feature being implemented in a workable solution is as a browser addon--so that when I'm on a page that I find particularly awesome [whether I found it via search results or by following some page link] I can click on the +1 toolbar button.

Such an implementation would I think would also enhance the result set of affected links. In it's current implementation I'll only find plus one's when I just happen to be searching for the same or similar thing as some one from my social circle. Where as as a browser extension I'll find plus ones for any page that any one in my social circle has visited and found interesting regardless of if they ever issued a query for that subject matter.

The video hinted that they plan to provide embeddable +1 buttons in style of Facebook's "Like". Considering that, +1 can actually be useful because you would be able to see recommendation from your google contacts.

Except the nomenclature is so nerdy. You can't really say it out loud. Like is a nicely descriptive verb; 'plus one' is a phrase you see on a formal event invitation.

Yeah I am not sure I will use it except when an Apache project appears in the search results in which case I will probably just click it automatically...

That's exactly what I thought, a "Facebook Like" ripoff with a nerdy name.

Google slapping social features on search is eerily similar to Microsoft adding internet capabilities to its desktop applications. Neither of them got it right the first time.

It's a lot easier to translate than "Like", that's good if you are doing business around the globe and only a small part of your audience is in the USA

The problem is that Google offers a recommendation which the searcher can't evaluate until later. This is especially true with ads. Google recommends a business to me (by showing me an ad) but Google doesn't know if the business was good to me. I don't even know if the business was good to me until after I received the service.

Ideally, I would buy through a Google service (Checkout) and then Google would provide me opportunities to rate the business after the sale. These ratings could affect an ad's quality score. Done right, this would allow Google to introduce me to the businesses most likely to satisfy me. Google would become more of a trusted advisor to searchers rather than just another advertising company.

But search may not be where you click +1 the most. This article suggests google will also count other places where you have shared a link eg twitter, likes on reader, etc http://j.mp/fSVZSn

No doubt a toolbar and chrome addon is on it's way. Even in search with previews and HTML5 being able to tag info as summary to display directly in the search screen you may even use it in search more than you think. No reason why they can't start tying in reviews on google places and checkout as you suggest

> I really surprised at Google by this implementation--it seems like they didn't really think it through.

You're looking for utility; whereas, I believe they are taking a pro-active step against Facebook's newly awarded patents on "social search."

Regarding utility: it's Google, so they'll iterate...

Regarding competition: it's launched and available to the public now!

When Facebook acquired Friendster.com, this also gave control over lucrative patents that were awarded this year and last year.

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2351407

Facebook didn't acquire Friendster. Facebook acquired one or more patents that Friendster had when Friendster was sold in 2009: http://techcrunch.com/2009/12/09/malaysias-mol-global-to-buy...

My main problem is actually the name itself. Facebook's "like" button works so well because it gives people a simple, self-explanatory button to press if they like something. Never mind the stuff it does behind the scenes, most people think if they click a "like" button, their friends will know they like it. It promotes self-reinforcing behaviour.

+1 doesn't do that. It's not immediately apparent what it's for, and it offers no incentive for use without knowing what it is. The icon itself doesn't tell you anything. "What is it, some kind of movie?" A simple thumbs up would have been much simpler, much more intuitive, and likely to gain greater traction. A simple note under the search bar saying, "Find what you were looking for? Give it the thumbs up and help us deliver better results" would likely have led to much higher usage. The average user doesn't need to know what it's being used for. Calling it "social" doesn't help in this context, because nobody thinks of social when they think of Google. Even telling people it would be shared with their email contacts is a terrible idea - email is for work and family, not messing around with friends. Just say that it's to help improve Search and reduce spam, and people will go along with it.

perhaps its simply endemic. Internally to Google (which presumably arose outside of Google) was the notion that folks who agreed would simply put +1 in their email. Some tools (especially code review tools) could parse that and agreeable phrases like "looks good to me" as the writers approval of the original message. Sort of an in-band upvote if you want an HN translation.

When I read about it this morning I thought to myself "well that makes sense to 'me' but I wonder if it will be opaque to folks without that context?" Sounds like for some people it is.

If you suggest to someone (at/formerly at) Google a course of action and they reply 'lgtm' that means "Ok" :-)

The Apache lists, for as long as I can remember, used +1/-1/-0/+0/etc. as a means of informally expressing approval, as well as explicitly registering a vote from committers.

http://httpd.apache.org/dev/voting.html

That was the first place I'd seen it appear, although I assume it predates them.

I think the problem is that this will only make sense to geeks. This is the problem with a lot of Google's UI design, it's not designed for normal people and is often confusing for them.

I kinda agree, although my "search behavior" is slightly different from yours, so others may (will) be very different in their usage.

As well as a browser add-on (don't Google already have something similar to this?), I think it is more than likely that we'll see +1 buttons on web pages themselves (similar to Twitter tweet and Facebook like buttons), although obviously not every page will have this.

Taking this a step further, because of the mismatch you have identified, I think a lot of +1 activity will be self-promotion, marketing, etc... Where the user is simply implying: "I enjoy this site" and not "I think this result is particularly relevant to the search I just performed"

The problem with browser extensions is one of distribution -- how many people are going to install it?

They could just build it into Chrome. Problem solved.

You know, this reminds me that a good portion of the general populace has 1-2 inches of their screen taken up by browser toolbars with lots of icons and bookmarks. I have 8 buttons in chrome (min,max,close,back,fwd,refresh/abort,wrench and star), but they might have 80. What's another shiny +1 button?

Expect a Chrome extension in the near future, among others. If they don't do it soon, someone else will. That way it's just a button press while you're on the page. Should be pretty easily doable by tracking google->internet links and storing them temporarily so you can +1 them after the fact.

That's how you (and I) use search, but a huge number of people search for the same things every day. We use the location bar or bookmarks, but a lot of people just google, then click the first link.

These people see the same results again and again, and they only have to click +1 once.

Google +1 is more like facebook's like button. They want to have a presence across the web soon.

It's not the bookmarking that will take place during search time. It's the discovery!

If Google wants to be more persistent, they could easily use their Android and Chrome platforms to do it :)

If they combine it with the favorite star in Chrome then users have an incentive to upmark the material they like.

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