It looks like Google is jumping on the bandwagon and is attempting to add a social component to their web search that will help bring family and friends together via the web search results. They're calling it the +1 button, which the company has described as shorthand for “that’s pretty cool”, or it's time to check it out. If you're familiar with Facebook,  it's concept is very similar to the "like" button that seems to be just about everywhere you look on the web these days.

The +1's purpose is to publicly approve of anything you or your family and friends search for on the Internet. What's great about it is the ability to find things on the web and have the ability to share what you like.

How do you do it?

To make it work, you need to start by creating a Google profile. After the profile is made, it becomes visible to anyone that has a connection with your email address. You can start forming many connections and this is where the +1 button becomes so helpful for everyone. As you start approving sites, videos and web pages with your +1 button, they are stored in your +1 tab for everyone to see.

Of course you do have the ability to keep your recommendations private if you want to. Once you +1 anything on the web, it's public for anyone that visits the site and views who approved of it. All company's alike can agree that social networking is going to continually grow and become the predominant force in all Internet communications and interactions now and into the future.

What if you have a Google profile, but you don't see the +1 button?

Google is limiting the use of the +1 button as they continue to test the concept and work out all the kinks. So it's available to a limited number of U.S. users at this time. However, if you don't have the button and you want to try it out, Google will allow you to sign up for the experiment. There are some minimal requirements you need to comply with to be approved into the program.

Regardless if you are in the experiment or not, down the road this will become available to everyone. Much like Facebook,  it will be another way to let others know what you like on the web. Family, friends, and every company that wants to know where people surf as well as what they like and dislike will appreciate the +1 button.