Google’s +1 not a hit

Google’s latest attempt to implement social networking elements into its search engines appears to not be making a mark. Google is struggling to overcome the serious threats that are posed by the Facebook and Microsoft search collaboration.

Google’s latest social search feature, +1, was released on Wednesday and has received weak reviews. Many users feel that it is potentially confusing to their browsing experience, it is too weak to overshadow its strong and already established competition and it has a weak social graph anchor.

From the public’s point of view, the +1 feature looks like a copy of the Facebook “Like” button, which makes Google look more like a follower than an innovator. This move is not considered to be revolutionary. It’s being seen as a move made by Google to catch up with what Facebook has already done.

While Google still remains the leader in search usage and advertising, it does not have the kind of social networking and social media influence that Facebook and Twitter have.