Google’s baked-in social sharing feature, Google +1, has now been released for use by webmasters. If you’re not already aware, +1 is the company’s attempt to challenge Facebook’s popular sharing feature. Giving a +1 to a site is, according to the press material, “shorthand for ‘this is pretty cool.’”

The exact algorithm behind the feature is still a bit of a mystery, but sites that you back with a vote should appear in your own search results more frequently. In addition, your Google contacts will see your recommendation if they come across the same site.

The button can be implemented on any website by visiting the setup page and going through the simple setup procedure.  If you’ve used Adsense or Adwords, this will be familiar. Four different types of +1 button are available, although they’re roughly the same size.

Besides its appearance on third-party sites, the feature will also be rolling out on sites like YouTube and Blogger and will be implemented into the Android Market (although it’s unclear if both the market website and the market app will be bestowed with the button). However, this is still considered an experimental feature, so you’ll need to enroll before you’ll see any new buttons to click.

What do you think of Google’s latest venture into social networking?  Does this look like a sure-fire winner or something destined to crash and burn?  Should Facebook be worried?

Source: Slashgear