Okay, so no Google Me, the much speculated about Google social network (and Facebook killer), but instead what we have got is+1. It is essentially Google’s version of the Facebook Like button. Its way of recommending content on the web.

Google is starting to roll it out immediately. What do you think about the name? Personally, while the idea makes perfect sense, the name less so. Google’s problem was that it had to do something different to Facebook and its use of the word “like”, which I’m sure heavily influenced the naming of this product.

Time will tell whether we will all start +1′ing. Anyway, to use Google +1, or to “get started +1’ing” (as Google puts it), or recommending content users will need to create a Google profile. For those who already have one they simply upgrade their exisitng one.  It also means that you don’t automatically get it if you don’t want it (as people didn’t want Google Buzz).

Through their Google profile users will be able to see all their +1′s in one place as well as manage existing ones. That means they will also be able to delete those items they no longer want to recommend. Does anyone bother unliking stuff?

Google says it will begin rolling out +1′s, starting in English on Google.com. Those who don’t see +1’s immediately will be able to opt-in on its experimental search site.

First off Google says that +1′s will appear alongside search results and ads, but going forward they’ll appear in many more places including other Google products and sites across the web. Another echo of the Like button, which has become universal cropping up literally everywhere.

As with everything Google does there is a heavy emphasis on search, or social search, here and making search results more relevant by friends in your network who have recommended content. Makes sense. If only you could see Facebook content here too and see what people were liking when you search the web. Google has posted this video to walk you through it.

Here’s the the full story from the Google blog:

+1’s: the right recommendations right when you want them—in your search results

Our goal at Google is to get you the most relevant results as quickly as possible. But relevance is about relationships as well as words on webpages. That’s why we recently started to include more information from people you know—stuff they’ve shared on Twitter, Flickr and other sites—in Google search results.

Today we’re taking that a step further, enabling you to share recommendations with the world right in Google’s search results. It’s called +1—the digital shorthand for “this is pretty cool.” To recommend something, all you have to do is click +1 on a webpage or ad you find useful. These +1’s will then start appearing in Google’s search results.

The +1 button will appear next to each search result

After pressing the +1 button, you have the option to undo the action immediately

Say, for example, you’re planning a winter trip to Tahoe, Calif. When you do a search, you may now see a +1 from your slalom-skiing aunt next to the result for a lodge in the area. Or if you’re looking for a new pasta recipe, we’ll show you +1’s from your culinary genius college roommate. And even if none of your friends are baristas or caffeine addicts, we may still show you how many people across the web have +1’d your local coffee shop.

The beauty of +1’s is their relevance—you get the right recommendations (because they come from people who matter to you), at the right time (when you are actually looking for information about that topic) and in the right format (your search results). For more information about +1, watch this video:

So how do we know which +1’s to show you? Like social search, we use many signals to identify the most useful recommendations, including things like the people you are already connected to through Google (your chat buddies and contacts, for example). Soon we may also incorporate other signals, such as your connections on sites like Twitter, to ensure your recommendations are as relevant as possible. If you want to know who you’re connected to, and how, visit the “Social Circle and Content” section of the Google Dashboard.

If you’re an advertiser and want to learn more about how the +1 button works on search ads and websites, visit our AdWords blog.

We’re confident that +1, combined with all of the social content we’re now including in search, will mean even better, more relevant results than you get today.

Here’s the the full story from the Google blog