Google +1 available, monitor your implementation

In case you’ve been off the web for the past few days, you’ve no doubt heard that Google has finally released the +1 button code for webmasters to use on their sites and blogs.  In fact, if you were on Twitter yesterday, you probably couldn’t help but see tweet after tweet about the darn thing.  So what is it?  Should you care?

Who really knows?  I hope you don’t expect me to know all the answers.

The thing is, Google’s +1 button is brand spanking new.  So new that it should raise a little concern in your mind about being one of the first to implement it.  Are there going to be bugs?  Will the script I’m embedding as part of the install cause my site to slow down? Is Shaquille O’Neal really retiring?

Ok, perhaps the last one you’re not so concerned with.  But you get my point, right?

Implementing the latest and greatest shiny object to spring forth from some technological powerhouse isn’t always the best thing to do.  It might be cool, and you can say to your friends “check this out” and all that…but really, there are problems that sometimes come with shiny new objects.  You simply need to accept that there might be problems if you’re going to try to be on the cutting edge of what’s new and freshly polished.

My approach has always been one of careful consideration.  Many times I’ll wait several months before I go and implement something, be it a new browser or OS, or even a social sharing button like what we have here.  It’s like rolling the dice a bit, ya know?  Did the developers do a good job?  Did the QA (Quality Assurance) department do a good job?  Was there even a QA process???  Who knows, and that’s where the risk stems from.

This time however, I’m cutting loose and getting jiggy with my buttons.  You’ll see that I’ve added that shiny new object to my stack of social sharing buttons there on the left.  It’s looking good all shiny and new, but like all new things, it needs to be monitored to ensure it’s working right and not causing things to break or slow down.  Especially in light of Google announcing that page render speed is an important aspect of ranking.

Wouldn’t it be amusing if the new Google +1 caused sites to slow and then get dinged by their own Page Speed check?

No, you’re right.  It probably wouldn’t be.

The point here is that monitoring changes that you make, especially when it involves code from somewhere other than yourself, is an important part of being a web developer/master.  Staying on top of all that happens to your site is your responsibility.  The last thing you want is to discover that a visitor is alerting you to something being broken or causing a problem.

Looking for more?

For a more detailed discussion on all this, head on over to read Kristi’s post on Kikolani.  She goes into some good details about it.  The only thing I wanted to add here is that if it’s new, you might also consider waiting a while to allow the bugs to be exposed, if there are going to be any, and allow the button to mature a little before implementing on your site.

Read more about Google’s +1 button

Get the code to implement on your site

Wayne  (531 Posts)

Wayne John is a health coach for people that want to lose weight, gain weight, improve athletic performance, or simply maintain a healthy lifestyle. Wayne has lost over 55 pounds and improves his current health every day by using simple, straight-forward techniques that anyone can integrate into their lives to achieve the same. Contact Wayne today to realize your own health and fitness goals, or get started now by completing and submitting the free Wellness Profile. He also has been developing websites since 1995 and programming solutions for clients even longer. He'd rather be outside having fun in the sun though.