What is the point + 1 of google

I recommended that we place this on our site to my client but they recently decided to take it down for 2 reasons:

1. It slows the site down
2. There is no reason on this forum that convinces a business owner to place it on their website, especially because no one has claimed that it actually works.

 

I recently came across this article: http://www.digett.com/blog/04/13/2011/seo-value-google-1-button

I'm gonna be blunt. When you tell someone to install the Google +1 page on their website because it SHOULD give them the necessary traction to reach critical mass, its misleading.

It's the same as telling a family to own a panic room in case of a terrorist attack. It SHOULD protect them but the reality is, there is no immediate reason to install the Google +1. There is no demand for it, as of today.

 

I agree, it will eventually have an effect on serps, it ads a human dimension to the algorithm.

 

It's for their new social network, Google+

http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/google-plus/#18167Google-Sparks
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2387836,00.asp
http://pythoughts.com/google-plus-designed-for-nerds/ lol