The new button enables website operators to more easily encourage visitors to spread content among connections on Google's social network. It's the latest step in integrating the social network with content across the web. The Share button joins the already existing +1 button, which enables Google+ members to indicate that they -- for lack of a better term -- like a page or an article.
"When your visitors come across something interesting on your site, sometimes you want to encourage a simple endorsement (like +1)," Google+ product manager Rick Borovoy wrote in a blog post introducing the new feature. "Other times, however, you want to help visitors share with their friends, right away. Today’s new Google+ Share button lets you do just that."
When visitors click the button, they have the option of sharing a page with specific people or Circles in their network. Like with the +1 feature, the new button switches from red font on a light background to light font on a red background after being clicked. Users can click the button multiple times, however, to share repeatedly or in different contexts with different segments of their network.