HTML 5 and Google +1

I was excited when Google announced +1. I mean, just like the XKCD comic says, this is what I've been waiting for. I don't particularly care for Facebook, and I don't have my website covered with social marketing links in a vain and desparate attempt to attract users. (Perhaps that's because I don't have any advertisements!)

I love the idea of personal recommendations in search results. I couldn't wait to integrate the Google +1 into my website. Imagine my shagrin when the code for the button didn't validate in a strict XHTML doctype! ARRRRGGGGGHHH! I'm all about standards compliance, and I'm not introducing any code, no matter whose it is or how much I like it, into my site if it doesn't validate.

But wait! Deeper into the full Google+1 documentation was code for an HTML5 compliant button! Rejoice! The day was saved! Except for all the work I had to do to move the site to the new standard. (It really wasn't that bad- mainly I had to build my own lightboxes and re-organize some of my lists.) So anyways, the site is now HTML5, and the Google +1 button is integrated so that you can recommend articles you like or find useful.

Oh, and that oblique reference to making my own lightbox? The one that I used before wasn't compliant with HTML5 standards, so I built a lightbox that is standards compliant, cross browser compatible, and gracefully degrading with CSS and just a touch of Javascript. Check out the article on how I did it. You can see an example of the lightbox in my Flash on Slackware how to.