, such as SEO Shop, are now offering packages of Google +1's. SEO Shop sells its +1's at , where you can purchase 50 +1's for $10, 250 +1's for $30, and 2,000 +1's for $170. SEO Shop has, naturally, gone to great lengths to conceal its activities from Google itself.

This isn't the first time we've heard of companies "selling social." In the past, we've seen companies that have sold packages of and --for a price, of course.

The Value of +1

Google's +1 was announced back in March, presumably as a way for the company to combat the ever-present Facebook "Like" button. When users "+1" a website, they are essentially telling their connected friends that they "like" and "recommend" that site.

Initially, Google +1's only appeared on Google itself, but in June the company . This expansion indicates Google could be ready to use +1 data to tweak its rankings--after all, it seems plausible that the search giant would be interested in staying current with trending topics.