Optimizing the Google +1 button for speed (seifi.org)

After seeing how slow the Google +1 button loads and how it can actually degrade your website’s overall pageload time, I started looking around for answers. First of all, I found that I’m not the only one complaining about the issue. Numerous others have started to point out the speed issues with the +1 button. My second thought was to perhaps remove the button from the site, although considering the effect the +1 button has on your website’s ranking that would mean less love from Google. So what’s a developer to do? If we keep the button on our site, overall pageload times spike. But if we remove the button, or not add it, we might lose out on a potential piece of the social voting pie which most believe affects your search performance.