It's not that bad once you read into it. It's not bad at all. Google displays my recommendations to my friends, and since I only really like/+1 things I would recommend, it seems natural, and maybe even convenient.
Unfortunately, the crux of the issue may lie in consumer protections. While you and I may know exactly what we're endorsing, the average consumer probably does not. The average consumer probably also does not understand that their friends also do not. Otherwise, we wouldn't see so many "FREE $500 COSTCO GIFTCARD - CLICK HERE" posts on Facebook.
TL;DR: While I haven't formed a cohesive opinion about this, the problem with endorsements lies in the average case--not in the best case.
My thoughts were similar. I only +1 or Like things I am genuinely endorsing, and it's cool with me if the company gets good publicity in consequence. That's kind of the point. I wouldn't +1 something I did not want to give good publicity. So I almost left it on. Then I realized that I had no control over the content of the ad and there was no guarantee that what the ad said had anything to do with my reasons for +1'ing. Nor am I likely to go back and retract my +1 (can one do such a thing?) later if the company goes to the dark side.
Unfortunately, the crux of the issue may lie in consumer protections. While you and I may know exactly what we're endorsing, the average consumer probably does not. The average consumer probably also does not understand that their friends also do not. Otherwise, we wouldn't see so many "FREE $500 COSTCO GIFTCARD - CLICK HERE" posts on Facebook.
TL;DR: While I haven't formed a cohesive opinion about this, the problem with endorsements lies in the average case--not in the best case.