By now you’ve probably heard someone say Graph Search. This week Facebook unveiled a powerful update for navigating connections and mapping relationships that will be rolled out slowly over the coming weeks. Zuckerberg told his audience at Facebook headquarters: there are two ways to connect on Facebook; staying connected and making new connections. Now there are three ways to view those
connections: News Feed, Timeline and Graph Search. The new tool will allow users to create and explore new connections, through four avenues: people, photos, places and interests.
Graph Search distinguishes itself from typical search engines by allowing users to search the private information Facebook users have shared. Those friends users interact with most on Facebook will be placed highest in the search results, giving users easy access to the information they trust. If a user is not sure where to go to dinner or where to take their next vacation, Graph Search will tell users what their closest friends think without the need to ask them.
Not only can users search their friends’ likes and interests, they can be casual about the way they do it. Graph Search works based on phrases, not just words. Users can search “My friend who likes biking and indian food.” If Facebook fails to find the answer, Bing will be there to help.
In an article with Forbes, Zuckerberg revealed that Facebook would have loved to partner with Google, but chose Microsoft’s Bing due to Facebook user’s need to add and remove content at their whim. We can’t wait to see what Graph Search will mean for brands. Right now, users can join the waiting list for the beta version of Graph Search.
Resources
- Facebook: http://newsroom.fb.com/News/562/Introducing-Graph-Search-Beta
- Ad Age: http://adage.com/article/digital/facebook-unveils-search-tool-supply-intent-data-ad-targeting/239200/
- Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2013/01/15/live-facebook-announces-graph-search/
