Microsoft’s Bing.com just recently announced that it is integrating Facebook’s very sought after social graph information in to parts of its search results. In the social media world, this has been both expected and long waited for. The “social search” will search algorithms to pick up on signals such as location to figure out what a person is trying to find or do. In lemans terms, Bing is using Facebook’s “like” results and profile search results and integrating them in to their search engine.
Whenever you are signed on to Facebook and are using Bing, you will have an option of viewing search results that will take in to consideration what your Facebook friends have liked or searched. By tapping in to Facebooks information database, Bing is taking a direct shot at other search engines such as Google in the race to customize search options specifically for individuals.
For companies, this is also a huge step. Those companies that know how to manage social media and use it effectively can use Bing to their advantage as the search engine moves towards better search results based on social graphs. Through more relevant user generated data, socially connected people and companies will be in-the-know and will consequently make more money!
This sounds really cool, and who wouldn't want better search results? I like the fact that this feature can be turned off and on easily in case I am jetting really isolated and messed-up search results (ie some of my friends having really wierd "likes").
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