GOSHEN —
Facebook made a major announcement this week of a new search feature called “Graph Search.” This new search tool is releasing in beta to Facebook users shortly.
In short, Graph Search is a new way for Facebook users to find people, photos, places and things of interest that are most relevant to them. It is a tool that persons will use while on Facebook. It is not a “search engine” like Bing or Google.
The tool is intended to be a “smart search” that allows Facebook users to ask questions and get results from their network of friends and Pages they “Like” on Facebook. It is a different model than Google’s search as that takes into account everything on the web. Rather, Graph Search by Facebook seeks to give you personalized and relevant results based on what your friends and social network have posted on Facebook.
Example searches that will be able to give personalized results include queries such as:
• Chinese restaurants in Chicago that my friends have Liked
• Dentists that my friends like
• Who are my friends that went to Bethel College?
• Show pictures of my friends at Indianapolis Colts games
• Businesses that my friends recommend for home remodeling
• Photos that I Liked in 2011
If you did a web search on Google or Bing for those items, you’d get one set of results that is general, such as “Chinese restaurants in Chicago.” However, with Graph Search on Facebook, a user will get tailored results based on their social network. If your friend checked in at a Chinese restaurant in Chicago and noted that they liked the food, that would be part of the results. The value lies in the fact that we trust the recommendations of friends, and this gives us another way to quickly get the perspective of our entire friend network on Facebook.
A key item to note is that Graph Search starts with privacy in mind. If a Facebook user has something set to private, then this data is not part of searchable results. So the results a Facebook users gets with Graph Search are filtered according to what is public and accessible to you as a user based on the settings your friends used when they posted. If they set it to private, you can’t see it. If they set it to “friends,” then it could be in your results, and if they set the post to “public” then anyone searching could have their input included as part of the search results.
To get started with this new tool, go to facebook.com/graphsearch and click the button at the bottom to sign up for beta (or begin using it if you already have access). Starting last Tuesday, Facebook is rolling Graph Search out slowly, but more people should get it in the coming weeks and months. Signing up means you’ll get it sooner.
The overall value is more personalized and relevant search results based on a Facebook users friend network and Pages they have Liked. Who doesn’t trust recommendations from trusted friends? Now the process of getting that recommendation has been made much simpler!
Mike Gingerich leads the Social Application division of web design company, Digital Hill Multimedia (http://www.DigitalHill.com). He is a co-founder of TabSite.com, a leader in Facebook fan page tools for businesses. TabSite offers brands the power to boost Facebook marketing. For more information on TabSite, please visit www.tabsite.com.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013. Zuckerberg introduced "graph search" Tuesday, a new service that lets users search their social connections for information about their friends' interests, and for photos and places.
TECH TALK: Facebook launches major new search feature
- Local News
-
-
Treatment plant building, lift station fixes approved
GOSHEN — The Wastewater Treatment Plant’s Digester and Lab buildings have water leaking in and the plant’s Twelfth Street lift station has bricks falling off the building due to water damage.
-
Crashes rekindle seat belt debate
An Indiana lawmaker who sponsored a bill that would have required seat belts on school buses hopes two high-profile collisions in a span of a week that left more than 60 people injured will spur parents to urge the General Assembly to act.
-
SLIDESHOW: 2013 Westview Graduation
Photos from the 47th Commencement Ceremony at Westview High School. The class of 2013 had 87 students.
-
THE DIRT ON GARDENING: Choose your pool plants wisely
Do you have a pool or a pond or do you plan on having one in the near future? Then you’ll want to choose your plants wisely that you’ll expect to have near or around the perimeter.
-
Handle poison hemlock carefully
Poison hemlock is a weed that seemed to burst onto the scene last year during the drought.
In the past, it could be found in waste areas like along railroad tracks and ditches, but in 2012, poison hemlock seemed to be everywhere, including backyards, gardens, fields, even along the river at Bonneyville Mill Park. -
'Piazza' program starts Saturday at Ruthmere
The “Coffee on the Piazza” program will return to Ruthmere Museum this spring and summer.
-
Jefferson students spend the day at Camp Amigo
On Tuesday, 450 Jefferson Elementary School students experienced “outdoor” school.
-
Bus driver’s condition upgraded after Wednesday wreck
A school bus driver injured in a four-bus crash Wednesday north of North Webster was hospitalized in fair condition Thursday.
-
Goshen has growth spurt
Goshen Mayor Allan Kauffman doesn’t have the magic bullet as to why Goshen is over the 32,000 mark in population for the first time.
-
Sentence dealt for reckless homicide
GOSHEN — From the witness stand in Elkhart Circuit Court, Kristina Wolfinger could see the man who killed her brother. She described what she didn’t see.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
Jersey Shore Open for Business
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access
First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
