On Tuesday Facebook unveiled its new search feature – Graph Search – which is designed to give its more than one billion users increased flexibility when finding and sharing content on the site.
With Graph Search users can run queries by typing search phrases in plain English into a new box on any Facebook page. The new search feature was announced after weeks of speculation that the company was preparing the rollout of its own branded smartphone or a new mobile app. Reactions were mixed after the announcement, with some calling it the killer of Yelp and Google and others seeing it as a belated and small entry into the search market.
The new search tool, currently in a limited beta launch, is unlikely to challenge the likes of Google and Yelp right now, but may have some impact in the future if the social-networking giant continues to expand its search capabilities, Opus Research senior analyst Greg Sterling said, as cited by PC Advisor.
Facebook’s Graph Search is centred on a user’s own contacts, something that makes it quite different from Google, which searches the whole web, some analysts have said. However, Facebook’s new offering is at an early stage and its usefulness and real value is yet to be seen and judged.