Toady Facebook announced a new search tool called “graph search” that is designed to make it easier to search for cool Facebook stuff.
Graph Search and web search are very different. Web search is designed to take a set of keywords (for example: “hip hop”) and provide the best possible results that match those keywords. With Graph Search you combine phrases (for example: “my friends in New York who like Jay-Z”) to get that set of people, places, photos or other content that’s been shared on Facebook. We believe they have very different uses.
Another big difference from web search is that every piece of content on Facebook has its own audience, and most content isn’t public. We’ve built Graph Search from the start with privacy in mind, and it respects the privacy and audience of each piece of content on Facebook. It makes finding new things much easier, but you can only see what you could already view elsewhere on Facebook.
It’s not every day the world’s largest social media company rolls out a new feature; naturally many Twitter users wanted to weigh in.
Some see enormous potential:
https://twitter.com/rakeshlobster/status/291272074675224577
Imagine Facebook’s Graph Search – *but for business*; That’s what Little Bird is building http://t.co/SyeT7w5V
— Marshall Kirkpatrick (@marshallk) January 15, 2013
Facebook introduces Graph Search and it looks awesome! https://t.co/YYVhrkY8
— Folke Lemaitre (@Folke) January 15, 2013
https://twitter.com/dannyhertz/status/291265380658315264
I'm so excited to see this launching. Graph Search is an amazing product that's going to change how people… http://t.co/Kj4HmkjV
— Brian Amerige (@brianamerige) January 15, 2013
Others think Social Graph is useless, or worse:
That Facebook Graph Search looks like the dumbest, most useless shit ever. Just an advanced stalking tool.
— Bob (@B_W3T) January 15, 2013
https://twitter.com/tomscott/status/291254748676513792
Graph Search: Because Facebook wasn't creepy enough.
— Andrew Crisp (@andrewcrisp) January 15, 2013
https://twitter.com/iGeoffers/status/291266009636151296
Just read about Facebook's graph search….Jesus. How easy do Facebook need to make stalking? I swear it's being built, and run, by creeps
— Thomas (@orginarymagoo) January 15, 2013
The markets reacted with mild disapproval. Facebook shares are down 2.5% today (at the moment).
Twitchy has no opinion yet on Graph Search, but Facebook is a large source of traffic for our website so we wish the company well.
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