Facebook unveiled Graph Search last week, which is new way to search and sort through items you are looking for on the social network. The service, which is currently in beta mode, will be in addition to the existing Facebook search, and is predicted to be a huge improvement in the networks search feature. Here's a quick overview of how it will work.
A way to sort through Facebook
Graph Search will allow you to access people, information and items which are already on Facebook and have been shared via Open Graph, which the feature of Facebook that shares photos you comment on, apps you use, music you listen to, etc. Graph Search is “not web search” as Facebook puts it, however if you search for something that cannot be found on Facebook it will display results from secondary source of information, Bing.
Four main search areas
Graph Search will allow you to search for things in four main categories: People, Photos, Locations and Interests. Facebook has created a visual guide of how it will work. Using their example you'll be able to type in a search for, restaurants in London my friends have been to, or, photos of my friends in New York, or, people who like cycling and are from my hometown. Basically you could search for anything in the Facebook world that has been shared with you, or you have shared with others, and each person will see unique results. The Graph Search bar has a series of filters, which, when you type in a sentence will give you suggested searches. These search suggestions will then take you to a unique results page.
Potential for huge growth
Facebook says that everything shared in Open Graph will eventually be available for search in Graph Search, which means that every post, like, comment, movie viewed, etc., will be able to be searched and viewed by other people using Graph Search. This however is dependent on users extensively and continually updating their profiles with their favourite activities, cafe's, movies, restaurants, and so on. Gadget Guide, Gizmodo says of the new feature "Unless your friends are pouring opinion and activity into Facebook, searching can feel hollow. And until Facebook starts incentivising that kind of annotation — or making it uncomfortable not to — search will continue to feel kind of vacant at times." What are your thoughts on Facebook's Graph Search? Let us know in the comments below.