Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has unveiled a new search feature that will allow users to search quickly for threads like articles or a suggestion. The social networking site has decided to update its search to enable users to find posts from themselves or friends in their list, as well as posts shared with them.
Facebook users more keen on knowing who posted
At first, the company was looking to show results that included public posts from people who were not in the list of users’ followers. But later Facebook realized that people only care about posts from the friends and pages they have liked.
Facebook’s vice president of search, Tom Stocky, said, “Usually when you think about information retrieval, it’s all about matching content to queries or content to intent.”
Stocky added that on Facebook, users generally want to see who has posted the content rather than what the post is about. Initially, the updated feature will be available only for U.S. English language users. It has been rolled out on the desktop and the iOS mobile app. As of now, the Menlo Park-based company has not given any time frame for updating search on Android.
Will privacy be a concern?
It is being widely assumed that the keyword search is a smarter move for Facebook as it indexes content and posts. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has mentioned it over and over again that search is the company’s third pillar other than News Feeds and Timelines. The new model, if successful, will open an altogether new revenue model for the social networking giant.
Facebook has not kept any limit on the posts users can look for. For instance, if someone is looking for a post eight years old, then he or she can find it easily. If the user has posted anything publicly, without restricting it just for friends, then anyone can search for it.
Facebook already had a Graph Search that allowed users to look for people, places, interests and photos shared on the platform. So the feature is just an extension of Graph. It can be termed a good move from Facebook, but users should carefully review their privacy settings now more than before for the simple reason that if a user has written something few years back and it could be embarrassing, then they cannot help getting embarrassed when someone digs out the post.
