Word continues to spread about the new search that Bing will soon unveil. Drawing from the mountain of data that Facebook has made available to Microsoft, the new search will offer a customized and centralized search engine results page.
Microsoft has already been using data from Facebook likes (just as Google has been using data from the +1s), but the revamped search page will be a different vision.
The page will consist of three panels. The left panel will be the standard search results that you would expect to see. The middle panel will offer interactive features, such as maps or the ability to purchase movie tickets or reserve hotel rooms. The right panel - the pride and joy of the new look - will gather together all the relevant data from your friends on Facebook. You'll be able to see recommendations from friends, but you'll also be able to post questions for friends directly on the search page, thanks to greater integration between Bing and Facebook.
The social panel will also include relevant tweets from anyone, whether you follow them or not.
According to Bing, they found that people didn't want recommendations from their friends on social networks commingled with the standard search results. I personally agree. I've had to set my Google searches to stop that.
What makes Bing's approach so interesting is the way it separates but also brings together. It keeps standard search results and friend recommendations separate, but it then brings together the functionality of searching and interacting.
That's where I think Microsoft is on to something.
It's becoming more popular for people to turn to other software that brings together all of their social networks. You start putting together Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Tumblr, Pinterest, and any number of other social networks, and it all becomes a bit overwhelming. Each network appeals to a certain part of us, but maintaining them all takes time and effort.
Helping people maintain their social networks will continue to be a strong business model.
Although Bing isn't doing that specifically, Microsoft is building on that idea and centralizing searching and interacting. Rather than bouncing between Bing and Facebook, you can simply type questions or ask for recommendations from specific friends directly into the search page.
The key here is functionality that actually makes people's lives easier. Our quest for more connections and customization has tended to make our lives more complex.
Bing's new approach streamlines our desire for normal searching and our interest in what our friends think.
Tearing people away form Google may not be easy. It's name as become synonymous with searching, after all. But this new vision of search and social media integration is a powerful and bold move in an intriguing direction.
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