BreakingModern — Finding the exact information you’ve searched for on Facebook could be challenging sometimes. You know you’ve seen a post on a specific person’s profile, but finding it required scrolling through months of status updates. Or maybe you traveled and wanted to find specific restaurant recommendations for a town but you only trust your friends and family members.
So far, Facebook’s search feature has been largely unhelpful in searches like these. But the social media network obviously realizes the demand for these features, since the company recently announced an update that will make the site easier for everyone. The update follows a beta version of Graph Search in which users provide feedback that helps the company make changes. The updates will not only make it easier to find past posts but also to get recommendations on businesses in a specific area.
Traveling the World with Friends
No matter where you’ve been or where you plan to go, there’s likely someone on your Facebook friends list who has been there. With the updated version of Facebook Search, you’ll be able to see photos and status updates from friends who have been to a certain area. Planning a trip to Paris? Simply type in “my friends who have been to Paris” and you’ll see a selection of all the posts that fit that criteria.
This search function can also be a way to get local business recommendations from your Facebook connections. If you’re thinking about trying out a new restaurant, search for “my friends who have eaten at” and enter the name of the restaurant, and you’ll see all of the posts about that business.
A Replacement for Yelp?
Customers already know they can learn about local businesses by reading reviews on sites like Yelp. However, there’s more value in being able to see the restaurants, hotels and attractions your friends like. Since Facebook is still the most-popular network, many consumers are likely to first try there before venturing out onto the Internet. While check-ins are great for spreading the word about a business, many users may miss those original check-ins, especially if they are related to a place they aren’t even thinking about visiting yet.
Still, Facebook has a long way to go before its search feature can replace Yelp and other top business-review sites. For example, when a user requests a list of people who have eaten at a restaurant, what comes up is a list of posts with that restaurant name in it. If you’re searching for recommendations of a popular restaurant chain, you’ll likely find most of the posts aren’t relevant to the information you’re seeking.
Facebook has always had a few missing pieces and search is one of them. By addressing this with a major search update, Facebook is positioning itself to be easier for consumers to use and therefore it will continue to dominate the social media landscape. To test out the new search feature, simply go to your Facebook page and begin typing in a search term with the words “my friends who (blank)” and learn a little more about your online friends.
For BMod, I’m Stephanie Faris.
First/Featured image: © Sergey Nivens / Dollar Photo Club
Second image: © dmitry / Dollar Photo Club
