Bing beats Google in partnership with Facebook's Graph Search

By Sam Sabri
published

Earlier today, Facebook announced a new advanced search engine for users called Graph Search. The engine allows users to search content friends and others have shared in rather interesting ways.

For example, a phrase like “Friends who live in Los Angeles under 30” would produce a list of all your friends who currently live in Los Angeles and are under 30 years old. While Graph Search was built by Facebook, sometimes results from the web need to be pulled in to help add context to results. Facebook was planning on working with Google, but that plan fell apart over privacy concerns.

When using Graph Search, you might want external data (like weather, ticket prices, etc) pulled into the results. That data will be supplied from Bing because Google wasn’t willing to work with Facebook on their privacy needs. When a Facebook user changes their privacy setting on something like a photo, Google was unwilling to remove it from their search index. Facebook hasn’t always had the best stance on privacy, but the company has been making recent efforts to simplify the overall privacy experience. It’s really interesting that Google didn’t want to work with Facebook and instead chose to place the importance of their search results over privacy concerns from users.  

Tweet of the day comes from Ed Bott, talking about the whole breakdown between Facebook and Google he said:

“I mean, when Facebook says your privacy policies are troublesome, you know you’ve crossed a line”

Facebook’s Graph Search has a lot of promise to be a useful tool, mostly because of the amount of data that users have made Facebook privy too. This partnership with Bing should help boost their overall standing in the search engine wars.

A win for Bing and a loss for Google. Now whether or not you decided to use Facebook is entirely up to you. It’s just worth highlighting when an awesome deal like this comes up. No word yet when we can expect this in the Windows Phone Facebook app. We’ll let you know when it does come.

Source: Talking Points Memo

75 Comments
  • This can only mean good things for Bing. For one, they will have more content and users and from it hopefully form better search algorithms. I just wished they announced instagram for WP today though :-(
  • I am sick tired of instagram crap. Just posting pics so people can comment on it or rate it hahaha big deal. Why don't you use hot or Not hahaha
  • Good, how does google like that, its the same way we wp8 users feel about you not letting us have a proper YouTube app.
  • One has nothing to do with the other.
  • I think maybe he means it's like karma?
  • Yeah I kinda consider it karma since google has a big monopoly on apps that are mainstream to all mobile devices, and to hear that google won't make any app for windows phone really killed how I look at them as a company.
  • Ha! Liking it. Love Bing over Google search. Hope this helps boost Bing up on the charts.
  • Dont think google even cares, dont see why they would partner up, they have a facebook competitor to grow. 
  • This.
  • do you mean goggle +? thats a thing?
  • I'm shocked that a company that tried to compete directly with Facebook & competes in data mining and searching, didn't cooperate with them on this. Shocked.
  • Your thoughts are short-sighted. Why not take both. Google passed because they have a "no compromises" rule - not because they felt like they would be helping the competition. If that was the case there would be zero google/facebook integration- including Android.
  • Despite Google having Google+, they realise Facebook is the more dominant network, it's only in their best interest to support Facebook in some capacity on their Android platform; it would be otherwise suicide to not. But that doesn't discount the fact that they're not Microsoft who've invested into Facebook and have a close working relationship with them. I don't view it as Google "missing out" - I just see it unlikely that Google would want to facilitate Facebook's growth. But I equally see it unlikely that Facebook would give Google to access all the information that Facebook has amassed. 
  • Actually Google has wanted to work with Facebook in the past. Facebook refuses to share its data with google though. That's what prompted google to make google+. No one remembers the hissy fit google threw? They want access to that data. Its valuable
  • Big companies don't think like this.
    For example Ms and Motorola (a google company) have a strong partnership on just announced win 8 embedded for handled.
  • Its Motorola Solutions, not Motorola Mobility (Google).
  • This
  • Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions are 2 separate companies run by different ppl and principles. MS is dealing with MSolutions, mobility company is the one that is owned by Google
  • I prefer bong way more then Google. The information is so accurate
  • My bong is much better than google too! Lol.
  • LMAO, i'm glad i read the comments. 
  • You must be totally relaxed man....
  • My bong leads me to go down a Bing rabbit hole all the time.
  • Yeah...but for some reason I am always incredibly hungry afterwards.
  • I love "bong!" lolzzzz!
  • Comedy gold! Even if accidental. Bong makes a lot of things seem more accurate!
  • Please never correct this comment with an edit :) made me chuckle on my commute :D
  • Its not surprising google has google +. Why help the enemy?
  • keep your enemies close.
  • Google what? I'm on that thing, and it sucks.
  • G+ is hardly a competitor. Every person with a google account is given a profile making their user base inflated. Its allot let popular than you think
  • It would be nice if they announced a search feature for the official WP FB app.. Tired of having to use two apps.. The other being FB touch.....
  • They should have asked for Instagram native support in WP for Bing. Equal trade.
  • Cool, Now that MS has Facebook and Nokia Maps; the should by Viemo.
  • AGREED. THIS.
  • I prefer Bing. Period.
  • Me too
  • Can't wait for the whole Google thing to start to crumble.
  • Same here
  • Mary Jo Foley's article at ZDNet says that according to her research Bing is not powering the Graph Search. Oh well...
  • She's the independent voice of Redmond. Whatever that means.
  • Bing doesn't power Facebook Graph Search, it adds additional search results from the web to the Facebook results.
  • You're right, it's not powering the Graph Search, just giving it supplemental data. Like weather, ticket prices, etc. 
  • Google and Facebook are rivals. It was foolish of them to even attempt to make a joint effort. Google just wanted the data that Facebook has. After all they are both competing for our information.
  • I've seen a few people say this now, and it's plain wrong. If competition meant companies wouldn't cooperate, then why do you see the things I'm going to list below?
     
    --Google apps on iOS
    --Wordament on iOS
    --Several other Microsoft features on iOS and Android (namely SkyDrive and Skype)
    --Microsoft Office on Mac OS/OS X
    --Google Chrome on Windows (when Google has released its own ChromeOS alternative)
    --Google search available with the Windows Phone "Search" button
    --AMD video cards in Intel computers (you'd think they'd only support NVIDIA cards or something, though that would be tough to pull off)
     
    There are likely MANY more examples of this I could name if I tried, plus many more others could name. Competition does not totally kill cooperation when it is mutually beneficial.
  • --Google search available with the Windows Phone "Search" button
     
    Am I missing something here?  Isn't bing hardwired to the search button?
  • If you go into the phone's settings, you can change the "Search" button to prefer Google over Bing. I'm guessing the moronic bureaucracy would have called Microsoft out on antitrust violations if they didn't put that setting in, regardless of marketshare.
  • Okay, let me add this to the stack of evidence in the "Why Microsoft will eventually buy Facebook" folder.
  • Not so sure about that, not unless the Facebook share price drops massively. Their current market capitalisation is $65 billion, which is a little more than the $8 billion that Skype cost.
    From what I can see Bing is not powering the actual product, but is just the external source for web based data when the Graph Search can't provide adequate results. That's a good thing for Bing, but not that significant.
  • Bing-o.
  • Exactly.  The main thing is that Google could have had those users driven to their search service and instead they are going to Bing.  This could cause Bing's search marketshare numbers to go up ever so slightly with more people using them.  I don't think it will cause a huge influx, but I think MS would like to nickel and dime their way to the big article headline that states: Bing surpasses Google as the Internet search king.  They still have a ways to go, but Bing has dramatically increased its marketshare.
    And a bigger Bing means more advertizing revenue and a stronger push of MS services.  Microsoft would love nothing more than for people to use the Outlook calendar instead of Google through their online services and utilize a monthly subscription to Office to expand on that.  This is about limiting Google and preventing much expansion for Google's products.
  • you know I really like the bong name lol
  • Like someone else said, here's hoping Microsoft used those negotiations to bring up apps for Instagram and Facebook (one made BY Facebook, that is). I mean, once Facebook told them Google didn't want to join them, they could have used this as leverage to get those things in return, perhaps. Facebook wouldn't have REALLY gone to Yahoo, would it?
  • I highly doubt that fb would have gone with yahoo.
  • Yeah, I'm just trying to think of a reason Microsoft wouldn't say "Google turned you guys down, so if you want our help, you had better get official, first-party Facebook and Instagram apps for Windows Phone made soon." The only reason they wouldn't push that, in my mind, is that Yahoo might have been an alternative, but who wants that?
  • Bing powers Yahoo search now, so I don't even know if this would be possible.
  • Fan-freakin-tastic!!!! When the hell are we getting a better Facebook app?
  • Now if just Facebook brings its apps to WP, people will stop whining and step out of WP's throat.
  • Have you used the app? Its crap. If I'm using a top of the line phone, I expect to have a top of the line app.
  • Why would you need an app, Facebook is fully integrated into the phone. And it does the job for me.
  • Nice that its sufficient for you. But that doesn't mean its sufficient for those who would like an app that has access to many more Facebook features the WP integration doesn't have.
  • I agree 100% with you... I hate when people say it's integrated into the OS! It's not the same, the app is better for doing other things..
  • Is it going to integrate with WP Facebook and app?
  • SURPRISED! Not.
  • That moment when you like wp8 but prefer google search
  • yeah, i would love to use bing as my primary search engine but the problem is my county is not supported... cant get accurate search results (wp8 phone or desktop). why microsoft, oh why? 
     
  • If you want to use BING with the search algorithm of mainstream countries, you can use the UK version: http://www.bing.com/?cc=GB
    Happy BINGing :)
  • I want that bing search engine would be only my in all world. I dont need that bing be on charts
  • You make it sound like google even had a chance. Facebook hates google now and vice versa.
  • I don't particularly think this feature on Facebook is all that useful... at least not for me. I suppose if you have hundreds or thousands of "friends" maybe, but I look at my list of friends and know the answer to any possible questions without a search, because I actually KNOW the people.
     
    Does nobody consider it odd that despite existing partnerships with Bing, Facebook was even considering Google to begin with? Seems like it would have been a no brainer. Maybe Google was never being considered at all and it was just a way of slapping them in the face. I mean come on, Facebook commenting on anyone's privacy concerns is total BS on its own, since they just built a feature that by its usage is kind of a violation of privacy.
     
    I swear if it weren't for my family being so spread out all over the country that I need FB to keep in touch easily, I wouldn't bother with the service at all.
  • I don't know how relevant are the results of Bing in areas like the Unitied States, United Kingdom, but in Hungary it's just terrible. Bing Maps can't show letters like "ő" in some of our cities names.
    I'd love to use Bing and I'd love to use the services of Microsoft, but with Windows Phone, Xbox and everything else, I feel like... "Yeah, there are tons of nice features, but only in the US and some other countries... not here." Using the search button on Windows Phone when Locale set to Hungarian brings up the browser only with the bing search page.
  • If you want to use BING with the search algorithm of mainstream countries, you can use the UK version: http://www.bing.com/?cc=GB
    Happy BINGing :)
  • From an infrastructure stand point it makes perfect sense... if the hosted servers ae Windows Machines then the content is easily indexed... and once things are indexed in Windows... it's super easy to find.  The reason google works so well is because of their Spiders scouring every website that pops up on the web.  
  • As a business owner who has advertised on Google i am tired of thier crap. Now, in oreder for my customers to leace a review of my business thier forced to join Google+  which sucks balls because most of my customers dont waant to join so that cost me raatings which cost my business money. Eff Google.
  • It's riduculous how  much they're pushing G+ on users to use other products...