Microsoft integrates Facebook in Bing search results

Microsoft has announced the biggest update to its Bing search engine since its launch in 2009. The new Bing search will integrate a user’s Facebook friend list and make it frictionless to connect search results with checking friends who can be of help for individual search queries.
The new Bing search page will be divided into three columns – the core web results on the left, a snapshot bar in the middle and Facebook bar on the right. Unlike Google, which mixes results based on Google+ circles with organic search results, the new Bing will keep it completely separate in a dedicated column. It will search the user’s Facebook feeds and provide a list of friends, their posts and pictures that would be relevant to the search query. Users will also be able to interact with their friends directly from Bing making it absolutely frictionless. Apart from Facebook, the sidebar will also find people from Twitter, Foursquare, Quora, LinkedIn, Google+ and Blogger, who might be domain experts so the user can follow them to find out more information related to their search query.
The middle column, called snapshot, will help users do more – depending on the search query it would display maps, reviews, bookings and reservation services and so on. Microsoft will also roll out a mobile version of the new Bing search, which will incorporate these elements but customized for a smaller display and touchscreens.
We are impressed with what we hear but it all boils down to the experience. Unfortunately, the new Bing search will be rolled out first in the US in coming days with no word on its international release.