Facebook’s “Social Graph” set to test Google Search

Facebook is posing as a challenger to Google’s reign on the Internet with the introduction of new-fangled attractions that changes the way Internet users browse, work, fool around and search for information. Since the beginning of the year, Facebook has launched features such as an  @facebook.com email service and “Facebook Questions” that act as a contender to Google’s search engine.

Whereas Google’s search results are produced using algorithms that are based on the user’s Web history, Facebook offers a personalized version of this service which allows the user to select his own “likes” and suggest these to his friends. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, labels it as the “social graph.”   He has opined that,

“I think what we’ve found is that when you can use products with your friends and your family and the people you care about they tend to be more engaging,”

Based on research carried out by online tracking firm comScore, the number of people that visit Google is greater than that of Facebook. On the other hand, Facebook visitors hang around much longer than they do on Google properties. Internet analysts have nicknamed  Facebook the second internet.

Lou Kerner, social media analyst at Wedbush Securities, has stated that,

“The social graph is incredibly broad. It includes not only what you do and what you like but people you know and what they like and the companies you interact with. I refer to Facebook as the second Internet, maybe more valuable than the first because we’re all interconnected on it. Social media is an increasingly important part of how you reach people and it’s a growing part of every marketer’s budget.”

The rapid development of Facebook works to the advantage of Google who has been facing some difficult questions from the anti-trust authorities in America and Europe.