Redmond, Wash. – Microsoft (NASD:MSFT) has announced a tighter integration of Facebook with its Bing search engine, which will now display stories and sites “liked” by friends on results pages.
“We partnered with Facebook to basically allow Bing users to bring their friends to search with them,” said Sean Suchter, general manager of Microsoft’s Search Technology Center in Silicon Valley. “That means they’ll be able to make decisions not just with facts but with the opinions of their friends.”
When Facebook users are signed in and search on Bing, they will see friends’ likes; if they are signed out, they will see the top-liked sites and stories of all Facebook users.
A new Bing Bar will function as a “universal ‘like’” button, allowing users to “like” any page on the Web.
Both Microsoft and Google (NASD:GOOG) integrate data from Twitter into their search results, but the new deal gives Microsoft unique access to integrate Facebook data into its search engine.
Related Links:
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/05/bing-facebook-google/
