Facebook Graph Search Discussed
Pete and Kelly talk about Facebook Graph Search, a new type of search based on your friend's Facebook information. Clever search tool, or scary stalker toolkit? You decide!
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Listen to FrequencyCast Show 84 - Facebook Graph Search Discussed
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What is Facebook Graph Search:
Transcript continues from BT SmartTalk Review
Pete:
Right, what have we got next? You've got a hot topic to talk to me about now, haven't you? - and this is something to do with social networking, if I'm right.
Kelly:
Yeah, this is Facebook's rival in Google basically.
Pete:
And it's got a silly name, hasn't it?
Kelly:
The Graph Search.
Pete:
Yeah - what's all that about, then?
Kelly:
Well basically, what they're aiming to do is, to rival Google but by searching within your network, and your area. You should be able to search for restaurants and clubs and gyms and things, based on where other people in your social network go.
Pete:
And it's an interesting school of thought. This was rolled out last month, in January, and at the moment it's only available as a Beta, and it's very limited. You have to sign up to it, and it's only available to the US market, but it will be rolled out around the world, and us here in the UK will get it soon. The idea is, it's using different types of data searches. So rather than going to Google, and saying, recommend a restaurant in my area, you go into the Facebook search, and type in things like, "restaurants in London that my friends have been to", and it'll look at London and your friends, and their check-ins, to work out where your friends have been in the past, for recommendations.
Kelly:
I really don't like this.
Pete:
Also, you can put in things like, "People I know who like cycling."
Kelly:
You could just Google a cycle group.
Pete:
Ah, but this is people that you know, that have added something in their profile. You can get a bit weird with it, like something like, "List of all my friend who've said their relationship is complicated."
Kelly:
It's basically like stalking people!
Pete:
It has got some sort of use, though. You can do things like photos of my home town that were taken before 2005, so you can see what your town looked like.
Kelly:
But who's going to do that? - I mean really, what's going to happen with this, is that women, before dates now, when they're searching for men, are going to find out everything - which restaurants they've been to, which ones they're likely to go to again; where their local pub is. It's going to basically just create a tonne of stalkerish people.
Pete:
See, I like this one - this is an example I found online. I must admit, I thought of you when I saw this one. Go on - have a read of that one for me.
Kelly:
Oh, great! - "Single men under 30 near my home town that like cats"!
Pete:
That's your perfect date, isn't it?
Kelly:
Yeah, pretty much, but I wouldn't want to Facebook Graph Search him!
Pete:
I don't know how this is going to go. I can see all sorts of privacy issues coming up as a result of this one. It's certainly one to watch, and you can kind of see what they're trying to do. It's searching that's more relevant to you. You go onto Google and do a search, you get a search from anywhere in the world, but this is actually going to be things that your friends, family, followers have been doing. So I don't know - used with care, I can see some advantages, but I can also see some fairly negative sides to this as well.
Kelly:
I also think it just gives you a very limited view. You're not going to go and experience anything new, and you're just basically going to end up doing exactly the same as your friends ... I dislike it completely.
Pete:
OK, so that's getting the FrequencyCast thumbs down - is that right?
Kelly:
It is.
Pete:
So let's move on from Facebook's Graph Search (what a catchy little name that is), and look at something far more exciting, and it's road driving kind of technology stuff. Is that of any interest to you?
Kelly:
Go on - we'll give it a go!
Transcript continues: RoadPixel Car Cameras Explored
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