20 years ago, anyone with a question went to an expert. Then came the internet, and people began to use giant search engines like Yahoo and Google to find answers. This gave people access to far more information, but lacked the personal approach and security you got from asking a known expert. Without knowing where information originates, it can be hard to see bias or know how credible the source really is. That is the premise behind a new search feature on Facebook called “Questions”.
The option allows users to post questions to other users of Facebook. That way not only do you get an answer to a question, but you know where, or better yet, who the answer came from. The option is being offered to a small selection of Facebooks 500 million users for now but it will be available to a wider audience soon. Some online analysts see this as a direct challenge to Google, but it is more likely to be a threat to search engines like ask.com and yahoo answers. Facebook can not match the searching and indexing power of google, instead, it will use its vast network of social contacts to help answer questions. That means it will not provide the immediate results provided by Google, but it may give users better answers to more specific or specialized questions. It could also prove a great way to find knowledgeable professionals. One day businesses may even use Questions as a sort of pre interview phase to vet potential employees.
Either way, web users now have another choice in the ever growing number of specialized search engines.
Blog Posting By: Tyler Griffin, Creative Director - Mindshift Media
Writter By: Brad Girtz - Mindshift Media Blogger
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