Comments on: Facebook Graph Search and Local From Across the Web- Let the Fight Begin

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:56:34 +0000

If there is any one entity that can finally put a challenge to Google it will be Facebook. The key flaw, mentioned by your thought leaders, is lack of consistent across the board data. It is easy to get consumers to submit and write info about their favorite “glam” businesses (ie Restaurants, Spas, Nightclubs) but it is much different to get them to share their favorite podiatrist or OB/ GYN.

This is a long battle but Facebook is technically way ahead of Google (or Google+); they have the audience and interaction. Crowd sourcing is much easier when you have an active and robust crowd. If they tackle the big verticals in a holistic and ongoing approach they can really do some damage. Once folks start really upon FB for finding “glam” businesses the outliers will be the inevitable next step.

By: Mike Blumenthal

Mike Blumenthal — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:19:25 +0000

@Josef
re: Will Facebook’s social graph relay on it’s internal social and localeze data, or will it look at reviews/citations/etc across the web?

I read nothing about localeze just creted pages and Bing. It appears that it needs to have a “graph” ie like etc to show… but its a good question.

As to reviews if you look at the nearby product I think you see their review plan… go mobile, get ratings, show likes and solicit recomendations.

I doubt that they will play well with the rest of the web on any of the content and am equally sure that Google will scrape what they can.

@Phil
I am predicting a good fight… but I leave the call to the oddsmakers.

@Andy
Yes there are a number of issues in that regard… the limit you point out, but also the unlikely scenario that anybody would look for things that require some annominity (DUI laywers, plastic surgeons etc etc etc)

By: Andy Kuiper

Andy Kuiper — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:05:09 +0000

Informative article mike, I also liked the pertinent and timely info you provided from some of your peers

I second all of commenter Josef’s questions… there is more unanswered by this announcement than there is answered.

Right now, if I felt comfortable with the answers the new FB Graph Search provided after querying “restaurants nearby that my friends like”, I’d think it was a good thing. But I’m not all that interested in just what my friends think about nearby restaurants, I’m more interested in what everyone thinks about nearby restaurants. However, I’m inclined to think FB will get this right over time.

It’s kind of exciting

By: Phil Rozek

Phil Rozek — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:39:18 +0000

Funny that this comes on the heels of Google’s all-too-generous, brand-spankin’-new phone support. I’m sure the FB folks and the people they know kept mum, but still…Google’s timing makes you wonder. It’s interesting to think of what we’d be saying if these two developments happened in the reverse order: FB rolling out Graph, followed by Google stepping up its game.

I say Google by a TKO

By: Josef

Josef — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:22:45 +0000

Great POV summary of some great thought leaders. Thank you.

Facebook’s Nearby and Social Graph are interesting. So many questions I’m curious to have answered..

Will Facebook’s social graph relay on it’s internal social and localeze data, or will it look at reviews/citations/etc across the web?

Since most of FB business pages are public, will FB’s social graph influence business listing rankings on other engines? If not Google, maybe bing? Others?

Will business reviews manifest on FB eventually, like other search engines? Perhaps, “Reviews around the web” similar to Google? Or will general FB social interaction / comment testimonial trump “old school” reviews?

I think FB has created a turning point for social in local/mobile. 2013 I imagine will put emphasis in social metrics, likes/reviews/check-ins/etc in localization. Exciting!