FutureFive New Zealand - Consumer technology news & reviews from the future
Story image
Microsoft's Bing to access your Facebook 'Likes'
Fri, 15th Oct 2010
FYI, this story is more than a year old

In the ongoing search battle against Google, Microsoft has done a deal to integrate content from Facebook to refine its search results.

Integrated content will include profiles of Facebook users and web pages they have endorsed by clicking on "like" buttons within Facebook.

"The thing that makes Microsoft a great partner for us is that they really are the underdog here," Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said. "Because of that they’re in a structural position where they're incentivised to go all out and innovate."

The Facebook data provides important "signals" to help refine search results, Microsoft Online Services Division President Qi Lu told Reuters.

As part of the agreement, Microsoft's Bing will be able to access user's "likes" on the social network and deliver search results tailored to individual preferences.

How does that sit with the Bing users out there?