Microsoft Bing goes social in search war with Google

11.05.2012
to boost Bing's social networking feaures could finally give it an opportunity to truly take on Google's dominant search engine, analysts say.

The updated , unveiled on Thursday, can now include the user comments, likes and activities posted in popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, agreed with Microsoft's contention that the redesign is "the most significant since Microsoft launched Bing three years ago."

"The Bing redesign really is a search revolution and the biggest change I have seen from them in years," Moorhead said.

"Bing could revolutionize social search by tapping into Facebook's and Twitter's capabilities. Unlike Google, Bing and Microsoft aren't vying to create their own social media destination, so they can access the best-of-breed social media sites like Facebook and Twitter," Moorhead added.

Bing's new interface, which is expected to move from a private to a public beta test period soon, offers users a sidebar that focuses on people in the user's social networks and their opinions and search queries, Microsoft said.