Stalking your friends on Facebook, or "getting to know them better," is becoming even easier as the social network's new Graph Search proceeds through beta.
It's a powerful, visually based search engine that helps users sift through the chaos of Facebook to find the photos, people and info the network has to offer with a myriad of ways to filter results.
Facebook debuted Graph Search last month. Though only a fraction of users have access to the beta, "hundreds of thousands of people" are taking advantage of the tool, according to a recent news post on the social site.
Though the feature is still young, the Facebook staff seems pretty excited about it. They have even updated us on the top ways people are using the new tool with a few suggestions of fun search quires.
800 million degrees of Kevin Bacon
People are chiefly using Graph Search as a way of "finding out more about friends."
The new search has a lot of ways it can filter your friends list. It can produce results by typing quires like "My friends who are engaged" or "Photos of my friends before 2009."
The staff even suggests you figure out how many of your cohorts are Kevin Bacon fans.
People are also using the search tool to sift through the millions of photos on Facebook. It can be used to find pictures from the New York Times or National Geographic. Users can also search by subject like the Baltimore Ravens or underwater photography.
Third on the list of popular uses is as a trip planner. FB's post noted people are using the Graph Search to plan vacation activities by looking for Museums or ski resorts their friends have visited.
Facebook said it can also be used to find "Places that people named 'Waldo' have been to."
Lastly, people are using the feature to "discover new things" about products or movies that friends enjoy. Examples include "movies liked by people who like my favorite movies," or "Favorite hobbies of CE.s."
Power search
The search example help illustrate the power of the new engine and all the different queries it can handle. And if Graph Search can really locate Waldo, it's a true miracle of modern science.
Facebook has yet to share when the search tool will go public, but it might be a while.
"The roll out is going to be slow so we can see how people use Graph Search and make improvements," Ana Brekalo, a Facebook press rep told TechRadar.
But if you want to keep an eye on its progress and maybe get in on the beta, you can sign up for the waiting list. And if you are still curious about it, check out our Graph Search first impressions.
Until then, you'll just have to find out things about your friends the old fashion way: by talking to them.
