Facebook's plan to get you to bypass Google
Facebook has launched a pilot program allowing some users the option to "Add a Link" when they post status updates from their iPhone app. But there's no need to go searching the web to find good stories to link to. After selecting the button, users can search keywords right on Facebook for a list of existing articles on a given topic that have already been shared on the site, effectively bypassing the need for Google.
"We're piloting a new way to add a link that's been shared on Facebook to your posts and comments," a spokesperson for the social networking site told TechCrunch, which first reported on the new button, adding that the site has indexed over one trillion posts.
The feature is only available to a small subset of users for now, TechCrunch reports. But if it's eventually rolled out to all Facebook users, the new option could pose a threat to Google and other search engines, diminishing their traffic as users stay within the walls of Facebook. The more time people spend on the social networking site, the more they can engage with its content, including ads in their News Feeds, potentially helping Facebook's bottom line.