Redmond, Washington — In an attempt to become more social, software behemoth Microsoft’s Bing search engine continues to boost its social status with new additions to its social sidebar, which was unveiled in June. The company announced today that users can now sift through the knowledge of your foodie friend, travel guru cousin, or just invite your buddies to help you search for the best hiking trail, essentially tagging someone while searching.
Barely two months back, Bing introduced a new design, complete with some new social features dubbed as Sidebar, empowering users to combine their search experience and Facebook experience closer to one another than ever before.
Now rather than having to sift through tons of irrelevant results and promoted pages that make their way to the top — sometimes a timely advice from a friend is all we need. This new feature appears to be just an extension of that, making use of popular Facebook functionality.
“When searching on Bing, simply enter a question or comment in the sidebar and type the name of a friend on Facebook to tag him or her,” explains Bing Social Program Manager Kim Vlcek.
The entire process is pretty simple, all you have to do is use Bing’s social sidebar and select “Choose friends to notify”. You also have the option to tag up to five people at a time, you can post your question to your Facebook Timeline, with permission.
Interestingly, this way, you and your friend will be notified and gives them the opportunity to pitch in to help you find what you are looking for. Who knows, some of you friends could even learn something new from each other. Bing will post the search on your Facebook wall, tagging your friends in the process.
“With your permission, the question will post on your Facebook timeline, and your tagged friends will be notified so that they can pitch in and help you find what you are looking for. Remember — you are always in control of what you share through the sidebar,” Vlcek noted in the post.
In its quest to further embellish the service, Bing integrated check-in site Foursquare’s tips and recommendations features into its service, creating a combination that allows users to check out local places or events based on what their friends and family enjoy.
For a look at how the new Bing social sidebar works, watch the company’s video below:
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