Facebook and Microsoft complete Live Search crowbarring trick

Microsoft operation Force-feed Live Search is now making official use of the company's $240m stake in Facebook. The social networking site has added an option (for US members) to retrieve Live Search results from the entire web courtesy the Facebook search bar. Of course, along with the results come a sidebar of contextual …

[Anonymous Coward]

Want me to use live search...?

Vaguely relevant search results would have to be a good start.

On the odd occassion Live search has hijacked the browser, the results it throws up are worse than useless... but then what else would you expect from bloody Microsoft.

Paris, because even the dumb blond has a better result score with a phone book than Live Search

[Anonymous Coward]

"Without leaving facebook"?

Seriously? Is that such a horrible handicap? My god, I have to hold down 'control' and click on the little house next to the address bar! Horrors! Will someone save me from my toil?!

[Gio Ciampa]

Not just the US

I spotted this the other day - last time I looked I was in the UK...

Paris - just in case she wants to buy me in "Owned" (or fancies a game of Scrabble)

[Anonymous Coward]

Ads

They gave up some banner ad space just so they could get more live searches? That's stupid, that shite search engine is a dead horse, and they are sacrificing direct tangible profit (ads revenue) for it.

Stupid.

[Pascal Monett]

Without leaving Facebook . . .

Yeah, like Ctrl-N is so hard to do these days.

[Andy ORourke]

@want me to use live search

I just checked out the cashback site http://search.live.com/cashback and see what you mean about relevant, now this is my works PC so I dont do anything remoteley NSFW but based on my first visit to the site above I was offered bargains on the following:

Wii (OK, why not)

32" LCD TV (Sure, it goes with the Wii)

Mens "North Face" Jacket (OK, its winter, the coat looks nice and warm)

Womens Medium Adult Sexy Dorothy Costume (No good to me, I'd be an Extra large at least!)

[adnim]

Deceptive practice

With ms using the words "Search the web", Fecesbook users are deceived into believing that they are performing a true web search when in fact they are trawling a mssql (I presume) database of what ms believe is out there on the Internet. I don't use live search, but I am inclined to believe that any results returned will list all ms resources vaguely related to the search terms first regardless of relevance. Mmmm, perhaps years of ms dominance in the desktop space has lead me to become too cynical.

There are ways of performing a web search using other search engines without leaving Fecesbook, but then again I don't expect Fecesbook users to be smart enough to launch another browser window.

A half joking icon might have been useful here.

[Jeff Rowse]

"Live" Search?

I've lost count of the number of times I've typed in [insert correct URL here] to be presented with a LiveSearch page asking "Did you mean [insert correct URL here]?" I've tried doing research on the 'Net using LiveSearch and get more adverts than usable information (at least I get about 50% useful results from Google... most of the time!). I've even typed in URLs and had Live Search offer me stuff that is completely unrelated to both what I typed and even what I was looking for.

I propose a new sort of "information warfare" - let all the terrorist groups "acquire" PCs or laptops with LiveSearch as the only search tool... they'll get so frustrated trying to find anything to help them with their plots that they will just give up and go back to sleep.

Black helicopter since my suggestion is bound to start tripping all those internet keywords censors that don't exist (according to the various 'intelligence' services, that is!)

[Vincent]

But it's sh*t

I don't use Facebook (often) or Live Search. However, I rekon that most people who visit Facebook will just whack in google.com in to a new window, tab, or whatever and be done with it.

Typing in google.com (Or .co.uk, whichever you prefer) isn't really all that tedious, and besides, Live search sucks. And don't most web-browsers have a search engine integrated in to the address bar anyway? Failing that most of them have a dedicated search box in the top-right anyway. Just type in what you want, Alt+Enter, and there you go, search results in a new tab.

I'm kind of drifting off the point that i'm making here, but basically Live Search sucks, and going to Google (Or whoever you prefer) isn't exactly a stressful task.

[Nic Brough]

Much as Google's world domination galls me

I do use Facebook, and if I needed a search something I've seen there, been happy to pop a new tab on the browser and head to google. So, I thought I might as well give the live search a go.

Useless results, too much garbage on screen, and oh, useless results. It's a load of old <rounded male gamete containers> Anyone know if Greasemonkey has a script to obliterate the link completely? I don't want to click on it by accident ever again.

Paris, because she would have more luck finding something useful...

[lee stone]

Dutch Lobster!

There it is again - Dutch Lobster (see search box graphic)

WTF a Dutch Lobster?! Even wikipedia has removed the page.

Paris, cos she's hard on the outside but oh so soft and chewy on the inside....

[dave lawless]

They will use this service

and search for google.com

[fluffels]

Live Search on Facebook spreads to the UK

And it's now available in Britain.

Oh joy.

Paris, because she can spread herself on me anytime.