Bing is set to release a heavily social integrated version of their search engine in the near future that might just give Google+ a run for its money. The New Bing will introduce a three-column design with new information architecture that will help users interact with their social networks. Where Bing might have a leg up on Google, is that it’s embracing existing successful social networks instead of creating an entirely new one. The current example focuses primarily on Facebook and Twitter, but if Windows Phone is any sign of what’s to come, you should expect LinkedIn at some point.
Check out this video for a glimpse at the new features.
In the future, if a user searches for a hotel, venue, or item on Bing, they’ll see the usual search results, but with the social integration, a user can ask for opinions or share search results with their social networks without leaving the search results page. Additionally, the results can also display geo-tagged photo albums via Facebook from their social network based on their search query.
There will also be another column called “Snap Shot.” This area will feature common tasks that can be performed, especially for a specific venues or items, and will feature the ability to take actions like making a hotel reservation, OpenTable reservation, or reading product reviews.
Over the past few years, Bing has continued to gain market share, but that has mostly been at the expense of Yahoo, which is now powered by Bing. Only time will tell if the New Bing will be able to chip away at Google’s market share and if this will be the final nail in the coffin for Google +.
So what do you think? Would you prefer to have your previously existing social networks incorporated into your search experience? Or do you think Google+ will eventually catch on?






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