Microsoft’s Bing search engine is launching a group of features that will supposedly make searching for specific Twitter accounts, tweets and hashtags easier. Some would argue that it’s already easy enough to search for these items on Twitter itself, but Bing is betting that its new features will make it the go-to search engine for the popular micro-blogging site.
Since its launch, Bing has been trying in vain to chip away at Google’s dominant share of the search engine market. What it has needed is something unique that Google doesn’t have, like an exclusive partnership with Twitter, which was cemented last November.
Bing has put its search algorithm to work for Twitter by using “a combination of a tweet’s popularity, its freshness and the authority of the user tweeting it.” Other factors playing a role in what a user’s Twitter-related search results will deliver include retweet count, tweet quality and user profile and search history.
This search function works in a similar manner for tracking down a Twitter handle or a hashtag. A user would begin their search with “@” or “#,” then start typing. An auto-fill feature will deliver options while the user enters the information. Tweets related to the search will also become available.
Bing will need to heavily promote its partnership with Twitter if it hopes to become the Twitter search engine in the minds of regular or casual users. If it can do that, then PR communicators will have another tool in their social media kit to make their work run just a little bit smoother.
To learn more about making Twitter work for communicators, join PR News for the Social Media 20/20 Summit, taking place on August 12 in San Francisco.
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