Microsoft integrates Facebook into Bing search engine

UPDATED at 3 p.m. with a video (see below):

Microsoft and Facebook on Wednesday announced a new collaboration to integrate the social network used by more than 500 million people into Microsoft's Bing search engine.

Starting today, Bing searches will include a "Bing Social" search that includes relevant links and topics that are being shared on Facebook. And searches for people will bring in individual Facebook profiles.

The two tech giants pledged to continue to introduce new social search features.

Microsoft Online Services Division President Qi Lu called it the "unfolding of a new era of search," and said the partnership will "make people first-class citizens of the search experience."

Microsoft became an early investor in Facebook in 2006, when the social network only had about 7 million members.

This new collaboration with Microsoft puts Facebook in further competition with online search giant Google Inc. But Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg called Microsoft, the Redmond, Wash., software giant, the "underdog" in search.

"I couldn't think of anyone better to work with on the next generation of search," Zuckerberg said during a press conference at Microsoft's Mountain View campus.


from SFGate

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Comment: So Facebook and MS are now in bed together; and Blinkx provide video search for MSN.co.uk. And Blinkx are about to launch (we hope!) Cheep, a social ecommerce app.

A long shot, but it would make sense to integrate Cheep into the FB/MS axis - all those searches, al those people, all those products, all that buying, all those commissions...

But of course we won't know anything for sure until Cheep launches. In the meantime all we can do is wait. And wait...