When was the last time you used the Facebook search box was? It was probably a long time ago, but did you know that Facebook’s search tool is very power
Most people think that Facebook search is only useful to search people and pages, but little do they realize that it’s much more than that. This isn’t entirely our fault. After introducing Graph Search in 2014, apart from becoming more popular, Facebook’s search engine has become trickier. Now, there are many options and query syntax.
If you look at Facebook’s search prompt, there’s a placeholder reading “Search Facebook.” It means that this search lets you search any post you’ve seen before on Facebook, all the friends, all publicly shared items, etc.
But, to do so, Facebook often needs you to phrase your search queries using natural language. It’s very different from Google’s search engine. As you enter a phrase or friend’s name, Facebook starts showing you prompts and suggestions that are automatically generated. These suggestions are personalized, meaning they are different for all Facebook users and vary according to their past activities.
What’s Facebook without friends? There are many ways you can search for friends and family. Besides searching for users, you can sort the search results based on the city, education, work, and mutual friends. Alternatively, you can also use the following patterns in the search box to get desired results:
The new Facebook search makes it easy to find what your friends like. For instance, you can start typing Friends who like…. and the search shows top suggestions of what your friends like. Also, to narrow the search results, you can use filters like People, Photos, Pages, etc.
You can use phrases like “Photos of….” to look for your photos, pictures of friends, etc. You can also search for your previously liked photos and posts. Search “Photos/posts liked by me.” You can also use this search syntax to find the photos/posts liked by your friends and family. Replace “me” with “my friends” or a particular friend.
Facebook search also supports other keyword searches to help you find exactly what you’re looking for. You can start searching with keywords like cake recipe Carol, Lisa wedding, etc. You can use the phrases that you remember from a particular post.
Drooling over your friend’s favorite chicken pizza? Facebook takes care of that as well. All you need to do to search for restaurants that your friends have visited is.
1. In the search bar, search for “restaurants.”
2. Scroll down and click on Places
3. Finally, toggle on the “Visited by Friends” option to get the list of restaurants your friends have visited.
You can also search for videos on Facebook. Use phrases like videos, trailer, music video, etc., to get what you want. Ex. La La Land Trailer.
Besides this, you’ll also see a “Your Watchlist” section where you can find videos from the pages that you’ve liked and followed.
In recent times, Facebook has emerged as one of the most common news sources for its users. You can use phrases like Links/news/posts about… or use hashtags to specify the search result:
Facebook is also home to various games and music. You can search for games like Candy Crush, Words With Friends, etc. You can also search for your favorite music artists and bands and get updates on their latest releases and videos.
You might haven’t realized, but you can shop on Facebook. Search for the thing you’re looking for and narrow down the query using the category filters, price, location, and item condition filters.
Facebook’s Marketplace is a well-implemented feature, but watch out for sellers with shady listings so that you don’t end up getting scammed.
Similarly, the events filter helps you search for events near you or the upcoming birthdays of your friends. You can choose from various categories like comedy, dance, fitness, gaming, etc.
Apart from using the Facebook search option to find your posts and photos, you can search your activity log by typing “Activity” in the search box and clicking on the “Activity Log” in the search results.
You’ll be able to see your posts, Activities and the posts you’re tagged in, interactions, groups you’re a part of, connections, and profile information.
Last but not least, you can search for a phone number on Facebook. Enter your phone number in the search bar, and if it’s public, you can see it for yourself.
In 2007, Facebook added a Job searching feature which, as the name suggests, could be a powerful tool for people looking for job opportunities across the world.
You can find the Jobs section on the left-hand side of the Facebook home page by clicking on the See more option. You can apply filters like the type of job (full-time, part-time), Job type, and pay. Do you want to hire someone? Create a job alert using the “Create Job” button below the filters.
Like with any other technology, Facebook search also has its own limitations; you won’t find something outside of Facebook the way Google does. Interestingly, Facebook claims that it “won’t track” your data but online activity for ads targeting, and it’s Facebook after all so, you know the truth.
It goes without saying that the search results are affected by the privacy settings. Facebook also makes sure that your privacy settings are taken care of.
Did you find these Facebook search tips and tricks interesting? Don’t forget to share your views and feedback.
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