by Darren Allan

Facebook recently topped the 500 million user mark, and is keenly looking towards expansion and netting that full billion strong user base in the future.

And one area it seems the social giant is stepping into is the search arena. Although it isn’t trying to go head-to-head with Google here – however, the reverse may be true, when Google brings out its rumoured fully fledged social networking project (nobody mention Buzz).

At any rate, the new service is called Facebook Questions, and it’s built along similar lines to Ask Jeeves style search engines.

You simply type a question in, and Facebook will tap into those members who profess knowledge in that area to try and elicit an answer for you.

On its blog page, Facebook states: “For example, if you’re vacationing in Costa Rica and want to know the best places to surf, you can use Facebook Questions to get answers from nearby surfing enthusiasts. Because questions will also appear to your friends and their friends, you’ll receive answers that are more personalized to you.”

The project is currently in beta, with only a small number of users getting the Ask Question button added to the top of their homepage. Facebook Questions will be rolled out gradually over time.

Photos or polls can also be attached to your questions. So if you want to know what that bird you photographed on holiday is, you can attach the snap and see if anyone can identify it. (“Yes, that’s definitely a red tit sand warbler…”)

Or you can poll folks to find out which car or 3D TV set you should buy out of a number of possible options.

Facebook cautions: “Keep in mind that all questions and answers posted using the Questions application are public and visible to everyone on the Internet.”

So if you’re asking what that rash is and attach a picture, bear in mind the whole world will see it.

Story link: Facebook Questions marks foray into search