Skip to main content [aditude-amp id="stickyleaderboard" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":823856,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"social,","session":"D"}']

Check those privacy settings! Facebook’s Graph Search supports posts

facebook graph search posts
Image Credit: Facebook

As it stands, you probably don’t use Facebook’s Graph Search, but this new feature might make you want to.

The company is slowly rolling out the ability to search “post” content. “Posts” is defined as any of your status updates, comments, captions on pictures, and check-ins.

[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":823856,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"social,","session":"D"}']

For example, you’ll be able to search “posts about Coachella” and see all the posts that aren’t blocked by privacy settings about the music festival. Facebook promises that you’ll still be able to block people from searching your content by changing your privacy settings to only allow certain friends to see certain content.

The problem that we saw with Graph Search when it first emerged is that while some bits of data on their own don’t seem like a big deal, in aggregate things can get pretty weird. For example, a friend may be in a group called “I like big butts and I cannot lie” as a joke, but when you suddenly find 30 of your friends in groups about “big butts” the joke gets lost.

AI Weekly

The must-read newsletter for AI and Big Data industry written by Khari Johnson, Kyle Wiggers, and Seth Colaner.

Included with VentureBeat Insider and VentureBeat VIP memberships.

Facebook notes that beyond posts about a certain topic, you can also search for posts created in a specific place or a specific time. You can also search posts by person.

Not everyone will get this feature immediately. The company says it is currently testing it with a group of people who already have Graph Search, but will open it up after receiving feedback.

VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Learn More