Facebook’s new search function won’t be a boon for communicators

For the first time, the social media giant gives users a tool that enables them to search posts going back for years, but it will only show them posts they’ve seen before.

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Facebook has given its users the feature they’ve reportedly been asking for most frequently over the past two years or so: a deeper search function.

Marketers shouldn’t necessarily celebrate that, however. Searches restrict results to posts users have previously seen in their timelines. If the post isn’t from a friend or hasn’t been previously shared with the person doing the search, it won’t show up.

In a Monday blog post, the company’s vice president of search, Tom Stocky, explained what the new function does:

You’ve told us the most important thing is being able to find posts you’ve seen before, and now you can. With a quick search, you can get back to a fun video from your graduation, a news article you’ve been meaning to read, or photos from your friend’s wedding last summer.

Stocky explained further to Search Engine Land:

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