Graph Search - Facebook announces the development of a new precise search engine

Explaining what Graph Search was, he described the internal search engine as being different from web search in that it would take a precise search query and offer ‘a precise answer - “ask Facebook ‘who are my friends who live in San Francisco?' Graph Search will bring the exact answer.”

He added that the search would be dynamic as users type their queries.

"We came up with something we thought would be a lot more natural," added Zuckerberg.

"Another big difference from web search is that every piece of content on Facebook has its own audience, and most content isn't public. We’ve built Graph Search from the start with privacy in mind, and it respects the privacy and audience of each piece of content on Facebook. It makes finding new things much easier, but you can only see what you could already view elsewhere on Facebook," it was explained.

The use of the engine as a dating tool was also exemplified through the search of 'friends of friends who are single' and also extends to images on the site, creating a database of photography through Facebook.

It is understood that the development of the search engine is still in the early stages and has only been created using English thus far.

Rumours had gone around that it was set to announce the development of a Facebook phone, a search engine or even possibly begin to charge for the use of its news feeds, with no one seemingly sure of what was to come.

So excited were investors that share price rose by one per cent ahead of the event, with belief that whatever the announcement would be, it was be good for the future of the social network.

An introduction to Graph Search has been placed online now.