The search engine Bing (owned/operated by Microsoft) has launched a new product, while technically in “Beta” mode, “Bing Linked pages” is widely available.  Here is the concept:

• You (or perhaps your business) can help decide how you appear to Facebook friends when they use Bing
• Because this is connected to Facebook (more on this) your Facebook “friends” can get a better understanding of you
• Link search results pages about you, your business, work you have done

Here is how it works:

• Visit http://www.bing.com/linkedpages and hit the “get started button”
• You will be directed to a Facebook App (follow the instructions)
• Click “Link to Me” as/where you feel appropriate
• When you “Link” to a web page, the page is also posted on your Facebook timeline

If a Facebook “Friend” does a search within “Bing” for my name, they will now see pages, websites, and Links that I have linked to (recommended to Bing).

There are likely to be lots of changes/updates to this.  Please keep in mind, there is room for some privacy issues here.  Your Facebook privacy preferences might not carry over to Bing.  If your “Facebook” friends start using this, some of your links could be shared with others via Bing that wold have otherwise been restricted based on your Facebook privacy settings.

This product has some real potential, especially for those of us who are active on the web and through social media.  I contribute to blogs and websites not at all related to my work, I also keep my work social media presence separate from my personal social media life.  Bing affords us the opportunity to help separate those worlds by showing of work and web presence based on the person who is searching for me.

Should a a Facebook “friend” from my Will Fessenden Encompass page use this product, they will see very different things than one of my “friends” from my personal page.  At Encompass Marketing we use social media and a vibrant web presence to help market ourselves (and work with Maine businesses and non profits to to the same).  For those who take the same approach,  Bing is providing an opportunity to reinforce those efforts.  This won’t work for everyone, but is a tool for some to consider.