A new site called Search is Back is now offering an easy-to-use interface for conducting complex searches on Facebook.
Facebook’s Graph Search, which was released in 2013, requires you to use complicated phrases to narrow down your search results (such as “People named John Smith who live in New York City” or “People who went to Harvard who like strawberries”).
Many users find these searches complicated and difficult to use. They are also unreliable, as Facebook can sometimes confuse portions of the search phrases for keywords.
Michael Morgenstern, the creator of Search is Back, built the site to make it easier for people to find information on Facebook.
Morgenstern wrote on the site, “I’m a filmmaker in San Francisco and built this tool in my spare time, in part to open a discussion. Why doesn’t Facebook make it easy to find things we put on the site?”
Tools like Search is Back can make life simpler for private investigators, paralegals, insurance fraud investigators and other professionals who often need to anonymously search Facebook’s treasure trove of content. Search is Back allows you to search interests, current location, former and visited locations, current or former companies and schools, job titles, major, approximate year born and more.
If you’re having a hard time searching by name and location, remember to check interests, workplace and other factors! While people often hide their location or workplace from public view, they often forget to manage privacy settings for things such as likes and relationship statuses. This means you can cross reference a subject’s name with people who like local sports teams, workplaces, favorite bars, etc.
If you still prefer to conduct your searches on Facebook, you may have an easier time using the search filters on the right side of the People You May Know page. This allows you to filter by hometown, current city, school and employer. Note: make sure not to accidentally add subjects while you’re searching, especially if you’re a lawyer! It’s unethical.
Rather not worry about keeping up with Facebook search? Let our analysts help you.
