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Bing search engine has been updated and it now offers a fresh design and social search results that draw from Facebook and Twitter, two huge social networks that block Google, the competing search engine. Bing social search allows signed in users to consult with their Facebook friends via Bing and get search results that draw from statuses and photos of their social network friends, in addition to the algorithmic search results.

The integration of the social search on Bing was gradual. Bing and Facebook collaboration has begun back in October 2011 and added friends’ statuses to the organic search results. Afterwards, Bing search results included friends’ likes and later on, after Google started integrating Google Plus with its organic results, Bing Linked Pages, a feature that matched the search results to the social connection of the search results.

Image source: bing.com

This Bing update means an additional search column that appears in a different color left to the regular search results. The social search column includes answers to search queries coming from the searcher’s social circle (“Friends who might know”) and from experts who are not friends (“People who know”). Additionally, users can apply directly to their friends using the search bar “Ask friends” available at the top of Bing new search column, and track responses and previously asked question on the “Activity feed” that closes the column.

“The bedrock of modern search remains core algorithmic relevance.”, Bing wrote in the post announcing the launch of the social results update and continued with a seemingly sarcastic remark towards the competitors’ Search Plus Your World: “Instead of cluttering your results with social updates, we’re honoring the purity of the core web results making it easier to focus on the links you need to get things done”.

Bing social search is currently available only in theUSand it will be completed during the next few weeks. In the future, Bing social results are planned to draw information from results social networks including Linkedin, Quora and Google Plus.