Update: Facebook's web search is now back up on the site.
The two top social networks made major announcements today that both turned out to be big let downs.
And Facebook's news seems to have mysteriously disappeared as quickly as it arrived.
Facebook rolled out its Microsoft powered web search, and MySpace revealed a new partnership with HP to add print functionality throughout the site.
First off, Facebook’s deal with Microsoft was announced a few months ago. While there was always the possibility of some surprise innovative implementation, it turns out to be just another tab on the search page (and opportunity for advertising), which most people are unlikely to ever find let alone use when they could just as easily tab over to Google.
And oddly enough, the search is now gone from the site, less than an hour after a blog post announcing the changes appeared in its blog RSS feed yet never in the actual blog. Hmmm...
MySpace’s breaking news is even more of a head scratcher. Under its new partnership, the social network will allow users to print photos from profiles and comments to share them with friends in the real world.
Besides that fact that printing physical copies of photos seems a bit outdated and out of touch with the idea behind online social networks, it’s just as easily done through your browser or using a “print screen” button on the keyboard.
