What Can You Search For On Facebook Graph Search?

Great, Facebook launched something called Graph Search. But how does it actually help you? From content discovery to finding a restaurant, from recruiting to dating to a trip down memory lane, here’s what you can do with Graph Search. First, check out this quick hands-on video intro above. Then let’s look at some questions Google, Yelp, and LinkedIn couldn’t answer but Graph Search can.

First things first, go to facebook.com/graphsearch and click the button at the bottom to sign up for beta (or begin using it if you already have access). Starting today, Facebook is rolling Graph Search out slowly, but more people should get it in the coming weeks and months. Signing up means you’ll get it sooner.

When you do gain access, you’ll see a notice at the top of your Facebook homepage to activate Graph Search and take a quick tour. Then you’re free to start searching for things like:

Dating

If you’re desperate: Single men in San Francisco
If you want a nerd: Single women nearby who Like Star Wars
If you need someone your parents will like: Single men in San Francisco Who Went To Harvard Or Stanford
If you’re Korean, and your parents say your wife needs to be, too: Single women in San Francisco from Korea
Hunting for cougars: Women in San Francisco older than 38
If you want someone kinky: Single women in San Francisco who Like 50 Shades Of Gray
If you want to get beat up: My friends’ moms

Kinky Women

Where To Eat

If you’re hungry right now: restaurants nearby that my friends have Liked
If you’re a foodie: Restaurants in San Francisco Liked by Culinary Institute Of America graduates
If you want to play it safe: Restaurants nearby that I have been to
If you want something spicy: Restaurants in New York Liked by people from India
If you want to dine like the locals: Restaurants in Paris, France Liked by people from Paris, France

Dine Like The Locals

Getting Nostalgic

Baby photos: Photos of me and my siblings taken before 1990
When your parents were cool: Photos of my parents from 1970 to 1979
A photo collage for your best friend: Photos of me and Drew Olanoff
Where you grew up: Photos taken by my friends in my hometown
A very good year: Photos from 2012 I Liked

A Very Good Year

Sharing Experiences

A concert going buddy: My friends who live in New York City and who Like Vampire Weekend
A night in: My friends nearby who Like Netflix and Arrested Development
Hit the club: My friends nearby who Like dancing
Who wants to sing some karaoke!?!: My friends nearby who’ve visited karaoke places

Who Wants To Do Karaoke?

Getting Advice

How to pop the question?: My friends who are married
Getting that cavity fixed?: Dentists Liked by my friends
Who should I vote for?: Friends who are Democrats and who Like The New York Times
What game should I play in the off-season?: Sports games my friends play
How can I find my passion?: What Groups are my friends in?
What should I watch tonight?: Videos by TV shows Liked by my friends

What Should I Watch?

Who Am I?

Where am I?: Places I’ve checked in
What do I think?: Photos I’ve commented on
Who do I probably know but aren’t friends with?: My non-friends who went to my college and live nearby
Who should I know?: People who are friends of my friends

People I should Know

And If You’re Bored?

Just search anything than click “Discover something new” to get a random recommended search from Facebook.

Some of these searches are silly, but a lot are actually useful. With time, Facebook plans to index posts and links we share, as well as events and activity from apps like Instagram into Graph Search to make it even better. There’s still a lot it can’t do, and plenty of phrases it doesn’t understand, but for version 1 of an attempt at a natural language search engine, Facebook didn’t do too badly.

What’s the craziest or most useful Graph Search you can think of? Post it in the comments and we’ll add the best ones.

Check out more of TechCrunch’s coverage of Facebook Graph Search:

Facebook Announces Its Third Pillar “Graph Search” That Gives You Answers, Not Links Like Google

Watch Out Foursquare And Yelp: ‘Places’ Really Shines On Facebook Graph Search

How Facebook’s Graph Search Just Replaced A Major Chunk Of Google

Here Is The Ex-Googler Dream Team That Built Facebook’s New Graph Search Tool

If It’s Not In Graph Search, Facebook Hands Your Query Off To Bing

Zuckerberg Says “I Would Love To Work With Google”, But Bing Was More Flexible On Privacy

Facebook Shares Dip Below $30 Again, As Graph Search Fails To Convince Investors

Facebook Takes On Google, But Private, Personalized, Social Search Has No Clear Winner Yet

Graph Search Ads Could Be A Goldmine For Facebook

With News Feed Unable To Handle All Of Our Content, Graph Search Will Lift Facebook Engagement