Yandex Search Engine Pulls In Facebook Social Data

Russian search engine Yandex will launch a feature integrating real-time posts from Facebook, and use the site's data to provide more relevant social-related search results.

Yandex, which accounts for the majority of all searches on engines operating in Russia, said the agreement supports public content from Facebook users in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, other CIS countries and Turkey. Only content made public in Facebook privacy settings by members will become available.

Yandex already works with Twitter in a similar way, indexing status updates, according to a blog post on the company's Web site. The company said the goal is to promote "hot topics" trending on Facebook -- a move that is helping to push up stock estimates.

Morgan Stanley Analyst Edward Hill-Wood estimates the company will report a 30% increase in revenue for 2013, when it reports sometime in the middle of February.

Reports from VTB Capital have the search engine building "online payment tools and a marketplace platform called Yandex Market in a bid to tap into Russian consumers' migration to online shopping."

Gains are tied to social recommendations, which remain a focus for Yandex. Last year, the company launched Wonder, a social search recommendation tool that combines data from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and foursquare. It supports voice services from Nuance to provide recommendations.

Yandex also acquired KinoPoisk, a Russian-language Web site dedicated to movies, television programs and celebrities. The site supports user-generated film reviews and information on popular movies and clips, along with providing personalized recommendations.

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