Google 'threatened by Facebook'

Google has admitted it increasingly sees the social-networking website Facebook as a challenger to its search engine.

Google Group product manager Ken Tokusei said when it came to finding advice on making personal decisions based on web research, social-networking sites held the advantage.

He said users tended to take their friend's advice more when it came to making decisions.

"We haven't gotten to the point where results are seen as if they come from someone you know," he said.

Internet users are said to be looking for more in-depth answers to their queries instead of a simple list of sites.

New websites such as WolframAlpha have been launched recently which provide specific answers to user's questions.