The new Facebook Questions service is currently being beta-tested with a “limited number” of the site’s 500 million users. The service will be further developed after their feedback.

Facebook Questions will appear on a user’s profile – allowing them to put any question to their friends and the rest of the Facebook population. Photos can also be added if the user is trying to identify something, such as a type of flower in their garden.

For polling, users can post a question and target a specific group of people – such as seeking out surfing enthusiasts to track down the best places to surf.

Whenever polls or questions have been answered, users can post them to their or their friends’ profiles.

Facebook previously ran a polling tool where anyone could target its members in return for a fee, but the scheme was ditched after less than two years.

Shortly after the Facebook Polls tool was pulled, a new service that allowed advertisers to place single-question polls on their ads in a bid to engage site users was launched.