The People search is a scope that shows results matching your criteria from individual My Sites and profile information contained there.

The results for People search in SharePoint 2010 provide more information from a person's profile than was the case in SharePoint 2007. This saves time because you no longer have to click through to the profile for basic information about the person.

The results page shows contact details and links to the person's organizational chart. The About Me and Responsibilities sections from the person's profile are included as a part of the result, as shown in the following screenshot:

Social distance

The default sort order for the People scope is Social Distance. People closer to you on the organizational chart will be listed first. People designated as colleagues by you will be listed next. Then, colleagues of colleagues will show.

This way you will know if people with whom you already have a relationship can help you find what you are looking for, or have the expertise you need.

You can easily change the sort order to list the people by name instead of by social distance.