Google: searches that made 2008 special down under

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 03 December 2008 11:32

Opinion and Analysis

We’ve already seen on iTWire today the search terms popular in the US, now here are the Australian ones that Google has gathered, with Stephanie Rice, Barack Obama, Miley Cyrus, the iPhone, Australia and The Dark Knight, among many others, all appearing as expected.

So, what made 2008 special, according to the searches Australians made at Google.com.au?

Google has released lists of “the most popular search terms that Australians have been typing into Google.com.au in 2008, as well as the fastest rising searches of the year", and for those interested in the same list for the US, click here for iTWire colleague Stephen Withers' story, "Barack beats Britney".

Reminding us all of its supremacy in the realm of search, Google says that As Australia's most popular search engine, Australians use Google to search for what's new and interesting, so these queries, when seen in aggregate, tend to be a good reflection of what's on everybody's minds.”

Obviously, these lists are “calculated by aggregating the most popular and fast-rising search queries being typed into the Google.com.au search box”.

Google is also sharing the most popular searches broken up by States and Territories too, giving a true insight into what’s important to Australians depending on where they live, with the examples given that those in NSW were most interested in mortgages, Victorians in Gordon Ramsay and Queenslanders in The Veronicas.

Google are also letting us all know about its new and freely available “Google Insight for Search” tool that lets you compare search terms over a time period to see what was more interesting to people.

Examples given are searches comparing the GFC (global financial crisis) against KFC, subprime against Optimus Prime, Wall St against Sesame Street and Freddie Mac against Big Mac.

You can put together your own lists using the Insights tool at Google’s Zeitgeist page, here.

Please read on to page 2 for the multiple lists of top searches by Australians!