People querying for information through AOL’s Search and Video Search products made Allen Iverson, Barbie, and Brangelina top results in various categories, but for overall search a couple of commonplace things were the most highly searched.
The top two queries overall performed through AOL Search proved to be remarkably humble. ‘Weather’ and ‘Dictionary’ placed one and two with searchers, followed by ‘Dogs’, ‘American Idol,’ and ‘Maps.’ That reflects a basic need for information of personal importance to people, followed by subjects where they want to know more.
People have benefited from the near instantaneous communication of news through the Internet, and they have come to realize search can get them to more details. In News searches done at AOL, gas prices topped the list, followed by queries about late Australian naturalist Steve Irwin. Searches for immigration, bird flu, and Iraq rounded out the top five.
Women dominated the celebrity top ten, with Paris Hilton topping the list. Chris Brown came in second, followed by talk show titan Oprah Winfrey, singer and divorce Jessica Simpson, and TV star Eva Longoria.
Among gadgetry, Apple’s iconic iPod media player received more attention from AOL’s searchers than any other device. Cellphones and digital cameras checked in at the two and three spots, while prepaid wireless service Tracfone drew more interest at number four than Sony’s nigh-unobtainable PlayStation 3.
In AOL Video Search, Dr. Tim Tuttle, who we chatted with in September, enthused about how AOL has drawn millions of people to search for entertainment ranging from amateur movie creations turned viral to slickly produced music videos.
“This annual list is always a fun way to look back at the year and see what sparked interest,” he said. Harry Potter proved the top video query for movie content in AOL Video, followed by Brokeback Mountain and Rent. A pair of superheroes took fourth and fifth, with Batman Begins and Superman Returns heroically notched plenty of fan interest.
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David Utter is a staff writer for murdok covering technology and business.
