MySpace trumps Pam Anderson to take over top spot with web users
The Lycos 50 for Week Ending Aug. 19, 2006
Notes of Interest:
JonBenet Ramsey (#30) returns to the Lycos 50 this week, following around-the-clock coverage of an apparent break in the 10-year-old murder investigation and the confession of John Mark Karr. News of Karr’s admission to JonBenet’s killing and his subsequent arrest sent web users scouring the internet for more information on Karr and rekindled interest in the Ramsey killing. Search activity began to heat up on Aug. 18 and 19, pushing searches for Ramsey far ahead of web celebs like Angelina Jolie and Lindsay Lohan. Although search interest has not pushed Ramsey ahead of web darlings Pam Anderson and Paris Hilton, search activity has increased 2,000 percent over the past 72 hours, generating more search queries for JonBenet Ramsey than Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff combined. In fact, searches spiked over the weekend on Aug. 19 and 20, when ironically, most search activity slows down. Searches for JonBenet outnumber searches for her alleged killer nearly 20 to one. 90% of search queries also spelled Ramsey’s name correctly, with only 10 % misspelling Jon Bennet vs. JonBenet, indicating once again how media saturation and attention continues to draw U.S. audiences to this story. The most popular JonBenet Ramsey search related queries include: JonBenet Pictures; JonBenet Autopsy Photos; JonBenet Ramsey official site; Ramsey killing; Ramsey Ransom note; and Ramsey death photos. The most popular John Mark Karr related searches include: John Karr ex-wife; John Mark Karr pictures; and John Mark Karr Thailand.
Other Notes of Interest:
In a huge move to the top spot on the Lycos 50, the social networking site MySpace captured the crown from Pamela Anderson (#2), who had held at number one for nine consecutive weeks. If web search activity is any indication, MySpace users are most curious about free MySpace layouts, which dominate all MySpace-related search queries. Meanwhile, Anderson’s online popularity continues as she pushes to make web users aware of her new site, PamelaPoker.com.
Not Your Daddy's AM Radio: Podcasts up 500%
Podcasts barely missed making the top 50 this week, but saw a noteworthy jump of 500% in search popularity since they were introduced on iTunes last year. Podcasting, a method of multi-media distribution for playback on personal computers and mobile devices like iPods, has become increasingly popular in all fields of interest. Users can download everything from a curator-narrated tour of the Tate Britain Museum, to an informational discourse about alpacas. The increase of searches for Podcasts can be attributed to the popularity of more general or comedic Podcasts, like "Keith and the Girl", a humorous commentary and #1 on the Podcast Alley Directory.
Drop Offs
World Team Tennis 2006 finished in July, and with it, tennis champ Anna Kournikova leaves our list this week, after enjoying 39 weeks on the 50. The file sharing site KaZaA also fell from our list, while similar sites like LimeWire and eMule saw increased popularity.
