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Statistics Show Social Media Is Bigger Than You Think

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20 Funny Google Keyword Searches

A couple of weeks ago, I lost my keys and must have searched my entire house and car at least three times trying to find them. After that last round of searching, I plopped down in a chair in front of my computer, exasperated.  With an open search box in my peripheral vision, I continued to ponder where they might have possibly gone.   At that moment, I could have used something like a Google Key Finder.   Imagine an RFID setup for the keychain, combined with a more detailed version of Google Latitude (complete with a home floor plan), and then I’d type in “where did I put my keys” and be on my way.

Then I wondered, had anyone actually ever entered “where did I put my keys” into a search box?  I went to the Google Keyword Tool to find out.  Sure enough, there was a search for “where did I put my keys” with an average of 72 searches per month.  Another variation was “have you seen my keys” with an average of 22 searches per month.  No keys, but perhaps they felt a little better venting into the search box.

As I continued perusing the Google Keyword Tool, there were a number of other dead-end and clueless searches to be found.  Among the other lost items people rely on the Google search gods to find:

• “Where did I put my glasses” with an average of 320 searches per month.
• “Have you seen my stapler” with an average of 390 searches per month.

Realizing that there may be more of these to be found, I went seeking other terms, and scored big time:

• “Who is buried in Grant’s tomb” was entered 1,000 times per month on average. The joke is over before the results even hit the screen.
• “What is the number for 911? averaged 36 searches per month. For their own safety’s sake, let’s hope they figured this out.

But wait – there’s even more.  A search for “what is” yielded the following gems:

• “What is my name?” was searched 40,500 times per month. Is it a song, perhaps?  Maybe they woke up after a rough night out on the town that landed them in front a Google search box?  Or maybe there is an epidemic of amnesia?
• “What is my religion” got 320 searches per month.  I don’t even know what to say about this, other than it strikes me completely strange that someone would legitimately type this into a search box.

“Why am I” also turned up a nice list of stemmed oddities.  These two were my favorites:

• “Why am I hot” netted 9,900 searches per month.  This phrase is one of two things: A use of the search box as the new “mirror on the wall” for those puzzled by their own hotness, or a question posed by people unaware of the methods of cool air circulation.
• ”Why am I always so hot” was searched 36 times per month on average.  These people are not just hot, they’re always so hot, and they don’t know why.  Maybe they should go to the front page of  Google Hot Trends, and keep hitting refresh until their name appears, and then they will know.

(No, refreshing the page will not make a name come up in Google Hot Trends).

Other “why am I” searches often turn up information that might actually satisfy the searcher, but are still interesting nonetheless.  These include:

• “Why I am so tired” -  5,400 searches per month.
• “Why am I sneezing so much” – 16 searches per month.
• “Why am I so broke” – 16 searches per month.

On the existential side of things, the following searches stemmed from (and included) “I am”:

• “I am” - 7,480,000 searches per month.
• “I am here” – 550,000 searches per month.
• “I am me” – 201,000 searches per month.

Along the more intellectual side, “what is the meaning of life” has an average of 22,200 monthly searches. Of course when I think about the meaning of life, I think Monty Python, and also found the stemmed phrase, “what is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?” with 1,590 searches per month.  But did they mean African, or European?

Many people who lost their mojo rely on Google to get it back. “Who stole my mojo?” yields 91 searches per month.And for others, Google is also the trusted source for finding stolen dogs (“Who stole my dog?” averaged 12 searches per month).

It’s possible that some of these folks may be hitting the wrong box, presumably mistaking search for a chat, or IM client.  But for the others, it’s much more interesting to leave it to the imagination to decide.

by Rob Garner

Google vs Microsoft: A Guide to the Battle

Last night, Google jumped directly into Microsoft’s home turf by announcing Google Chrome OS, its new operating system for PCs and netbooks. And while we’re still debating whether it will take down Windows or flop like a fish on land, we tend to forget that this isn’t the first time Google’s challenged Microsoft. In fact, it’s become almost routine. Whether its operating systems, documents, search, communication, or mobile, the two behemoths have been increasingly butting heads in a war for tech supremacy. Now with Google Chrome OS making headlines, we thought it would be appropriate to perform a straight-up comparison of where the competition between Google and Microsoft stands. So who’s winning the war? And how will Google Chrome OS affect this longstanding battle? Here’s an overview:

1. Search

Google: What is there to say, really? Search is to Google as Windows is to Microsoft. They dominate the search market by a wide margin, despite Microsoft’s best efforts (including the company’s failed attempt to buy Yahoo).

Microsoft: They had to do something drastic to compete in search, and they did with their recent launch of Bing (). It’s received a lot of press, a lot of positive reviews, and has clearly caught Google’s attention. But does anyone seriously think it will overtake Google’s dominance in search anytime soon?

Advantage: Google. By light years.

2. Documents

Microsoft: Microsoft Office, with Word, Powerpoint, and Excel have been the leading way to create and edit documents for years, and for good reason – they’re widely used, widely known, and feature-rich. There’s also now Microsoft Office Live, which while not as collaborative as Google Docs (), isn’t a bad solution and has the benefit of being connected to the desktop apps.

Google: Google Docs have been growing in features and users. They provide a level of collaboration that Microsoft documents simply don’t offer. But they don’t provide as many options as Microsoft Office and they just don’t have nearly as many users. This is one area where the majority of users still prefer the desktop to the web.

Advantage: Microsoft

3. Communication, Email, and IM

Microsoft: While Google’s probably more revered for Gmail () and its communication suite, Hotmail is still bigger, and Live Messenger is heavily used. Microsoft also produces the popular Outlook software and has software in a variety of arenas, such as Windows Live Meeting, giving the company an edge in the enterprise.

Google: The search giant has a suite of very popular communication products – Gmail and Gtalk () being the best known. The X factor in this debate though, is the upcoming Google Wave () communication platform, which has impressed us so far. There’s also the intriguing Google Voice () offering to consider.

Advantage: Push

4. Mobile

Google: Google’s has good traction with its Android () mobile OS given it’s relatively new to the space. It runs on more than one million T Mobile phones and has a strong app platform. Many of Google’s apps also run well on mobile phones, especially Google Maps () and YouTube ().

Microsoft: Windows Mobile still shipped tens of millions of units last year, far outpacing Android. It also has apps to run Office, Outlook, and Windows Media Player. We think the long-term trend favors Google, but as of right now Microsoft is the leader.

Advantage: Microsoft, but perhaps not for long.

5. Operating System

Microsoft: This is Microsoft’s bread and butter. Windows is the reason Microsoft makes $60+ billion in revenue every year and has stayed on top for so long. Its stranglehold is legendary. Yet Windows Vista proved that it is not invincible.

Google: Let’s say this: we can’t wait to see what Google has in store for Google Chrome OS. We’re skeptical that it could ever kill Windows, but Google will be Microsoft’s most powerful challenger yet.

Conclusion: We look forward to the upcoming war.

Reinvent Now, But How?

Industry Advisor by Jose Perez

RISMEDIA, June 6, 2009-Recently in this column, I offered some suggestions to address the need to reduce your physical “footprint” and the need to have an integrated technology strategy. Most would agree all these things are necessary, however, I sense many people are “frozen.”

Not knowing where to start or fully comprehending that everything you need to do to be successful in the new paradigm touches everything else, they end up doing nothing. If we break it down into smaller, “bite-sized” chunks, the task seems much more manageable.

First off, let’s compare the old paradigm to the new one…they are not that different:

Old Paradigm

• Physically networking at events
• Large offices to house agents, computers, meet clients, etc.
• Engaging consumers through local activities such open houses, etc.
• Print advertising
• Helping someone right away when they walk into your office looking for real estate

The new paradigm consists of the same activities as before, but now improved and enhanced with technology.

New Paradigm

• Supplementing physical networking with online networking through social media sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter
• With devices such as iPhones and BlackBerrys making mobility of agents prevalent, a smaller physical footprint is now possible
• Engaging consumers online through Web 2.0 platforms, utilizing enhanced search and chat features
• Internet marketing, search engine optimization and listing syndication puts your company in front of infinitely more potential customers.
• Internet lead-management systems give you the ability to respond to the consumer immediately.

You are performing the same basic activities, however, now using a technology-driven platform. Before telephones, people spoke. After telephones, people were performing the same activity (speaking) but could now do so even if they were not in the same room.

US Local Ad Market Shrinking

Article By eMarketer

Here comes online local.

There’s good news and bad news about the local advertising space.

The bad news is that according to the Kelsey Group and BIA Advisory Services, there will be less of a local advertising market in 2013 than there was in 2008.

How much less?

“By the end of the forecast period, the overall size of the local advertising market will be considerably smaller than it was at the end of 2008,” said Tom Buono of BIA.

The firms predict a compound annual -1.4% overall growth rate, with the largest drop-off in local ad spending occurring in 2009.

Spending on traditional local media is forecast to fall from $141.3 billion in 2008 to barely over $112 in 2013.

The good news is that the local online ad market is growing, and will continue to make up a larger percentage of the local advertising sector. In 2009, nearly 12% of local ad spending will be digital, with dollars focused on Internet yellow pages, local search, e-mail marketing and other online tactics.

In 2013, the digital share will jump to over 22%, and might grow even higher.

“The share shift we expect [between traditional and digital] could actually be more pronounced if the major traditional media are not able to integrate new interactive products into their bundle,” said Neal Polachek of Kelsey.

One thing is certain—local online advertising is about to get a whole lot bigger.