Skip to main content

Rebecca Black crowned top search term in Google Zeitgeist 2011

zeitgeist-2011
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Announced in an official blog post, Google rolled out the 11th annual version of the Google Zeitgeist earlier today. The Zeitgeist shows off the search terms that grew the fastest during the year as well as the most popular terms in various countries around the world. In the Fastest Rising category, YouTube star Rebecca Black took the top spot this year in regards to Google searches, both globally and within the United States. Black beat out Jackass star Ryan Dunn, Casey Anthony as well as Steve Jobs. She also topped Google Plus, Battlefield 3, iPhone 5, professional singer Adele and the iPad 2. Alternatively, a few terms on the fastest falling list include Myspace, social gaming site Hi5, Hotmail and Delta Airlines. 

ziet-graphThe Zeitgeist also breaks down terms into a variety of categories at the global level including food and drink, Google Maps, consumer electronics, sports, entertainment and Google News. Further categorization can be found within each countries top terms. On the Food and Drink list, several fast food locations topped the list including Wendys, Little Caesars, Chick Fil A and Popeyes. Recipe site Allrecipes also seemed to be a dominant term in addition to the term cupcakes. When searching on Google Maps within the United States, popular terms included airport, casinos, veterinarian, laundromat and Mexican restaurants. Businesses that made that list included Wells Fargo, Starbucks and Ikea. 

Amazon’s Kindle Fire beat out all other consumer electronic products to become the top term for global searches. The iPhone 4S took the number two spot and other Apple products on that list include the iPad 2 and the unreleased iPad 3. Other popular terms within the consumer electronics category included Sidekick 4G, HP Touchpad, HTC Sensation, Samsung Nexus Prime and the Sony NPG. Specific to the United States, Apple dominated searches with 8 out of the top 10 results in the technology category; only the terms Touchpad and Toshiba Tablet made it into the top ten.

Mike Flacy
By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…
How to change your language in Google Chrome on desktop
Chrome OS

Google Chrome supports a wide range of languages. While it'll default to English in most cases, there's nothing stopping you from changing its settings and displaying pages in Spanish, French, or dozens of other languages.

Changing your default language in Chrome takes only a few seconds, and the technique used is the same across Windows and Mac. Aside from changing your language, note that Chrome now gives you the option to automatically translate pages written in another language – making it easy to read content from around the globe.

Read more
23 of the best Netflix hacks, tips, and tricks
The Netflix home screen.

Netflix is one of the most popular streaming platforms for all things movies and TV shows. Home to an immense library of titles, the Netflix archive is constantly changing and evolving, and so are the many ways you can use your Netflix account. 

For instance, did you know you can access region-locked Netflix shows and flicks by using a VPN? Or that you can disable that pesky Autoplay feature? There are tons of Netflix hacks, tips, and tricks out there, so we’ve gone ahead and rounded up all of our favorites! 
Expand your streaming with a VPN

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more