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Facebook is 2010's Most-Searched Term, Hitwise Says

 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

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Facebook was the most-searched term in 2010 for the second year running, capturing 2.11 percent of U.S. searches, according to Wednesday data from Experian Hitwise.

Web users also searched the terms "Facebook login" and "Facebook.com," making them the second and fifth most popular U.S. search terms in 2010, respectively. Combined, Facebook-related searches accounted for 3.48 percent of the top 50 searches - a 207 percent jump from 2009.

Rounding out the top five searches, meanwhile, were YouTube, Craigslist, and MySpace, highlighting the dominance of social-networking related searches. New tech-related search terms that made the top 50 this year included Netflix, Verizon Wireless, Pogo, Tagged, Poptropica, and Hulu.

Not surprisingly, Facebook was also the top-visited Web site, though this was the first time it earned that distinction. Facebook.com nabbed 8.93 percent of all U.S. visits between January and November 2010, followed by Google.com with 7.19 percent, Yahoo Mail with 3.52 percent, Yahoo with 3.3 percent, and YouTube with 2.65 percent.

Combined, Google properties accounted for 9.85 percent of all U.S. Web visits and Yahoo had 8.12 percent. Overall, the top 10 Web sites nabbed 33 percent of all U.S. Web visits this year, a 12 percent increased from 2009, Hitwise said.

On the entertainment front, reality star Kim Kardashian was the top people search within the personalities category, Star Wars was the most-searched movie, and Lady Gaga was the most popular music search. Tiger Woods was the most-searched athlete, while the Dallas Cowboys dominated sports team searches. Overall, the most-searched people in news and media this year were Bret Michaels, Tiger Woods, and Sandra Bullock.

In real estate, it seems people were looking to rent more than buy this year. The terms "houses for rent" and "homes for rent" were more popular than "houses for sale" and "homes for sale" this year.

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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