Yahoo!Xtra Announces Top Trends in Kiwi Web Search

Yahoo!Xtra Announces Top Trends in Kiwi Web Search

“Boobs on Bikes” Second Only News Search to the Beijing Olympics

AUCKLAND, November 28 2008 – Today Yahoo!Xtra announced the top trends in web searches conducted by New Zealanders on Yahoo!Xtra.

In the second half of 2008 several news stories spurred New Zealanders to search the web for more information. As Kevin Bowler, CEO of Yahoo!Xtra notes “Celebrity searches are always a popular online activity for New Zealanders, but quite a few big news stories resulted in spikes on more serious topics such as the Veitch scandal, Fonterra’s troubles with melamine in China and the recent elections in the second half of 08.”

Keen interest in the Beijing Olympics drove a lot of search activity. This was reflected in a strong showing in the searches for New Zealanders list where interest in Sarah Walker took her to number two, while Mahe Drysdale and Valerie Vili also made the list.

The only politician to make the Kiwi most searched list was Helen Clark. John Key narrowly missed making the list, coming in at number 11.

While New Zealander’s showed a great concern for global events, the top news-related searches are dominated by national issues. “Whilst it was a tumultuous time for international events with the Yingjiang Earthquakes in China, the US election and the continuing global economic crises the search patterns reflect just how passionate Kiwis are about news at home,” notes Mr. Bowler.

Celebrities and gossip always drive significant search activity: Miley Cyrus and her alter ego Hannah Montana proved wildly popular, topping the list of celebrity searches, while Britney Spears and Paris Hilton placed second and third respectively.

Here’s the most popular searches on Yahoo!Xtra:

Top 10 News-Related
Searches
1. Olympics
2. Boobs on Bikes
3. Tony Veitch
4. Mongrel Mob
5. Fonterra/melamine
6. Owen Glenn
7. NZ Election
8. Morgan Saxton
9. Liberty Templeman
10. Nia Glassie

Top 10 Most Searched for
New Zealanders
1. Tony Veitch
2. Sarah Walker (BMX rider)
3. Rob Guest
4. Owen Glenn
5. Dan Carter
6. Sonny Bill Williams
7. Helen Clark
8. Mahe Drysdale
9. Tiki Taane
10. Valerie Vili

Top 10 Sports-Related
Searches
1. Beijing Olympics
2. Warriors
3. All Blacks
4. Melbourne Cup 2008
5. Rugby League
6. Tour de France
7. Euro 2008
8. Rugby
9. V8 Supercars
10. Paralympics

Top 10 Most Searched for
Hollywood Celebs
1. Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana
2. Britney Spears
3. Paris Hilton
4. Jessica Alba
5. Vanessa Hudgens
6. Chris Brown
7. Rihanna
8. Angelina Jolie
9. Megan Fox
10. Lindsay Lohan

Each year Yahoo! compiles a list of the year’s top global searches, and several country-specific Yahoo! sites also join in with domestic versions. This year Yahoo!Xtra is pleased to participate in the analysis and showcase the most popular searches by Kiwis on Yahoo!Xtra this year. Data for 2008 represents searches conducted from May 1st to November 20 th 2008.

With this inaugural edition of the New Zealand Top Trends for Search we look forward to bringing you future insight into how the search habits of Kiwis develop and evolve over time.

About Yahoo!Xtra

Yahoo!Xtra is a joint venture between Telecom New Zealand Limited and Yahoo!7. Yahoo!Xtra combines world class mail and web search with the content New Zealanders care most about, making the site the ideal start point for Kiwi’s internet journeys.

ENDS

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