'War' takes over as top web search

'Britney', 'sex' and 'travel' displaced as surfers keep up to date with war in Iraq

Written by James Middleton

'War' took over from 'sex', 'Britney Spears' and 'travel' over the weekend as the number one web search term, according to Freeserve.

The UK internet service provider, which tracks daily changes in popular search terms, also said that news websites are seeing a huge surge in traffic, as surfers look for the latest on the war.

Some news sites are attracting two or three times as many visitors as usual.

According to Reuters, Yahoo is experiencing the same trend, with 'Iraq' claiming the number one search term on its Buzz Index.

The topic generated more interest than music and basketball. Searches involving military technology or jargon are also much more common.

  • Have your say
  • Send to a friend
  • Print this
  • Share

Tags:

reader comments

related articles

 

Yahoo embarks on major homepage redesign

My Favourites toolbar offers quick access to customisable content 21 Jul 2009

Jackson memorial service to send millions online

Grieving fans could push the internet over again 07 Jul 2009

Hacked page hauls estimated at $10,000 a day

Referral scams netting big bucks for criminals 23 Mar 2009

related whitepapers

today's top stories

Telepresence: coming to a screen near you?

Telepresence systems enable organisations to hold boardroom-style meetings with far-flung participants without the hassle and expense of arranging travel and accommodation. But while the technology is impressive, it does not come cheap, as Martin Courtney discovered when he sat in on a virtual meeting with executives from Philips 10 Mar 2010

Users give their verdict on Azure

Some of the first wave of UK adopters met in London recently to air their views on Microsoft’s cloud computing platform. Dave Bailey listened in 10 Mar 2010

Protests greet new Digital Economy Bill amendment

ISPs, digital rights groups and Liberal Democrat supporters cry foul 05 Mar 2010

Publishing special - Publishers innovate to survive

1) IT could hold the key to the future of publishing 2) Case Study: The Guardian harnesses social and mobile apps 3) How publishers are reacting to the iPad 02 Mar 2010

IT Leaders' Forum in association with IBM

A unique opportunity to hear from expert speakers and engage in a debate about the future of the CIO job function 29 Jan 2010

Advertisement

Keys to successful Service‐Oriented Architecture implementation

This white paper explores best practices and general design patterns for service oriented architecture (SOA).

The Roadmap to IT Maturity — Matching Strategy to Infrastructure for Business Success

This paper defines a roadmap for matching infrastructure strategy to business success.

Advertisement

Keep up to date with the latest products, services and technologies from the world's leading IT companies; ITHound.com brings you over 6,000 white papers, case studies and analyst reports.

Advertisement

Newsletter signup

Sign up for our range of FREE newsletters:

More available - click 'submit' to view

Existing User

Newsletter user login:

Jobs

Related jobs

Job of the week

Job alerts

Sign up here

Find your next job

IT Salary Checker

Check salary here

Advertisement

Latest poll

NHS centralised data

NHS centralised data

Do you think the NHS can be trusted to safely look after personal data electronically?

View poll results

Latest audio and video articles

Video

HP unveils S Series notebooks

'Prosumer' line overhauled 01 Mar 2010

Web Seminar Listings

Preparing for enterprise-scale Windows 7 migration

The web seminar on 18 Feb will discuss how Windows 7 migration can increase IT efficiency in large enterprises, freeing up budgetary and personnel resources to focus on business innovation. Our panel of experts will examine the strategies, tools and services IT leaders can use to migrate successfully and reap the rewards of increased efficiency. 19 Feb 2010

Latest in-depth articles

Wayne GibbonsComment

Social networks are key to cracking China

Business social media can unlock the door to the world’s second-largest economy 10 Mar 2010

Neil SandersonComment

Choosing the virtualisation set-up that suits your firm

Decide on a system that best fits your business needs and plans – and don’t forget security, says Neil Sanderson 10 Mar 2010

Primary Navigation