The ABCs of Search – February 2009

February’s ABCs of Search is almost identical to January’s.    There were only two changes; one that is certainly topical, and one that may be economy-driven.

Regular readers know that we use a generic computer running Windows and using Google.com without signing into an account.   We note what Google recommends based on a single letter, and recently, also note which person is offered as the first choice when only a first name is entered.

The unsurprising change was in “J”, which has been inhabited by John McCain, Jennifer Hudson and, now, JC Penney.  The more surprising switch is Wikipedia being ousted by Walmart.  Could that be because the economy is driving more shoppers to the big box store?  If not, is it a sign of Google’s increasing focus on the Knol product the advertising company rolled out in 2008?

January 2009’s Google Prompts By Letter

amazon best buy craigslist dictionary ebay facebook google hotmail imdb jcpenney kohls lowes myspace nfl obama photobucket quotes runescape sears target utube verizon wirelesss walmart xbox 360 youtube zappos

Your January 2009 Google Names are below.  There are always surprises here.   American Idol runnerup David Archuleta is prompted for David instead of winner David Cook.  Howard Hughes and Helen Keller continue to show first decades after their deaths.  Meanwhile, TV stars on hit shows (House’s Lisa Edelstein) or movies (Twilight’s Robert Pattinson) command their respective names.

Letters are more fun and perhaps more suggestive of society since 10 of the 26 letters are represented by a store, but the names are fun too.   Stay strong, Diane Lane!

Adam Sandler

Amy Winehouse

Brad Pitt

Beth Ostrosky

Charles Manson

Colleen Haskell

David Archuletta

Diane Lane

Edward Norton

Emily Osment

Frank Lucas

Frances Bean Cobain

George Bush

Grace Kelly

Howard Hughes

Helen Keller

Isaiah Thomas

Isabelli Rosellini

John McCain

Janet Jackson

Keith Olbermann

Kelly Clarkson

Louis Armstrong

Lisa Edelstein

Matt Damon

Maria Sharpova

Nicholas Sparks

Nancy Grace

Oscar de la Hoya

Olivia Wilde

Paul Newman

Patricia Heaton

Quincy Jones

Queen Elizabeth

Robert Pattinson

Roberta Flack

Steve Fossett

Sue Grafton

Tom Cruise

Tina Fey

What Your Online Marketing Agency Should Be Telling You About Today

Yahoo! is undergoing many changes with a new CEO and a Wall Stret mandate to prove that spurning Microsoft‘s offer was a savvy move.  Now may be the time to negotiate for display advertising if your site is big enough.  Yahoo and the sites it feeds still get plenty of traffic.

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8 comments

  • Sara

    Sara

    Lisa Edelstein is awesome!!!

  • Sara

    Sara

    Lisa Edelstein is awesome!!!

  • Corey

    Corey

    I just came across this blog and was excited to see someone had already had the idea to do a ABCs of Search using Google Suggest. I also liked the names idea which I had not thought of but is a great idea.

    I recently did a similar post on the ABCs of search on my blog
    The New Alphabet Song: A is for Amazon, B is for Best Buy…

  • Corey

    Corey

    I just came across this blog and was excited to see someone had already had the idea to do a ABCs of Search using Google Suggest. I also liked the names idea which I had not thought of but is a great idea.

    I recently did a similar post on the ABCs of search on my blog
    The New Alphabet Song: A is for Amazon, B is for Best Buy…

  • George Bounacos

    George Bounacos

    Hi there, Corey. The lists look pretty similar so that's encouraging. There's no reason why they should or shouldn't… just kind of noteworthy in universal search days. I like the way your blog is broad enough to touch TED and mainstream issues alike. The ABCs have been fun because with months of data (we record the number of pages too), you start to build a fun snapshot of something, just not sure what exactly. In some ways it feels like a fortune cookie or an astrology list in the local paper, but it's an addictive little habit. It's like Soduku, which is only word search for numbers, not actual math, but has millions of fans.Cheers,George

  • georgebounacos

    georgebounacos

    Hi there, Corey. The lists look pretty similar so that's encouraging. There's no reason why they should or shouldn't… just kind of noteworthy in universal search days. I like the way your blog is broad enough to touch TED and mainstream issues alike. The ABCs have been fun because with months of data (we record the number of pages too), you start to build a fun snapshot of something, just not sure what exactly. In some ways it feels like a fortune cookie or an astrology list in the local paper, but it's an addictive little habit. It's like Soduku, which is only word search for numbers, not actual math, but has millions of fans.

    Cheers,
    George

  • George Bounacos

    George Bounacos

    Hi there, Corey. The lists look pretty similar so that's encouraging. There's no reason why they should or shouldn't… just kind of noteworthy in universal search days. I like the way your blog is broad enough to touch TED and mainstream issues alike. The ABCs have been fun because with months of data (we record the number of pages too), you start to build a fun snapshot of something, just not sure what exactly. In some ways it feels like a fortune cookie or an astrology list in the local paper, but it's an addictive little habit. It's like Soduku, which is only word search for numbers, not actual math, but has millions of fans.

    Cheers,
    George

  • georgebounacos

    georgebounacos

    Hi there, Corey. The lists look pretty similar so that's encouraging. There's no reason why they should or shouldn't… just kind of noteworthy in universal search days. I like the way your blog is broad enough to touch TED and mainstream issues alike. The ABCs have been fun because with months of data (we record the number of pages too), you start to build a fun snapshot of something, just not sure what exactly. In some ways it feels like a fortune cookie or an astrology list in the local paper, but it's an addictive little habit. It's like Soduku, which is only word search for numbers, not actual math, but has millions of fans.

    Cheers,
    George

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