One of the joys of the web is being able to find out just what people are interested in. That’s why trending topics, hashtags and search volumes receive so many digital column inches.
But going to the effort of trawling through dozens of websites to try and get an overview of what’s hot at the moment is a huge investment in time, and exposes the would-be-researcher to so much nonsense that they’re tempted to write off trend tracking completely.
Until now, because Microsoft have come to the rescue of those who want to keep their fingers on the pulse of the internet.
msnNOW aggregates and analyses data from Facebook, Twitter, Bing and BreakingNews.com in order to explain what people are talking about, searching for and interested in. And it’s not just useful for people who are being a bit nosey.
Knowing what people are searching for is a key part of search engine optimisation, which is why any SEO worth their salt spends a decent amount of time carrying out keyword research and trying to predict what people will type into a search engine.
While msnNOW is focused mainly on conversations, celebrities and viral content, it has shown that a few products are already trending – vital information for any sellers and stockists.
As of 10am today, the site has analysed over 133 million Bing searches and 8 million social updates, so it’s far more reliable than just Twitter’s trending topics. But without Google data, it remains to be seen just how useful this will be for online marketers and businesses in the long run.
Gossip fans, however, can make hay while the sun shines.
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