Yahoo!: top searches 2005

Internet search engine Yahoo! has released details on the search habits of Australians during 2005.

As a nation it would seem we’re more than interested in the lives of local sports and entertainment celebrities.

In the music stakes the queen of pop, Kylie Minogue, came in top followed closely by rockers Powderfinger and Missy Higgins.

On the sports side Lleyton Hewitt came in first and Kostya Tszyu came in a close third to Maria Sharapova.

Local TV shows were also popular with Home & Away and Big Brother Uncut beating out imported product like the Academy Awards and Lost.

The ICT industry also had a strong showing with PS2, online game Runescape and Apple’s iPod forming the top three product searches.

However in the overall stakes a strong pragmatic streak shone through with the searches seeking useful information beating out all other searches.

Qantas gained overall pole position followed by Australia Post, the Australian Tax Office, the ABC, Medicare, the ASX, jobs, Telstra, dictionary and Centrelink.

On the news front, Australians showed a strong interest in both local and international events with the Asian Tsunami in the lead followed by Schapelle Corby’s trial and the execution of Australian Van Nguyen.

According to Yahoo! A/NZ managing director Cliff Rosenberg, the listings were an accurate barometer of what has occupied Australian’s thoughts and lives in 2005.

“The fact that the majority of searches are being used as a tool to enhance our everyday lives reveals an important balance in the way we use the Internet,” he said in a statement.

“It’s not just a way to access news, views and entertainment &mdash it’s a tool that can help you live a more productive, efficient and informed life.”

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