The first five minutes of my local TV newscast last night was spent showing how much local interest there was in President Barack Obama's inauguration. People watched on TV in schools, sports bars, department stores, dentists' offices, nursing homes, and just about anywhere else a TV could be turned on.
Google says that interest was also reflected online. In a late-night blog post, Google shares some interesting facts and figures about inauguration-related search activity:
- popular queries during the inauguration ceremony included "live inauguration coverage," "inauguration day 2009 streaming," and "listen to inauguration live"
- search activity spiked as people looked for information on other participants, such as Dr. Rick Warren, Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, and performers Aretha Franklin, Yo-Yo Ma, and others
- 12% of inauguration-related queries came from outside the US
To me, the most interesting sign of online interest in the inauguration is a chart Google provided that shows a dramatic drop in search activity while the President was giving his speech:
As I sat in front of the TV with my laptop, I noticed something similar: While I usually get a never-ending stream of incoming email, I only received two during Obama's 20-minute speech. I don't recall him promising to help reduce Inbox Clutter, but that might be a platform to think about in 2012.
Labels: Google, Obama, Search Activity, SEO