Google Zeitgeist

Because I spend my days trolling the Internet looking for cool stuff to write about, I'm always wondering what's hot, what's not, and where people's heads are at. Writers live for this stuff, for the more we know about our audience, the more effectively we can create work that people want to read.

Imagine that!

So with that in mind, I stumbled across Google Zeitgeist and found myself mighty intrigued. Zeitgeist is defined by a now-forgotten online dictionary as "the spirit of the time, or the spirit characteristic of an age or generation." My university professors used to toss it around like so much popcorn not because I think they wanted to make a point, but because I suspect they thought it sounded cool.

Really. Say it a few times fast. Try to look authoritative while you're doing it. Wear a tweedy blazer with patches on the elbows. Bonus points if you carry a pipe in your left hand and wave it wildly while you try to convince your audience that they'll be permanently lost in Nunavut if they don't memorize the definition to the word Zeitgeist.

I'm digressing again. Sorry about that. Force of habit.

So back to Google. The company is much more than a mere text-driven search engine. Behind the scenes, they are working to advance the state of the art of search. They're paradigm-busters (ah, another one of my favorite words; it just rolls into your ear like a swishy, foamy wave at the beach) who look closely at how we use search, then develop tools and utilities to meet our ever-evolving needs.

They post their new toys in Google Labs (more on that in another post) to give us mere mortals the chance to try them out. Google Sets - which has bailed me out of more research pickles than I dare admit - is a great example. Google Webquotes is another. Some services don't go further than there, and are eventually retired from service. Remember the Google McRib? Didn't think so.

Some services, however, graduate to full-blown status. Google Language Tools, Google Wireless, and Google Directory all gestated in the warm embrace of Google Labs before being tossed into the cold, cruel world. Google News and Google Catalogs are no longer considered lab rats, but they still carry a Beta tag. Odd, but as long as they're still available, I'm happy.

But I'm still digressing. The title of this post is Google Zeitgeist, after all. This resource is a one-page, constantly-updated snapshot of what people are thinking and doing. Google defines it as:

For both breaking news and obscure information alike, people around the world search on Google at www.google.com. With a bit of analysis, this flurry of searches often exposes interesting trends, patterns, and surprises.

The Google Zeitgeist page is regularly updated to reflect lists, graphs, and other tidbits of information related to Google user search behavior.

My definition is a little more out-there: it's nothing less than a peek into the collective conscious of online society at any given moment. Or something reasonably reminiscent thereof. As such, it's a pretty neat launching pad for whatever fun you want to have online. Just remember to practice safe mouse, Zeitgeist Boy or Girl.