It's the end of 2007, and discovering what created a “buzz” through search engine results alone is so 2004; this year it's all about which topics drove the most fervent discussion within the blogosphere. Which headlines generated the most thought-leader buzz? From political faux pas and celebrity mug shots to athletic achievements and rap album wars, we looked at the conversation topics were heating up the blogosphere in 2007.
In entertainment conversations on the blogs, 2007 had many movies, music and video games to discuss.
Movie trilogies, like Pirates of the Caribbean, made a big splash this year. In fact, more movie-buff bloggers discussed Johnny Depp's Captain Jack than two other summer blockbuster sequels, Shrek the Third and Spiderman 3, combined. But don't underestimate the power of George Clooney: Ocean's 13 also created quite a bit of buzz, coming in second to Pirates.
Seth Rogan – the loveable loser from Knocked Up – had a hot year. Not only did he get to father a child with Katherine Heigl, but his comedy Superbad was one of the most blogged about movies all year.
Kanye West may have sold more albums, but 50 Cent definitely received more online attention – if we were to rate their album war by the blog discussions, 50 Cent would have taken the crown. But which solo star topped them both in the blogs? The unstoppable Black Eyed Peas front woman and solo hit maker, Fergie. The band with the most attention in the blogs? That goes to Radiohead, mainly because of the band's decision to sell its new album online and allowing consumers to choose their own price.
Bloggers love video games and gamers like to blog. Guitar Hero, the 2007 sensation, was the game most frequently discussed this year by the opinion leaders in this space. Blog posts about the game Rock Band are continuing to gain popularity, but still remain a distant second to conversations around faux guitar playing.
From jail time to diaper time, gossip bloggers had their hands full with all the celebrity action in 2007.
Paris Hilton was number one for something – the top celeb blog subject among influencers. Was it her jail time? Her acting? Her new fragrance? Latest pet?
Not surprisingly, Britney Spears was the runner-up. She had an interesting year, which left plenty of fodder for healthy blog discussion. Her ex, Kevin Federline, also made frequent appearances in many blog posts….guilty by association?
Lindsay Lohan was a close third most discussed celebutante this year. From rehab to family issues to rehab, 2007 didn't leave much time for Lindsay to actually do any acting.
Brit-import Amy Winehouse was also a topic of conversation for her very public breakdowns, domestic issues and for making her hit song, Rehab, a reality.
Moms-to-be Nicole Ritchie and Christina Aguilera also drew the limelight for their impending motherhood.
In sports, the bad boys (and some bad teams) outranked the winning teams, at least as far as the online opinion leaders are concerned.
Even though the Red Sox won the World Series, the Yankees were still the most talked about team within the leading influential blogs. The most talked about man in baseball? Barry Bonds.
The Patriots are continuing to make a run for an unbeaten season, but the Dolphins have stolen their blog thunder by playing towards the opposite – a season without a win.
Bonds may have a homerun crown and a grand jury hearing, but Michael Vick has the dubious distinction of being the bloggers' most actively discussed man. Tom Brady comes in third, but for all the right reasons.
Tech bloggers had much to discuss in 2007.
Google. Need we say more? And Google's mapping product, Google World, took the blogosphere by storm, for better or worse.
The iPhone was also extremely popular with bloggers, as techies purchased, reviewed, and fell in love with their latest gadget.
Brave new worlds. Virtual worlds like Second Life and There.com helped fuel a little escapism online. What kind of avatar do you think the top bloggers chose?
From bathroom trysts to out-of-nowhere resignations, the political sphere definitely lit up the blogging switchboard.
President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were number one and number two in the country, and they held those same spots as the top two most talked about guys within the blogosphere as well.
Larry Craig single-handedly made Congress interesting. And all kinds of influential blogs – from political to entertainment focused - couldn't get enough of his airport and resignation antics.
Whether Republican or Democrat, the candidates were among the most popular topics on the Web. And if bloggers get it right by virtue of the amount of individual posts, the 2008 Presidential race will be a match up of Barack Obama and Rudy Giuliani. Think Hillary Clinton and Ron Paul (the next two most popular candidates) would sign on as running mates?
What will 2008 bring? Stay tuned to the blogosphere to find out.
Analysis by BuzzLogic. Analysis was conducted by BuzzLogic, which reviewed 972,335 blog posts
