Ever Wonder What Users Search for on Wikipedia?

This article was written on June 05, 2007 by CyberNet.

Wikipedia has turned into a massive web-based free encyclopedia filled with never-ending content in over 200 different languages. Millions of people turn to Wikipedia on a regular basis to perform searches, including myself.  I’m sure many of you use it regularly as well, but have you ever wondered what other people are searching for?

Compete.com has the answer to that question.  For the month of April, they categorized the top 100 Wikipedia terms into general categories.  Topping the list with 28% was general research terms. It’s good to see that people actually use Wikipedia for what it was created to do, seeing that it’s an encyclopedia. The next top two categories are a little surprising though. Any guesses?

With 26%, Anime came in second and with 16%, sex came in third. Yes, 26% of the people coming to Wikipedia are searching for terms like Pokemon and Ranma 1/2. The graph below shows the 100 most popular search terms broken up:

Wikipediapiegraph

 

In regards to the 16% of people searching for sex, Compete points out:

“What’s interesting about the top sex related terms on Wikipedia is that they do not appear to have gratuitous intent. The top terms include very straightforward inquiries on human reproductive ‘parts’ and basic concepts of what sex is and how it is performed. It appears many people are learning about what sex is and how to have it by referencing Wikipedia.”

So there ya have it, the top 100 Wikipedia terms broken down into categories. I’d almost think that movies, pop culture and music could all be put into an entertainment category, but nonetheless it’s pretty captivating to see what people are up to on Wikipedia.

Source: AppScout

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


No Responses to “Ever Wonder What Users Search for on Wikipedia?”

Post a Comment