Which Gets Better Buzz: Google Or Facebook?

Google-vs-Facebook-AFacebook and Google are two of the most talked-about companies in the media. Does the search engine or the social network get more buzz? HighBeam Research measured the online attention of both to calculate the amount of media attention received during the past five years.

From 2004 -- when Facebook was founded -- through 2008, the social network remained behind Google in the amount of media attention it received. Facebook mentions were 11 in the first year, compared with Google's at 7,655. Mentions rose to 111 and 9,687 in 2005, and 1,401 and 19,252 in 2006, respectively.

The tables turned in 2009. Facebook took the top spot with more than 27,000 mentions in the media. Since that time, media attention for the social network has grown. In 2012, Facebook remains No. 1 with more than 42,000 -- up from 94,491 mentions -- compared with Google’s 13,000, up from 30,858. And it's only May.

Indeed, controversy creates buzz, such as how investors plan to sue Facebook over hidden data. Data from commerce and recommendations that Google once indexed continues to move from the open Web to behind closed walls, making the information inacessible. Every move converts into lost data from clicks and transactions, according to Needham & Co. Managing Director Laura Martin.

Google has been called the master of marketing and human behavior, but Facebook continues to step up its research and attention to detail to create buzz.

Research on human behavior identifies products and services that can increase the number of mentions across the Web. Facebook data scientist Adam Kramer researches emotion, expression, psycholinguistics and statistical methods. His background in psychology helps the social site understand how behavior influences products.

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