Bing xRank is no more. A Bing spokesperson has confirmed that the search service was recently shut down. The xRank URL, http://www.bing.com/xrank, currently redirects to the Bing home page. Launched in 2007, xRank was essentially Bing's version of Google Trends, but with a number of additional features. The help page (which is still on Live.com) calls xRank "a cultural snapshot of who's hot and who's not!" It tracked the most popular search queries on Bing (and Live Search before that), and had special sections broken out for celebrities, musicians, politicians, and bloggers. The servic [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Microsoft: Bing xRank

Microsoft Live Search's xRank feature got some attention when it launched as a way to track celebrities. But you might not realize the service also now tracks buzz about musicians, politicians, and -- yes -- bloggers. Let's go back, then forward. Last September, Live Search rolled out xRank. It showed you a list of the most popular celebrities "Top Ranked" based on searches for them. You could also see "Top Movers," celebs that were rising in the rankings. And you could chart buzz over time. For example, Lil Wayne is the top ranked celebrity at the moment, and you can [...]

Related Topics: Channel: Search | Microsoft: Bing xRank | Search & Society: General | Search Marketing: Search Term Research | Stats: Search Behavior