US vice-presidential debate leads to search spike

Sarah Palin and Joe Biden sent viewers scurrying to Google during their debate

Thursday's vice-presidential debate between candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin caused a spike in Google queries, according to the search firm.

Google's figures show that viewers flocked to the site during the televised debate to get explanations on the meanings of buzzwords and references cited by each candidate.

Topping the list of most popular searches was 'maverick'. The term was widely used by Palin to describe running mate John McCain's reputation for acting against the wishes of the Republican Party and the status quo.

The term was also used mockingly by Biden to question just how deeply McCain's policies differed from those of George W Bush.

Viewers were not interested in the policy behind the label so much as the meaning of the word. Among the top queries related to the term were 'definition of maverick', 'what is a maverick' and 'define: maverick'.

Word pronunciation was also a hot topic. Palin's pronunciation of 'nuclear' led to a flurry of queries including 'nucular vs. nuclear' and 'nuclear pronunciation'.

Palin's references to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, and General McClellan led to heightened searches for both names.

Biden also sent users scrambling to Google for clarification on his use of the words 'theocracy' and 'Madrasses'.

Google's records show that, in the aftermath of the debate, Biden received more of a boost than Palin.

The number of Google queries on the senator jumped by a factor of more than 70, while searches for Palin, who had been much more in the public eye prior to the debate, increased by a factor of six.