Google+ and 'Transformers' create the biggest buzz on the web

(2011 Google)

Google's new social network and challenger to Facebook's crown contributed to three of the top ten search terms with the biggest increase in growth over the last seven days. There was also a big buzz surrounding the latest installment in the Transformers franchise, with related search terms appearing twice in the top ten results.

Google+ ("Google Plus") is the new social network from the internet giant. It was unveiled on June 28 and is currently being rolled out to Gmail users around the world. Essentially Google+ is a social networking site, allowing users to share photos, news and thoughts with others.

The launch represents a direct challenge to the current rulers of the social networking realm, Facebook, who are reportedly planning to team up with Skype in order to provide integrated video chat to users of the site. Facebook is expected to announce this partnership during the course of this week.

However, despite rumors of the Facebook/Skype partnership, the launch of Google+ clearly generated the most online buzz over the seven days prior to July 4.

According to Google Insights, searches for the social networking site achieved "breakout" status, or growth of over 5,000 percent, and variations of Google+ appeared three times in the top ten search terms over the last seven days.

The other topic generating multiple top ten search terms over the last seven days was the latest installment in the Transformers franchise, Transformers: Dark of the Moon (" Transformers 3").

The film was released around the world over June 28-July 1 and has broken several debut records and so far taken more than $300 million worldwide.

The film appears twice in this week's top ten search terms with the biggest increase in growth. The English actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who replaced Megan Fox as the lead female character in Transformers, was also among the top ten search terms with the biggest increase in growth.

The ten search terms with the most significant growth worldwide in the last seven days, as measured by Google Insights and recorded on July 4, were:

01. google + (breakout*)
02. google+ (breakout*)
03. google plus (+3,400%)
04. angelico (+650%)
05. rosie huntington-whiteley (+200%)
06. transformers (+170%)
07. transformers 3 (+170%)
08. buienradar (+130%) Dutch term for "weather forecast"
09. pole emploi (+80%) French employment site
10. euromillions (+70%)

*Breakout defines a search term that has experienced a change in growth greater than 5,000 percent.