New York (NY) - 2006 was the year of online social networking, and the list of top search engine results showed that Myspace not only became the most popular site in its category, it also rose to the top of online searches throughout the year. IMDB, ESPN, and American Idol also earned the top honors in their respective categories.

According to online tracking company Hitwise, Myspace, and deviations thereof, took five of the top-10 search terms of 2006. "Myspace" fronted the list, with a 0.63% share. "Myspace.com" ranked #2, "www.myspace.com" at #6, "my space" #8, and "myspace layouts" #9. Together, they accounted for 1.5% of all online searches.

Other top results were predictable, with Ebay at #3 (0.33% share), Yahoo at #4 (0.23%) and Mapquest ranking at #5 (0.21%). Hitwise also broke down the search engine history by category. With regard to movie-related searches, IMDB took the top position with 0.96% share and ESPN was at the front of sports website searches, carrying 1.37% of its category’s search share.

The most searched-for TV show was American Idol, Old Navy nabbed the top spot in the lifestyle & fashion category, and the most popular travel destination search was "Las Vegas".