When it comes jumping on new trends in technology, CNN, like most other mainstream media sources is usually fairly slow to act. Sure, they’ve been hyping up Twitter non-stop for the past several months, but that was only after everyone in the tech world had already been talking about it for a long time. But one thing that hasn’t yet caught on in the tech sphere, but apparently has on CNN, is the use of “Bing” as a verb.
Check out this article about the most dangerous celebrities to search for on the web. The opening line: “Be cautious if you plan to Bing Jessica Biel or Google Brad Pitt. A new report says you might get a virus.” Um, “Bing Jessica Biel”? Aside from it sounding oddly sexual (insert badda-bing joke here), it’s a little odd to see that on CNN.com before it has really entered the tech lexicon. Sure, Microsoft wants everyone to use it as a verb to be like Google, but there’s obviously a big difference between a company wanting something to happen for branding, and it actually happening.
CNN.com’s search is marked as very clearly powered by Google, so it would seem there is no real ulterior motive for CNN to hype Bing, maybe they’re just trying to get ahead of the curve. The problem is that when you’re a mainstream media publication, you have to stay in touch with your audience — which is a nice way of saying that sometimes you have to “dumb it down” a bit, or fall back to things people will understand. For example, if my mom is reading that article right now, I guarantee you she has no idea what Bing is and is quite confused about what CNN is implying there.
If you Bing Jessica Biel, you’ll get a virus? Now just imagine you had no idea what Bing is and tell me how you read that.
[photo: FHM]
[thanks Andrew]
What is with this stupid LG Env Touch ad powered by meebo at the bottom of the page?
Oh, and I guess I see where you’re going with this, but not really news-worthy. I’ve never “binged” anybody. If the ms search engine was dubbed “bang” that would be hilarious. As it is more relateable after the fact, unlike this you had to be there non-sense.
ever hear of adblock+?
Aaaah. Is the fanboi getting his panties in a wad over Microsoft again. The outrage that CNN might have caught onto Bing….just shocking!
This guy makes Daniel Dilger look tame.
No, there is no outrage, actually I just think the attempt at this joke is lame and tired.
I am not a fanboi, and there is proof in my publication.
Google overthrowing direct navigation: http://www.mobi...gation-coldwar/ (Arrington approved)
Windows mobile: http://www.mobi...ndows-mobile-7/
The fact that I prefer google to bing on a personal level is simply because Google understands MOBILE. Bing does not, and TC fails to notice it so I voice my opinion.
I really want to know if MG is still using bing like he said he was going to…
Exactly. Just because the term “Bing” is not popular in the “techie in-crowd lexicon” doesn’t mean its not understood in the mainstream. CNN is NOT a narrow-focused nichey blog (like this this one) that only hypes up the latest bleeding edge slang.
As for the arguement that “Bing {person}” sounds like a double-entendre…so does “Google {person}”.
For really stupid sounding stuff…lets all “Tweet” about it?!?!? What you say? That makes sense? Tell that to someone who has never heard of Twitter and see what they think…”So, uhm, you’re like chirping like a bird?” Seriously, marketing (and IE) means that more people know what it means to “Bing” and “Google” a term than it does to “Tweet”
she’s worth the virus
WAKKA WAKKA
I’d bing her any day
CHYEAAA
mmm body moles
I binged Jessica Biel and all I got was this lousy virus.
“If you Bing Jessica Biel, you’ll get a virus? Now just imagine you had no idea what Bing is and tell me how you read that.”
Haha, that’s hilarious.
Umm, that was the point of the hed. It’s a joke. Maybe not a good one, but I don’t understand why you’re so mystified about it MG.
CNN just wanted to say “bing jessica biel”.
What else ya gonna do when your ratings are flowing down the sewer?
Ok this is scary stereotypical “nerd” stuff. We have hot Jessica Biel and binging and viruses and our author’s first thought is “oh this could be a significant cultural landmark in the search engine war”
just please please do not bing me…. i am not like that
For American League pitchers, it’s “be careful if you bean David Ortiz” http://mlb.mlb....layer_id=120074
yet another senseless article by tech crunch. the list just keeps growing…. way to go tc bloggers.
Come on MG, if you have no idea, then make sure you get one. There are plenty of things i read everyday for which i had no clue before. Is it CNN’s fault?
and are any of those new verbs?
Um…. ok?
Here’s my non-comment for this non-story. Next.
So Jessica has virus? What part of her body do you have to bing in order to catch the virus? Are there certain parts [of her body] that have higher concentrations of viruses, or even bacteria? I imagine hot and wet places, particularly hot and wet (muggy) crevices tend to host more of these little critters.
Virus or not I would still Bing the sh*t out of Jessica Biel
Ha! Funny story and a nice break from all the Twitter stories on TC.
How many people don’t know Bing other than your mother? Does your mother know about google? that would be wierd.
MG, a FHM photo and puns about “binging” someone? Come on.
Slightly offtopic: Can someone recommend another “weblog dedicated to obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies”? (techcrunch.com/about-techcrunch/)
TechCrunch lost focus of the core mission.
Yo Michael, I think TC does a great job with tech reporting. It doesn’t mean that that’s all it does. Things like this are a welcome break to an otherwise overly-techish day.
You sound like you are stressed, Michael. Perhaps you haven’t gotten binged in a while !!! LOL
It used to be way better – at least from my perspective. I miss the old TechCrunch that was such a great source for NEW products and companies. Names you never heared before, companies and ideas worth sharing.
As much as i still read TC daily it just isn’t what i am looking for anymore. Twitter, Facebook, Google, MSFT, Apple are dominating the coverage – or additions to their services.
I truly miss postings like this:
http://www.tech...s-a-great-idea/
http://www.tech...09/19/filmloop/
Good point Michael.
The percent of “trivial” articles has risen “somewhat.”
More disturbing is the percentage of articles written about Facebook and Twitter. I tend to skip most Twit & FB articles; thus, perhaps it could be said that these qualify as trivial. Now if we expand the definition of trivial to FB, Twitter, & Google, then I’m afraid the percentage of worthless articles is significant.
It’s a slow news day.
i’ve found http://news.cnet.com to be more tech oriented and relatively un-biased than “tech”crunch. TC is rapidly getting into the “gossip” category of news forums
they even have this chat feature at the bottom of the page now to appeal to certain users’ gossipy side 
sad though…
Boooo this article.
Bing, as a verb, sounds as natural and non-sexual as ping to me.
If anything… CNN just got some free press over doing it and while probably having no effect on their readership….
Glad to see that I was not alone to think that “to bing someone” would not pass that easily in the language…
I also thought about Chandler Bing being the coder, if anyone cares.
Surely to ‘Bing’ something is to get an epic video wall of it.
like I will never call UPS “Brown”. Ever.
Getting a VIRUS if you BING Jessica BIEL????
It’s called Gonorrhea, you moron!
Rather than think that CNN is getting ahead of the curve, I think they just wanted to use the term to make the headline more sexual and make people tune in to figure out what they meant.
The google part of that statement was probably added later because it was too sexual.
You can Google it
You can Cha-Cha it
You can Yahoo it
You can Alta Vista it
You can Web Crawler it
You can Lycos it
Or you can just look for it…
Bing my Biel
you all remember to use protection when you Bing Jessica Biel! LOL
CNN assumes people understand context. They might overestimate the average viewer but not as much as you underestimate them.
Heh, I thought the exact same thing when I read that article, pointed it out to a friend about how stupid it sounds, then scrolled down and saw the trackback link from here mentioning it. Awesome, and yeah “Bing” in that context just sounds awful.
So MG, you’re telling me that if someone uses the internet for their daily fix of news, they wouldn’t know what Bing is? Seriously?
Your mother checks CNN.com for news?
This is good one
. MG, plz reply to this…
it does sound good, thank you, I feel like binging jessica too!
cmon dude, couldnt you resist using bing as a verb with the object of the binging being jessica!
CNN ploy worked and you helped it happen, Im going to start using it as a verb too from now on!
Already been bung. It was worth it though. Now I can get some sleep.
Well, the photo certainly make anyone bing her. And somebody above says it is worth doing so. So, why not?
So CNN have popularised another term for the act of coitus. To Bing! is to engage in sexual relations. But I have questions…Is “binging” just a general term for ‘having sex’, or does the “bing” relate directly to the action of penetration? Is it “bing, bing, bing” and so on, or does “bing” refer to the conclusion, and if so is “the bingshot” a step too far…?