A Search Engine Watch write-up lays out the workings of blog search engine BlogPulse, which not only locates information in blogs but also points out the hot topics in the blogosphere. It does so by mapping the popularity of words mentioned in blogs over a given period. The BlogPulse Trend Tool allows users to enter up to three words or phrases and displays a graph of how frequently those terms - people, companies, blogs themselves - appeared in blogs over the previous two, four or six months. BlogPulse also tracks various newsworthy topics with preconfigured links to trend analyses, which are archived back to May 2004. The BlogPulse Conversation Tracker creates a threaded view of "conversations" - blogger's posts and other bloggers' links to them. Though tracking blog trends is by no means a science, "it's a great way to get a sense of current buzz…often well ahead of when traditional media catch on," the article concludes.