Ask Jeeves is Ask.com Now and an IAC Holding
What Happened to the Friendly Butler who made Searching Online Easy?
Dec 31, 2008
The Ask Jeeves model was terrific. Online surfers could ask questions without having to try to figure out keywords. It was billed as the easy online search engine.
Users could type in a general question just as they would ask a neighbor or the butler (the fictional butler Jeeves made famous by Bertie Wooster and the namesake for the site). Results were instant and sorted better than most search engines a decade ago when searchers needed to understand Boolean search with the “and,” “or”, and “not" to get premium search results.
Problems From the Start
One issue with the Jeeves model was that most people can’t spell, and most have never heard of Jeeves (the butler) or of Wooster. Onliners were looking for Gevuhs and other variations of the proper name spelling for a major search engine contender.
On top of that, other search engines were tweaking the search functions. It did not take competetive search engines long to figure out how to sort the words or phrases that searchers would put in to find information. Although other search engines did not invite users to plug in general questions, the sorting shifted that way.
Then, Jeeves was just one of many search engines offering the same basic service; however, the butler figure had become familiar, so Ask Jeeves did have a solid following.
The IAC Buy Out
IAC/InterActiveCorp (with Barry Diller at the helm) bought out Ask Jeeves in 2005. The small search engine became part of a huge company including (in 2008) 40 online brands like Match.com, Gifts.com, Pronto, Citysearch and Ask for Kids (as well as many other online brand names).
More recently IAC (or Ask.com) bought up Lexico Publishing Group and added Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com and Reference.com to the holdings (2008).
A New Game Plan
When it became clear that Jeeves was not a great name for a web search engine (due to spelling issues), IAC dropped the butler name and theme and went with Ask.com. All the branding was lost. The little chubby guy who helped onliners was suddenly history (2006).
The new feature for Ask.com was an opt-out on tracking (2007). This would be appealing to online surfers tired of being hit with cookies and spam mail. Unfortunately, the opt out included being tracked by Ask.com and was criticized by online watchdogs. Perhaps Ask.com was keeping information confidential, but they were sure collecting data as noted by the Electronic Privacy Information Center and others.
Taking on the Big Guys
It is doubtful that IAC thought the Ask.com would tumble (or even dent) the online search giant Google, but they have launched ad campaigns to try to expand their share of the online search pie.
IAC did, however, appear to target Google with underground ads (not subtle). The blogger backlash online quickly put a lid on the campaign. Ask.com did not clearly stand behind the ads, and the backlash was quick and harsh.
More recently, IAC has had ask.com ads that appear to have zombie-dead adults draped over “school lads.” These December 2008 ads have drawn criticism as the earlier IAC ads did, and the campaign appears to be dead.
In the Background
With search not going so well, Ask.com (or IAC) decided that unique content and launching as a portal for one-stop content would be a good idea. The idea was not new, and IAC did not get in on the ground floor.
In addition, IAC bought out some small online sites and angered some content writers indirectly with questionable contracts funneled through the home site owners.
Worth a Look?
Ask.com offers a solid search engine and continues to be user-friendly. Although other search engines now process user questions, Jeeves was the first to market and use the idea.
For original content, you’ll likely find that Ask.com is redundant and runs a lot of cut and paste materials as well as content cranked articles. Quality content can be found at Ask.com, but information should be evaluated for quality (as should any online content).
IAC Investments?
IAC is recommended as a good investment in late 2008. Stock prices are down, and some analysts expect a surge after the company was divided into five trading divisions and with some internal reorganization.
Do be aware that the history of Jeeves and now Ask.com has been interesting. The market share is pretty strong on Ask.com once Google is removed from the mix. In addition, IAC has a broad catalog of holdings. But, it is impossible to predict where IAC may head next.
IAC has made a number of major changes over the years including the purchase of Ask.com and other online companies.
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