Ask.com

Ask.com (originally known as Ask Jeeves) is a question answering–focused e-business founded in 1996 by Garrett Gruener and David Warthen in Berkeley, California.

Ask.com
Type of businessSubsidiary
Type of site
Answer engine
Available inEnglish
FoundedJune 3, 1996 (1996-06-03) (as Ask Jeeves) February 2006 (2006-02) (as Ask.com)
Headquarters555 City Center
Oakland, California, U.S.[1]
OwnerIAC
Created byGarrett Gruener
David Warthen (Founders)
Douglas Leeds (CEO)
URLask.com
RegistrationOptional
Current statusActive

The original software was implemented by Gary Chevsky, from his own design. Warthen, Chevsky, Justin Grant, and others built the early AskJeeves.com website around that core engine. In 2006, the "Jeeves" name was dropped and they refocused on the search engine, which had its own algorithm.[2] In late 2010, facing insurmountable competition from more popular search engines like Google, the company outsourced its web search technology and returned to its roots as a question and answer site.[3] Douglas Leeds was elevated from president to CEO in 2010.[4]

Three venture capital firms, Highland Capital Partners, Institutional Venture Partners, and The RODA Group were early investors.[5] Ask.com is currently owned by InterActiveCorp (IAC) under the Nasdaq symbol Nasdaq: IAC, and its corporate headquarters are located at 555 City Center, in the Oakland City Center development in downtown Oakland, California.

History
Jeeves

Ask.com was originally known as Ask Jeeves,[6] "Jeeves" being the name of a "gentleman's personal gentleman", or valet, fetching answers to any question asked. The character was named after Jeeves, Bertie Wooster's valet in the fictional works of P. G. Wodehouse.[7]

The original idea behind Ask Jeeves was to allow users to get answers to questions in everyday, natural language, and traditional keyword searching. The current Ask.com still supports this for math, dictionary, and conversion questions.

Ask Jeeves launched in beta in mid-April 1997 and fully launched on June 1, 1997.[6]

On September 18, 2001, Ask Jeeves acquired Teoma for over $1.5 million.[8]

In July 2005, Ask Jeeves was acquired by IAC.[9][10]

In February 2006, Jeeves was removed from Ask Jeeves and the search engine rebranded to Ask.[2][9]

On May 16, 2006, Ask implemented a "Binoculars Site Preview" into its search results. On search results pages, the "binoculars" let searchers have a preview of the page they could visit with a mouse-over activating a pop-up screenshot.

On June 5, 2007, Ask.com relaunched with a 3D look.[11]

In December 2007, Ask released the AskEraser feature,[12] allowing users to opt-out from tracking of search queries and IP and cookie values. They also vowed to erase this data after 18 months if the AskEraser option is not set. HTTP cookies must be enabled for AskEraser to function.[13][14]

An Ask.com search of Wikipedia, 2016

On July 4, 2008, Ask acquired Lexico Publishing Group, which owns Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com, and Reference.com.[15][16]

In August 2008, Ask launched the Ask Kids search engine designed for children.[10]

In April 2009, Jeeves returned to the UK version of Ask.com, redesigned as a CGI character and the website was once again named Ask Jeeves, though international versions were still just Ask.com.[17] His image remained on the UK website until July 21, 2016, though the Ask Jeeves name would continue to be used until September 21, 2016, when the website rebranded to just Ask.

On July 26, 2010, Ask.com released a closed-beta Q&A service. The service was released to the public on July 29, 2010.[18] Ask.com launched its mobile Q&A app for the iPhone in late 2010.[19]

Ask.com reached 100 million global users per month in 2012[20] through its website with more than 2 million downloads of its flagship mobile app in that year.[21] The company has also released additional apps spun out of its Q&A experience, including Ask Around[22] in 2011 and PollRoll[23] in 2012.

Search engine shut-down

In 2010, Ask.com abandoned the search industry, with the loss of 130 search engineering jobs, because it could not compete against more popular search engines such as Google. Earlier in the year, Ask had launched a Q&A community for generating answers from real people as opposed to search algorithms then combined this with its question-and–answer repository, utilizing its extensive history of archived query data to search sites that provide answers to questions people have.[24]

To avoid a situation in which no answers were available from its own resources, the company outsourced to an unnamed third-party search provider the comprehensive web search matches that it had gathered itself.[25]

Ask Sponsored Listings

Formerly the direct-sales engine for Ask.com, Ask Sponsored Listings is no longer available, having merged with Sendori, an operating business of IAC, in 2011.[26]

Corporate details
Ask.com headquarters in Oakland, California (photographed in 2006)

Ask Jeeves, Inc. stock traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange from July 1999 to July 2005, under the ticker symbol ASKJ. In July 2005, the ASKJ ticker was retired upon the acquisition by IAC, valued at US$1.85 billion.

In 2012, Ask.com made two acquisitions as part of a larger strategy to offer more content on the Ask.com website. On July 2, 2012, Ask.com purchased content discovery start-up[27] nRelate for an undisclosed amount. That was followed by the company's acquisition of expert advice and information site About.com, which closed in September 2012.[28]

On August 14, 2014, Ask.com acquired popular social networking website ASKfm, where users can ask other users questions, with the option of anonymity.[29] As of August 14, 2014, Ask.fm had 180 million monthly unique users in more than 150 countries around the world,[30] with its largest user base in the United States.[31] Available on the web and as a mobile app, ASKfm generates an estimated 20,000 questions per minute with approximately 45 percent of its mobile monthly active users logging in daily.[32] As of 2014, the mobile app has been downloaded more than 40 million times.[32]

In 2021, Ask re-launched its SymptomFind[33] brand and introduced the new finance-focused Ask Money site.[34]

Marketing and promotion

Apostolos Gerasoulis, the co-creator of Ask's Teoma algorithmic search technology, starred in four television advertisements in 2007, extolling the virtues of Ask.com's usefulness for information relevance.[35] A Jeeves balloon and a float appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade through 2000–2004.

After a hiatus from mass consumer marketing, Ask returned to TV advertising in the fall of 2011 after refocusing its site on questions and answers.[36] Instead of national advertising, Ask focused on local markets. In the summer of 2012, Ask launched a national cinema campaign,[37] along with other out-of-home tactics in certain markets such as New York and Seattle.[38]

As part of a Seattle-based local market effort, Ask.com launched its "You Asked We Answered"[39] campaign in 2012, in which the company "answered" residents' top complaints about living in their city, including easing morning commutes and stadium traffic, as well as keeping the local Parks and Rec department wading pools open.

On January 14, 2009, Ask.com became the official sponsor of 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Bobby Labonte's No. 96 Ford. Ask would become the official search engine of NASCAR.[40] Ask.com was the primary sponsor for the No. 96 for 18 of the first 21 races and had rights to increase this to a total of 29 races that season.[41] The Ask.com car debuted in the 2009 Bud Shootout where it failed to finish the race, but subsequently returned strongly, placing as high as 5th in a March 1, 2009, Shelby 427 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.[42] Ask.com's foray into NASCAR represented the first instance of its venture into what it calls "Super Verticals".[43]

See also

References
  1. "Ask.com". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  2. Ryan, Kevin (2010-11-12). "The Long, Sad Story of Ask.com". adage.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  3. Kopytoff, Verne G. (November 9, 2010). "Ask.com Giving Up Search to Return to Q-and-A Service". The New York Times.
  4. "IAC Management". IAC. Archived from the original on January 5, 2012.
  5. "Ask Jeeves, Inc. initial public offering prospectus". Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  6. "The Search Engine Report - August 5, 1997 Number 9". Search Engine Watch. August 5, 1997. Archived from the original on July 6, 1998. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  7. Sherman, Chris (2003-10-08). "What's In A (Search Engine's) Name?". Search Engine Watch. Archived from the original on 2015-01-03. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  8. "Teoma – The Superior Search Engine?". www.rustybrick.com. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  9. "Short History of Early Search Engines – The History of SEO". www.thehistoryofseo.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-21. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
  10. "IAC". www.iac.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-26. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  11. Major Relaunch For Ask: Ask3D, Techcrunch, June 4, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2007.
  12. Ask.com Takes the Lead on Log Retention; Microsoft and Yahoo! Follow, eff.org. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  13. "Does AskEraser Really Erase?". Electronic Privacy Information Center. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  14. "Letter to U.S. Federal Trade Commission" (PDF). Center for Democracy and Technology. January 23, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  15. Auchard, Eric (July 3, 2008). "Ask.com closes acquisition of Dictionary.com". Reuters.
  16. "Ask.com closes Dictionary.com deal". CNet. July 4, 2008.
  17. "Jeeves rises from the dead". The Guardian. April 20, 2009.
  18. "Ask.com Q&A Service Drops July 29th". Softpedia. July 27, 2010.
  19. Christian, Zibreg (September 24, 2010). "Ask.com has an iPhone app that lets you ask and get local answers". Geek.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  20. Sterling, Greg (11 October 2012). "Ask CEO Doug Leeds Proclaims Search Wars "Over," Says Yahoo Can Be Great Again". Search Engine Land. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  21. Knight, Kristina. "How Tina Fey inspired Ask.com to change". BizReport. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  22. Perez, Marin. "Ask Around app brings location-based conversations to iPhone". Into Mobile. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  23. Spirrison, Brad. "Ask.com hits the polls with Pollroll". Appolicious. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  24. Van Grove, Jennifer. "Ask.com Reinvents Itself with a Focus on Community Q&A". Mashable. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  25. Kopytoff, Verne (November 9, 2010). "Ask.com to Return to Old Service". New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  26. "Ask Sponsored Listings is now Sedori". Sendori. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  27. de Senerpont Domis, Olaf. "Q&A with Ask.com's CEO and nRelate's Founder". The Deal Pipeline. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  28. Stewart, Christopher. "Times Co. Sells About.com for $300 Million". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  29. Magid, Larry. "IAC's Ask.com Buys Ask.fm And Hires A Safety Officer To Stem Bullying". Forbes. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  30. Curtis, Sophie (14 August 2014). "Tinder owner buys social network ASKfm". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  31. Sullivan, Laurie. "Ask.com Acquires Q&A Social Network Ask.fm, Prepares To Add Tools To Increase Safety". Media Post. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  32. Perez, Sarah (14 August 2014). "IAC Agrees To Work With Regulators On Cyberbullying Protections Following ASKfm Deal". Techcrunch. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  33. "About SymptomFind". Ask Media Group.
  34. "Ask Money Homepage". Ask Money. Ask Media Group.
  35. "About Ask.com: TV Spots". Archived from the original on April 10, 2007. Retrieved April 25, 2007.
  36. Ha, Anthony. "Ask.com Returns to TV, Cautiously". AdWeek. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  37. Vega, Tanzina. "Ask.com Heralds a New Focus". New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  38. Sandoval, Greg. "Hey, Times Square! I'm Google+. Please Notice Me". CNET. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  39. Sullivan, Laurie. "Ask.com Launches 'You Asked' Branding Campaign". Media Post. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  40. Official Release (January 14, 2009). "– Ask.com enters NASCAR with multi-faceted program". Nascar.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  41. Duane Cross. "Labonte will drive No. 96 for Hall of Fame in 2009 – 14 January 2009". Bbs.cid.cn.nascar.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  42. Archived March 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  43. "Ask.com Partners With NASCAR, Says "Super Verticals" Will Put It Back In Search Race". Searchengineland.com. January 13, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2011.

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