Where's Jeeves?

Search engines are not a new development. "Google" has become part of everyday vocabulary, both in usage as a brand and a verb. Despite its market share of 5.8%, Ask.com offers an (arguably) better search experience than Google. The site dropped its charming butler Jeeves from its title (more on this below) in March 2005, when Ask was acquired by IAC/InterActive Corp. A complete site overhaul began soon after, and culminated into today's set of unique search features. Say you search on Ask for a concert date. "Band reviews from Citysearch and ticket-buying opportunities from Ticketmaster pop up at the top of the results; concert venues also appear pinpointed next to the results on an Ask.com map." Or, if you search for a local plumber, "reviews and booking opportunities for local plumbers appear courtesy of another IAC company, ServiceMagic.com." (from Newsweek)

What else makes Ask special? Compare similar searches from Ask with Google, and you may be surprised which site brings up more ads. For a company whose (very public) motto is "Do No Evil," Google pushes advertisements upon its users more than twice as much as Ask (from CNN). Google offers a wide range of internet services, like their popular email client GMail and an Excel-competitor Spreadsheets. However, these services all contain text-based ads. The difference here between Google and Ask is that Google wants to keep users on its site to increase the amount of ads they can publish. Ask directs its users straight to the content. Or, to hear it from Ask CEO Jim Lanzone, "Our approach, to make an analogy, is to sell more copies of the magazine, rather than try to stuff more ads in each copy. That's working for us." (from CNet)

So what's the story here? There's always more than one way to execute an idea, no matter how simple its basis may be. Providing internet search results is a service we can no longer do without; the company who develops the user-friendliest way of doing this may eventually rise to the top.

But where did Jeeves go? Ask's website says that Jeeves "decided to step down, and retire in style." I happen to have a record of search requests and Jeeves' subsequent answers that prove otherwise: if I ever treated my clients like this, I would be fired too.*


Search: What is the cure for the common cold?
Jeeves: Common sense. Put on a jacket, moron.

Search: What does God look like?
Jeeves: Did you mean, "What does Dog look like?" Huh? What type of dog? Throw me a bone here.

Search: What is the address of the Dunkin Donuts in Chesterfield?
Jeeves: It's right next to the Police Station. GET IT??? LOL

Search: What's the difference between saturated fats and trans fats?
Jeeves: Your mother is fat.

* Come on, of course these are completely made up.