Ask.com facts for kids
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| Type of business | Subsidiary |
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Type of site
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Answer engine |
| Available in | English |
| Founded | June 3, 1996 (as Ask Jeeves) February 2006 (as Ask.com) |
| Headquarters | 555 City Center Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Owner | IAC |
| Created by | Garrett Gruener David Warthen (Founders) Douglas Leeds (CEO) |
| Parent | Ask Media Group, LLC |
| Website | and |
| Registration | Optional |
| Current status | Active |
Ask.com was first known as Ask Jeeves. It is an online business that helps people find answers to their questions. It was started in 1996 by Garrett Gruener and David Warthen in Berkeley, California.
The first computer program for Ask Jeeves was created by Gary Chevsky. The website was built around this program. In 2006, the name "Jeeves" was removed. The company then focused on being a search engine with its own way of finding information. Later, around 2010, Ask.com faced a lot of competition from bigger search engines like Google. Because of this, they decided to go back to their original idea. They became a question and answer website again. Douglas Leeds became the CEO in 2010.
Ask.com is now owned by a company called InterActiveCorp (IAC). Its main office is in Oakland, California.
Contents
History of Ask.com
Ask.com was first called Ask Jeeves. "Jeeves" was the name of a helpful character, like a personal assistant. He was supposed to "fetch" or find answers to any question you asked. The character was named after a character in old stories by P. G. Wodehouse.
The main idea behind Ask Jeeves was to let people ask questions using everyday language. You could also use keywords to search. Today, Ask.com still helps with questions about math, definitions, and converting things.
Ask Jeeves started testing its website in April 1997. It fully launched on June 1, 1997.
In July 2005, a company called IAC bought Ask Jeeves.
In February 2006, the name "Jeeves" was taken out. The search engine was then just called Ask.
On May 16, 2006, Ask added a "Binoculars Site Preview" to its search results. This feature let you see a small picture of a website before you clicked on it. You just moved your mouse over the "binoculars" icon.
In December 2007, Ask added a feature called AskEraser. This allowed users to choose not to have their searches and computer information tracked. They also promised to delete this data after 18 months if AskEraser was turned on.
On July 4, 2008, Ask bought Lexico Publishing Group. This company owns popular websites like Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com.
In August 2008, Ask launched Ask Kids. This was a special search engine made just for children.
In April 2009, the Jeeves character came back to the UK version of Ask.com. He was a computer-generated character. The website in the UK was again called Ask Jeeves. Other countries still used just Ask.com. Jeeves stayed on the UK website until 2016.
On July 26, 2010, Ask.com started a new question-and-answer service. It was made public a few days later. Ask.com also launched a mobile app for asking questions on iPhones in late 2010.
By 2012, Ask.com had 100 million users around the world each month. Its main mobile app was downloaded over 2 million times that year.
Why Ask.com Changed its Search Engine
In 2010, Ask.com stopped trying to be a main search engine. They let go of about 130 people who worked on their search technology. This was because they could not compete with very popular search engines like Google.
Earlier in 2010, Ask had started a new way for people to get answers. Instead of just using computer programs, they created a community where real people could answer questions. They also used their huge collection of past questions and answers to find information.
To make sure users always got answers, Ask.com started using another company's search technology. This helped them find answers from the wider internet when their own resources didn't have them.
About the Company
Ask Jeeves, Inc. was a public company. Its shares were traded on the stock market from 1999 to 2005. In July 2005, IAC bought the company for about $1.85 billion.
In 2012, Ask.com bought two more companies. This was part of a plan to offer more content on the Ask.com website. On July 2, 2012, Ask.com bought a company called nRelate. Then, in September 2012, they bought About.com. About.com is a website that gives expert advice and information.
On August 14, 2014, Ask.com bought a popular social media website called ASKfm. On ASKfm, users can ask other users questions. They can even choose to ask questions without showing their name. In 2014, ASKfm had 180 million users every month in over 150 countries. It was most popular in the United States. People could use ASKfm on the internet or as a mobile app. It received about 20,000 questions every minute. About 45% of its mobile users logged in every day. The mobile app had been downloaded over 40 million times.
In 2021, Ask brought back its SymptomFind brand. They also launched a new website about money called Ask Money.
Marketing and Advertising
Ask.com has used different ways to tell people about its services.
In 2007, a person named Apostolos Gerasoulis appeared in TV ads. He helped create the technology that Ask used to find information. The ads talked about how useful Ask.com was for finding good information. A large balloon of Jeeves and a parade float were in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from 2000 to 2004.
After some time away from big advertising, Ask started TV ads again in 2011. This was after they focused their website on questions and answers. Instead of advertising all over the country, they focused on local areas. In 2012, Ask launched ads in movie theaters. They also used other outdoor ads in cities like New York and Seattle.
In Seattle, Ask.com started a campaign called "You Asked We Answered." The company "answered" common complaints from people living in the city. For example, they helped with traffic problems and keeping local parks open.
On January 14, 2009, Ask.com became a sponsor for a NASCAR race car. This was for Bobby Labonte's No. 96 Ford car. Ask became the official search engine of NASCAR. Ask.com was the main sponsor for 18 of the first 21 races that season. This was the first time Ask.com got involved in what they called "Super Verticals," which means focusing on specific areas of interest.
See Also
In Spanish: Ask.com para niños
- Comparison of web search engines
- List of search engines
- List of search engines by popularity
