Ask ‘Jeeves’ website gets new image
Jeeves was pictured riding horseback into the sunset through the weekend and vanished yesterday as the Oakland, California-based website shed his moniker and became Ask.com.
Fans of the character that had put a genteel face on the website "AskJeeves" since its launch in 1996 voted overwhelmingly for Jeeves spending his virtual golden years sailing the world in a yacht.
"When we launched, Jeeves was really a human element to help people find what they were looking for on the Internet," Ask spokesman Patrick Crisp said.
"Consumers today don’t need help searching any more, they just want to find things faster. Jeeves just doesn’t represent the brand today."
Jeeves’ departure came with the introduction of new tools, layout and services intended to challenge Internet search superstar Google of Mountain View, California.
"It isn’t a one-team game," Crisp said of competition in online search.
"We are aggressively looking for market share."
Ask.com has a sleeker interface and a custom "tool box" for quicker searching, mapping, image finding, and more, according to Crisp.
Jeeves was a vestige of a time when Internet users apprehensions were eased by a reassuring "Can I help you find something?" prompt that had them ask questions to search online.
"The Internet has changed and so have we," Crisp said.
Eleven thousand farewell messages were left for Jeeves at the website, the company reported.
"To those who came for the butler, we hope they still come to the site," Crisp said.
Ask was bought last year by IAC/InterActive Corp. The online overhaul was to be heralded in an advertising campaign beginning in about a week.
"Today’s launch is a pivotal moment in our history, ensuring a well-known and much-loved search engine continues at the forefront of the evolution of the Internet search market," said Jim Lanzone, general manager of Ask’s US operations.
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