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Author: Gunn, Holly

If you haven't used Ask Jeeves lately, you are in for a pleasant surprise. Ask Jeeves has added a number of new search features that make it a very useful web search tool for K-12 users. Although it cannot compete with Google in database size, Ask Jeeves is showing that it can compete in search results. With its array of new features--Web Answers, Zoom Search, Smart Search; previewed site viewing; and My Jeeves--Ask Jeeves has earned its place in the K-12 search toolkit.

If you are looking for answers to ready reference type questions, Ask Jeeves is the first place to look on the Web. Web Answers, a new feature from Ask Jeeves, provides instant answers to ready reference questions. Ask Jeeves finds the answer from the many web pages that it has indexed and delivers the response as a one-sentence answer at the top of the search results, making it unnecessary to sift through pages of search results to find the answer to your question. If you need answers to questions such as

• Who won the best actress in 2004?

• What is the capital of Australia?

• What is the longest river in the world?

• What is the population of China?

• When was the Catcher in the Rye published?

• What is the provincial flower for Ontario?

Ask Jeeves can find the answer.

Ask Jeeves Zoom is a way of narrowing or expanding your search results. Try a search for "J. K. Rowling" to see the impact of Zoom on your search. Notice the results of your search: a brief biography, a picture, and a link to Rowling's official web site top the results, with the Zoom features "Narrow Your Search," "Expand Your Search," or "Related Names" located on the right. This is a well-designed presentation for the student researcher.

Some of the Smart Search features are particularly helpful for K-12 users. Like Google and Yahoo! Ask Jeeves provides dictionary definitions of words making it unnecessary to leave Ask Jeeves to look up word meanings. Type "define" in front of the word for which you require a definition, and Ask Jeeves provides a definition of the word. Example: define osmosis.

Ask Jeeves Famous People search has one of the best presentations of biographical search results on the Web for K-12 students. Search Ask Jeeves for each of these famous people, and look at the results:

• William Shakespeare

• Nikita Khrushchev

• Galileo

In each case, there is a picture, a brief summary of the person's life, a link to an official web site, further links, and a way to zoom into results to narrow or expand your search. The site preview (binoculars beside a web site) before entering a site is a real time-saver.

My Jeeves (Beta) is a personalized bookmark service. Once you register for a My Jeeves account, you are granted server space to store bookmarks that can be retrieved on any computer. These bookmarks can be personalized with annotations and e-mailed via Ask Jeeves without leaving your My Jeeves account. Take a tour of the features available in My Jeeves by clicking on the My Jeeves link. Teachers who use different computers at home and at school may find these readily accessible and personalized bookmarks very useful.

If you haven't used Ask Jeeves lately, check it out. You will be impressed.

??? Beal, A. (2005). Ask Jeeves launches next generation search refining technology. Search Engine Lowdown. Ask Jeeves. Retrieved June 14, 2005, from www.searchenginelowdown.com/2005/05/ask -jeeves-launches-next-generation.html

??? Harris, G. (2005). Search Engine Comparison Chart: Ask Jeeves, Gigablast, and Google. WebSearch Guide. Retrieved June 14, 2005, from www.websearchguide.ca/ research/compfram.htm

??? Is "Jeeves" too snooty? Site likely to get name change. (2005). USAToday.com. Retrieved June 14, 2005, from www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/corporatenews/ 2005-05-26-jeeves_x.htm

??? Price, G. (2004). Ask Jeeves serves it your way. SearchEngineWatch. Retrieved June 14, 2005, from searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3410441