ask.com

Ask.com closes Dictionary.com deal

Ask.com, the fourth-ranked search engine, has completed its acquisition of Lexico Publishing Group, which owns Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com, and Reference.com.

Ask.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of InterActiveCorp, had announced the all-cash deal in mid-May. Financial terms of the deal, which closed Thursday, were not released. Lexico, a privately held company based in Long Beach, Calif., debuted in 1995 with Dictionary.com.

Altogether, Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com, and Reference.com had more than 28 million unique visitors in March, according to Lexico.

In May, Ask.com said the acquisition would increase its unique monthly users by 11 … Read more

Ask.com to buy Dictionary.com owner

Ask.com, the fourth-ranked search engine, plans to increase its heft through an agreement to acquire Lexico Publishing Group, which operates the Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com, and Reference.com Web sites.

Ask.com didn't release terms of the acquisition, but Lexico is "highly profitable, with high double-digit growth for a couple years," said Jim Safka, chief executive of the IAC-owned search site. And by using Ask.com's advertising relationship with Google on the Lexico sites, the company should be able to increase the ad revenue.

Adding Lexico's Web visitor count will increase Ask.com's … Read more

Webware 100 winner: Ask.com

Ask.com is a simple and easy-to-use search engine that's not as popular Google or Yahoo, but still very fast and capable of searching the Web. Like competing engines, it lets users search the Web for links, images, videos, driving directions, and news, along with local city listings and shopping links for products. However, one thing it does a little better than the rest is display results from these other search types on the same page, even if it's not main category you were searching in.

Ask.com has had an interesting year. In March 2008, it cut … Read more

Study: Google extends search lead over rivals

Google gained market share in the United States over search rivals in March, rising 0.53 percentage points to an all-time high of 59.8 percent, according to new ComScore results released Tuesday.

"We were somewhat surprised at the March uptick, especially since the company had previously alluded that the unusual Easter timing could impact search activity," said Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney in a report Tuesday that quoted the ComScore numbers.

Yahoo, meanwhile, slipped 0.3 percentage points to 21.3 percent, and Microsoft dropped 0.2 percentage points to 9.4 percent--both figures are record lows for … Read more

Start-up Askpedia: IAC doesn't like our name

Just how much does Ask.com own the word "Ask?" Enough to have a problem with a question-and-answer site called "Askpedia," apparently. Representatives from the start-up Askpedia.com told CNET News.com that the search engine's parent company, InterActiveCorp, sent a cease-and-desist letter earlier this month, citing intellectual property violations in the name "Askpedia."

"(This) is likely to cause consumer confusion, particularly inasmuch as Askpedia purports to provide online informational services that are substantially similar to those provided by Ask," the letter dated March 13 reads. "In using and incorporating … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 675: Can I pay cash for that?

EPISODE 675

Apple SDK announcement http://www.news.com/one-more-thing/ http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/06/live-from-apples-iphone-press-conference/

The Vista Capable mess: Intel pushes, Microsoft bends http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/ 20080305-the-vista-capable-debacle-intel-pushes-microsoft-bends.html

Internet Explorer 8: Crash, Restart, Crash http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Internet_Explorer_8_Crash_Restart_Crash_14848.html

Acid3 Test unleashed, murders every current browser http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=10975

Whistle-blower: Feds Have a high-speed backdoor into wireless carrier http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/03/whistleblower-f.html

Piracy caused by poor choice http://torrentfreak.com/piracy-is-caused-by-poor-choice-080305/

MIPI ISP filter conflict (Thanks Luke from Melbourne!) http://steve.blogs.exetel.com.au/index.php?/archives/79-MIPI.html… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 674: Pomme not Pom

EPISODE 674

Yahoo, Time Warner reportedly talk deal to thwart Microsoft http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9886157-7.html http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9886254-7.html

Gates to Google: 'Your business applications stink' http://blogs.cnet.com/8301-13505_1-9884752-16.html

Adobe bites its tongue after iPhone Flash jab http://www.news.com/8301-10787_3-9886265-60.html

Warning: Your iPod may get you mugged http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9885873-7.html http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/ 1282422/researchers_ipods_attract_violent_crime

Is Microsoft’s ‘Singularity’ the OS of the future? http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9886184-7.html

NIN’s music experiment sells big numbers http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/03/05/076221… Read more

Ask.com cuts 40 jobs in reorganization

As expected, Ask.com is cutting 40 jobs--8 percent of its work force--as part of a restructuring to refocus the search company toward providing answers to its core audience of women searching on entertainment, health, and reference topics, the company said on Tuesday.

"Today, we unveiled a new direction for Ask.com," Ask.com Chief Executive Jim Safka said in a statement. "Moving forward, we will focus on our core customers, and what they come to Ask.com for most: answers. Our loyal base of 45 million unique users come to Ask.com for answers at a … Read more

Layoffs to come at Ask.com?

Silicon Alley Insider is reporting that there could be layoffs at Ask.com and that IAC is thinking about dumping the Teoma search engine in favor of Google.

But a person very familiar with the matter told CNET News.com that Ask.com will stick with Teoma.

Ask.com spokesman Nicholas Graham declined to comment on the potential for layoffs.

Ask.com has undergone so many makeovers it's hard to keep track. A site redesign last year, along with management changes in the past few years, has failed to significantly change its market share.