Ask has decided to bring Jeeves out of retirement, at least in the UK, and rebrand Ask.co.uk as Ask Jeeves UK. If you visit uk.ask.com you will see a question with the new Jeeves on the home page, that reads, "Why am I back?"
Glad you asked. The simple answer is I'm back to help.I popped out three years ago to travel the world in a quest for knowledge and I've returned to Blighty armed with answers. During my sojourn research showed the public wanted me back, which I found jolly touching. And in that time the engineers toiled hard to make the site look better, work harder and be more personal...just like yours truly! I realise the questions are different now. Back in 2006 you wanted to know about spending money, now you want to know about saving it. That's why I've teamed up with TV's moneysaving expert Jasmine Birtles to bring you ten ways to save money, if I may. And don't forget to pop back and see me on the site throughout this week, I have some terrific prizes to give away!
Personally, I am delighted to see Jeeves come back. I have been really been giving the Ask management team a really hard time over the past year or two. But with this move, I am pretty happy with them. My major issue is that they only brought Jeeves to the UK (well, kind of). In the US, NASCAR is Ask.com's way of reaching America. In the UK, they are using Jeeves. I would love to see Jeeves come back to the US as well, and I believe that will eventually happen. In fact, we have dozens and dozens of comments on our Jeeves retirement post begging to bring back Jeeves, I know people miss the character.
Here is how Jeeves has transformed through the years:
Jeeves is more animated, more 3D now. It is suppose to show how the technology is better. I am not too sure about the technology being better, but I do like bringing back the character.
Most recently, I felt Ask.com crossed the line when they framed the search results. I also felt their technology is failing and they are not focused on core search. Those opinions have yet to change. But the Jeeves character, I am a fan of.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
