Ask Jeeves has pioneered the development and deployment of natural-language question answering services on the Internet for consumers and companies, establishing a new way to interact with the World Wide Web. Ask Jeeves was first introduced to the public in April 1997 to provide Web users with a more satisfactory and productive experience by quickly directing users to relevant answers. Their mission is to humanize the Internet by making it easier and more intuitive for consumers to find the information, products and services they need, and for companies to better acquire, retain and maximize the value of their online customers. Their branding strategy centers on the Jeeves character, a friendly and trusted assistant who provides help and guidance on the Web. The Ask Jeeves question answering services let users ask a question in plain English and receive a response that points to relevant Internet destinations to provide the answers. Their question answering services make interaction with the Internet more intuitive, less frustrating and significantly more productive.

While the growth of the Internet has drawn users at an unprecedented pace, the volume of online information has made it increasingly difficult for users to navigate effectively. To take full advantage of the Internet, users must be able to successfully navigate a network of dispersed Web sites, which are generally not connected in a logical fashion. In addition, once at the Web site, users are faced with the difficulty of sorting through an overwhelming amount of information. Users currently rely on Internet search engines or directories to locate information and make online purchases. These methods typically require consumers to construct keyword or complex search strings that often result in hundreds or thousands of irrelevant results. Given the magnitude of this problem, companies are recognizing the need to provide a means by which their customers and potential customers can more easily find relevant information, products and services on their Web sites. Until navigation on the Internet improves, consumers will remain frustrated with their online experiences, and companies will be frustrated by their inability to provide an easy, intuitive and intelligent user interface and as a result to maximize returns on their investments in Internet strategies. Ask Jeeves Headquarters

Ask Jeeves connects users to their products and services in a more targeted way than other services on the Internet, thereby better unlocking the power of electronic commerce. Beginning with only 3,000 questions a day in its first month of operation, Ask Jeeves answered over 1 million questions a day in April 1999, and has grown its unique user base from 425,000 in September 1998 to 1.9 million in March 1999 to more than 5 million in December 1999. Ask Jeeves, at ASK.COM, provides users with relevant answers to a wide range of questions written in plain English, such as "Is it raining in Paris?" to "Where can I comparison shop for cameras?"

The acquisition of Net Effect in November 1999 enables Ask Jeeves to connect consumers to answers on the Web through real-time, text-based communication with live agents and remote experts, as well as through its established natural-language question answering services. The Ask Jeeves Corporate Question Answering Service will incorporate Net Effect's live help to provide a one-stop shop for businesses seeking to improve the online experience and convert e-shoppers to e-buyers. Ask Jeeves also plans to integrate Net Effect's live help into its Consumer Service at Ask.com.

Finally in January of 2000, Ask Jeeves launched Personal Jeeves, a new feature that provides personalized services to consumers. The first personal service offered through Personal Jeeves will be a tailored news service called The Daily Answer(SM). Available January 22, The Daily Answer provides individuals with the latest in top national and world news, including breaking political, business and sports stories.