The Ask.com Blog

Our Search Top 10's for 2007

"If you want to see how a society thinks, look at what it searches for."
--George Bernard Shaw

Okay, George Bernard Shaw didn't say that. I made it up. BUT, if you want to take a look at what fascinated people this year, our big list of 2007 Most Popular searches is a great place to look.

Ask.com's Top Searches of 2007

1. MySpace
2. Dictionary
3. Google
4. Themes
5. Area Codes
6. Cars
7. Weather
8. Games
9. Song Lyrics
10. Movies

Yep, MySpace was the big one...In fact, I believe it was #1 last year as well. Bebo? Orkut? Facebook? Nowhere to be found. The other nine are a pretty good survey of how people use the Internet.

...Including a certain competitor/partner in the #3 slot. But what can we say? Our list is as straight as it comes--we tell it like it is. And maybe--just maybe--if *other* search engines showed us their lists of top searches...we might see Ask.com in theirs as well.

Ask.com's Top Presidential Candidate Searches of 2007

1. Barack Obama
2. Hillary Clinton
3. Fred Thompson
4. John Edwards
5. Mitt Romney
6. John McCain
7. Ron Paul
8. Rudy Giuliani
9. Mike Huckabee
10. Dennis Kucinich

Democrats use search engines more. Anyone not see that coming? Interesting that Fred Thompson was the #1 searched-on Republican. Maybe because he's the most video-genic?

Ask.com's Top Sports Team Searches of 2007

1. Boston Red Sox
2. Dallas Cowboys
3. New England Patriots
4. Colorado Rockies
5. Chicago Bears
6. New York Yankees
7. Green Bay Packers
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Chicago Cubs
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The big story this year was the Sox, so it makes perfect sense that they'd take the top Sports spot. And congrats to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for being the only college team to make the list.

Ask.com's Top Television Show Searches of 2007

1. Hannah Montana
2. Family Guy
3. SpongeBob SquarePants
4. WWE
5. American Idol
6. Big Brother
7. Gilmore Girls
8. South Park
9. Charmed
10. Grey's Anatomy

Everyone's favorite Disney Channel series (not to mention best-selling concert tour) landed the top spot in Ask.com's list of 2007's most popular television shows. And if this the last few weeks of top searches are any indication, ol' Hannah has pole position for 2008 as well.

Ask.com's Top Celebrity Search of Pregnant Stars in 2007

1. Jennifer Lopez
2. Salma Hayek
3. Christina Aguilera
4. Julia Roberts
5. Halle Berry
6. Nancy Grace
7. Nicole Richie
8. Milla Jovovich
9. Tori Spelling
10. Bridget Moynahan

And then there's everyone's favorite guilty search pleasure: pregnant celeb watch. All of this year's usual suspects are present.

Welcome to your world, folks. For a weekly view of it, bookmark our Top Searches page and see where it goes from here.

--Ken Grobe
Content Product Manager
Ask.com

Live Free, Kick Hard

When people think Ask.com, they think search: superhuman algorithms, intuitive and innovative tools, Apostolos Gerasoulis (c'mon - the commercials were amazing)...Yet Ask.com isn't content with mastery in search alone. We've recently forayed our talents into an emerging market which yielded big returns: Kickball.

Introducing Ask.com's Team Fireballz

The Fireballz, comprised of nearly 20 Ask-ers from departments across the company, committed to 8 games in San Francisco's Gold Rush league. Every Thursday night, members of the Fireballz faithfully removed their search hats, put on some cleats, and sojourned from Oakland to San Francisco to meet and compete with one of sixteen other teams Unfortunately, Ask.com was the only company this season with the foresight to sponsor a team, yet with the buzz surrounding the sport, it shouldn't be long before we see other companies jumping the k-ball bandwagon (this means you, Initech).

The season was rife with anecdotes that rivaled the movie Rudy. But the team's defining moment of the season occurred early on, during game two, when the Fireballz were matched against the Sinicans.

After several dismal innings under a splash of stormy sky, the Fireballz faced what was sure to be an enormous blow to not only their team but the kickball community at large: an embarrassing loss of 0-5. Shame face.

With just one inning to go, any other team would have choked...would have wiped tears (and sweat) from their faces as they walked away in defeat...muttering, "next time, next time"--but not the Fireballz.

In an unprecedented display of athletic prowess, the F'ballz got down (like gravity) and dirtier (mud-laden field). With the bases loaded, Paul "Firefoot" Loeffler went up to bat and delivered the kickball to the heavens--leaving Team Sinicans in despair as he, and two teammates headed home. 1, 2, 3 runs. Intoxicated by the sweet scent of victory, the F'ballz continued. With two outs and the bases loaded once more, Michael "Jon Bon" Ferguson strutted to the plate--wait for it--and Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon'd the ball with a move never before witnessed, sending three more F'ballz home and bringing the game home with a final score of 6-5.

The overall season standing of the Fireballz was a respectable 3-4-1, with an unofficial silver medal in Spirit, Cheer, and Good Attitude. With nowhere to go but up, Fireballz: Season Three--starting August 2--should be chock full of surprises. Until then, keep your eye on the ball.

Amy Daggett
Co-Captain
& Fireballer Since 2006

(Photos by Michael Ferguson, Kennedy Thorwarth, and Amy)

Our Neighbors, the Golden State Warriors

Congratulations to our favorite come-from-behind Cinderella team, the Golden State Warriors, on their series-leading victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Well, you know them as the Warriors--we call them our neighbors. The Ask.com building is right next door to their practice stadium.

...And in case you still don't believe us, here's the Map:

They're playing the Mavericks tonight at 9:30 EST. Take it to 'em, B-diddy!

--The Ask.com Team

The Cure for Super Bowl Fever

It's Bears Vs. Colts in a grand battle the likes of which…oh, who are we kidding? You're not coming to Ask.com for hype. You're coming to us for these Super Bowl goodies:

- Everything worth knowing about the event, like the brackets, the match-ups, the halftime show, all in one time-saving place.

- The latest News images of the game, updated in real time.

- The latest Super Bowl news as it happens.

- Names, addresses, and directions for sports bars within stumbling distance of your home.

- What to do in Miami if you're there for the game.

And during the broadcast, we'll have a special "Super Bowl Ads" Smart Answer, so you can find all the TV spots instantly online. That's a lot of bathroom breaks that just opened up.

So no matter who you're rooting for, Ask.com has you covered. We'll keep you in the know.

--The Ask.com team

Fever Pitch: World Cup Smart Answers on Ask.com sites

“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.” Every sensible soccer aficionado will tell you that the words of historic British manager Bill Shankly are an exaggeration, that soccer is just a sport and there are more important things in life. We all know that. Except when there is a World Cup.

Ask.com has decided to celebrate the World Cup with a far less dramatic statement: comprehensive Smart Answers have been released across all of our sites Ask.com (US), Ask.com UK, Ask.com España, Ask.com Deutschland^BETA, Ask.com France^BETA, Ask.com Nederland^BETA, Ask.com Italia^BETA, as well as more robust coverage via our US & UK sites in order to provide our users with all the information they need to follow the event. Whether you take soccer as seriously as the late Mr. Shankly did or your interest is of the sane kind, we invite you all to check it out.

Midfield wizard Zinédine Zidane will be playing the last games of his career with France in Germany 2006. Together with star striker Thierry Henry, he’s one of the best reasons not to miss the French team. Germany is the host this year and that always gives any team an edge in the World Cup: watch out for the very talented Michael Ballack and Lukas Podolski, one of the best young players in the Bundesliga. The Dutch team is also strong this year; historically a good performer in the World Cup, it features a terrific attacking duo with Ruud van Nistelrooij and Robin van Persie. Spain could try to shake off the quarter-finals curse that has been reducing fans to tears every four years for the last four decades; midfield star Cesc Fábregas and Spanish league’s top scorer David Villa will try to make things different this time around. Nothing has changed in the Italian team: it is still one of the most competitive in Europe and this could be their fourth Coppa del Mondo. Keep an eye on Roma’s star Francesco Totti and goalkeeper extraordinaire Gianluigi Buffon. Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley will be the players to watch for on the US team, and will no doubt cause defensive headaches for their opponents. UK fans will miss Wayne Rooney’s creativity and goal scoring prowess through the first round, but Michael Owen will hopefully help lead the English team through at least the first round.

Good luck to all!

The Ask.com Product Management Team