Search Engine Comparison
A Comparison of
AskJeeves and Google
Authority
| Name of Search Engine | AskJeeves | |
| What is the URL? | http://www.askjeeves.com | http://www.google.com |
| Is there a recognizable sponsor of the web site? Who is it? Will it be possible to find background information about this sponsor? | AskJeeves is a private corporation. | Google is a privately held company, whose backers include Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital. |
| Has descriptive information about the sponsor been provided, either on the opening page or via an "about us" link? | There is no sponsor information noted on the site. | Brief background descriptions are included. |
| Is there an address, phone number, or fax number provided for the sponsor? | Call 1-866-ASK-4-HELP for the Jeeves' business service; send an e-mail to ajkids@ajkids for the children's services. | Google has offices in
California, Georgia, Illinois and New York. The main office address is 2400
Bayshore Parkway, Mountain View CA 94043 phone: (650) 330-0100 fax: (650) 618-1499 |
| Is a personal author identified for the information, articles, or documents presented at the web site? | No. AskJeeves links the user to other web sites; author identification may be found in the connected website | No. Google links the user to other websites. Author identification may be on the documents in these sites. |
| If an author is identified, is it clear what his/her credentials are? | NA | If Google connects the searcher to an organizational site, the user can more easily evaluate the author's credentials. |
| Is there a way to contact the author? | NA | The user may be able to reach the author if the website provides contact information |
| Will it be possible to find background information about the author? | NA | Background information may be available on the web site. |
Scope and Purpose
| Does the content appear to be fact or opinion? | Factual. As the "About
Jeeves page states "Sites should offer thorough and accurate information
and… should demonstrate credibility by providing author and source citations
and contact information".
|
The question of fact vs. opinion depends on the individual website and writer accessed through the search engine. |
| What is the scope or purpose of this web site? | AskJeeves offers fast answers to questions posed by searchers using a natural language search screen. Alternately you can search one of 16 categories (from arts and entertainment to the World). AskJeeves products include AskJeeves Business Products, AskJeeves for kids, AskJeeves UK, AskJeeves international. | Google indexes over 1.3 million websites. The search engine links the searcher directly to websites relevant to the information requested. |
| Does the information presented here seem to be complete and comprehensive? What is included? What is excluded? How can you tell? | AskJeeves uses two methods
for increasing the number of available resources.1) editors regularly
identify Web sites that provide the best content in order to tap into
content expertise in particular areas.
Additionally, Ask Jeeves' patented popularity search technology analyzes millions of previous Internet user choices to determine the most relevant sites to answer a specific question. |
Google indexes over 1
billion web pages. The engine includes an index with 17 categories (i.e. business, recreation, reference, etc) |
Is the scope described
|
At the bottom of the homepage there is a link to "Editorial Guidelines" which include the statement 'sites should demonstrate credibility by providing author and source citations and contact information.' | Google's homepage states that the search engine searches over 1,000,000,000 web pages. |
| How does this site compare to similar information elsewhere? | AskJeeves is best suited for general questions and is an a easy site to use for people new to Internet searching. | Google contains a database of answers to questions, offering a basic search method, answers to both specific and general searches can be found. |
| How is this database structured? | P.C. magazine online states that AskJeeves assumes that people ask similar questions. Therefore, the site is a database of "typical" questions. | Google includes a directory of 17 categories as well as a search window for searching the web as a whole. |
| Are there links provided to other sources of information on this same topic? Is it clear how these links are selected? | Not directly. The program searches AltaVista, Excite, InfoSeek, Lycos and WebCrawler. | Google lists and connects the searcher to other websites. These websites usually have links to additional web resources. |
| Are the links reliable? Do they get you where you need to go? | Of the 14 links I tried, only 2 did not work. | With one exception, all links worked. |
Accuracy
| How accurate is this information? | At the bottom of the homepage there is a link to "Editorial Guidelines" which include the statement 'sites should demonstrate credibility by providing author and source citations and contact information.' | A Jan 25, 2001 Google press release states "Search Engine Watch, the search industry's leading authority on search engine technology, honored Google's widely acclaimed search engine for its exceptional performance in helping Internet users locate information from the World Wide Web." |
| How can you tell? | Accuracy depends on the site the searcher reaches through the search engine. The searcher needs to check the credentials of the site’s creator. | According to a Dec. 18, 2000 PC magazine article (accessed 6/26/01) "Google consistently yields high quality highly relevant results…for both broad and specific questions." |
| When statistics and other factual data are presented is it cited so that one can verify it? | AskJeeves editorial guidelines state "Sites should demonstrate credibility by providing author and source citations and contact information." | Citations were provided on some pages but not on others. |
| Are tables, charts, and graphs clear and easy to understand? | Yes | Readability Varied |
| Is there any bibliography? | No | Yes |
| Is the document generally well written? Free of spelling mistakes and typographical errors? | All partners are expected to meet AskJeeves' editorial and e-commerce guidelines. As stated on the editorial guidelines page "Ultimately, the answers provided on Ask.com reflect Ask Jeeves' fundamental mission to connect people with relevant, quality information through a friendly, personalized online experience" | Because Google links the searcher directly to other web pages, spelling and organizational issues are the responsibility of the individual websites. |
Objectivity
Check the domain to
ascertain possible reasons for the provision of this information
|
Although AskJeeves is a commercial website, it provides links to websites in all domains except the personal domain. | Google is a privately held company. Google's advertising is targeted and designed to enhance a user's overall search experience. Google attracts advertisers who wish to reach users with specific interests. (Google, 2001) |
Is the subject
controversial? If so,
|
AskJeeves finds a variety of web sites on the subject being searched. The results may present alternate opinions on the topic. | A Google search returns links to the subject being searched, presenting both pros and cons of the issue. |
|
No. | Yes. |
Currency
Are any of the following
dates provided?
|
The site as a whole specifies only the copyright date. Individual sites to which Jeeves links may include date information. | Google was founded in 1998. |
| When was this site last updated? How can you tell? Is there any information on how often the site is updated? | AskJeeves pages include a 1996-2001 copyright date. | The Google home page notes a copyright date of 2001. according to the Google FAQ page the index is updated about once a month. |
| What was updated? | Specific changes are not noted | New sites are added, others are deleted and site rankings change |
| How does the creation of the database stay current? | AskJeeves' staff regularly reviews sites currently in their database as well as searching for new ones. Sites within the database are required to be well maintained and updated regularly. | New websites are added and deleted from the Google database |
| In cases where there is statistical data or factual data is it indicated when that data was gathered? | Yes | Some links included the date. In other cases, you need to open the site to find the date. |
| Does the information seem out of date? | No | Most data was current |
| How stable is this site, its address and its information? Is it here today and gone (or moved) tomorrow? | AskJeeves was incorporated in 1996. | Google was founded in 1998. |
Arrangement and Format
| How easy is it to find and use this site? | The site is easily reached at its web address, www.AskJeeves.com | The site is easily found at its web address, www.google.com |
| How convenient is it? | I have found information on AskJeeves without difficulty. | Google is easy to use. |
| How well-organized? | The site is well organized. The database lists 17 categories. The searcher may also find information through natural language searching. | Google includes an index with 16 categories. Search results are ranked by relevance. |
| How quickly can you usually get to this site? Get around the site? | I have seldom had difficulty reaching the AskJeeves site. Navigating the site is also quick and easy. | I have had no difficulty getting to the Google website |
| How appropriate is the format of the database for its intended audience? | AskJeeves includes a number of services to meet different needs of different searchers. | Google is a general search engine that will meet the needs of a wide variety of searchers. |
| Does the information seem out of date? | Most of the information is current. | My searches returned current results. |
| Are there any hardware, software, or multimedia requirements? | Because AskJeeves is accessed through the WWW, the hardware requirement is a web browser, such as Internet Explorer. | Google is accessed through the WWW, the hardware requirement is a web browser, such as Internet Explorer. |
Design Considerations
| Does it function well with different browsers? | Yes | Yes |
| Is too much filler used? | No | No |
| Is it obvious when you leave to a different site? | Yes | Yes |
Layout Considerations
| Enough white space? | Yes | Yes |
| Overdone styles? | No | No |
| Too many links? | No | No |
| Links with too many words? | No | No |
| Textual descriptions too brief or too long? | Brief | Text length was appropriate for the query. |
| Use of color? | Color is tastefully done. | Google homepage is colorful and attractive. |
Graphics
| Do the graphics relate to the surrounding text? | Graphics are used sparingly. | Graphics were available on some pages and were appropriate for the subject. |
| Do the graphics provide important information? | Graphics are appropriate. | Yes |
| Does the size of the graphics relate to the page content? | Yes | Yes |
| Are pictures missing? | No | No |
| What is the quality of the graphics? | Graphics that are used are good quality. | Graphics were clear and of high quality. |
| How long does it take for the graphics to display? | Immediately. | Immediately. |
| Are textual descriptions of graphics provided when a text-based browser is used? | Yes | Text descriptions were available on some of the sites I visited, but not others. |
| Are the textual descriptions appropriate? | Yes | The descriptions that were provided were appropriate to the text. |
Help Information
| Is "help" provided? | Yes | There is a link on the search page to the help page. The Google search page displays a link to a help page. The help page includes the following sections: FAQ. Basics of searching, how to interpret results and special features |
| Is "help" information easy to find? | Yes | A link to "search tips is available on the search screen. If you are looking specifically for a link to "Help" you won’t find one. |
| How helpful is the "help" information? | AskJeeves' help section includes search tips, FAQ's and a glossary in which to find answer to your questions. I find these to be sufficiently useful | I did not find the help page was very helpful. |
| If "help" isn't provided, should it be provided? | N.A. | The help page should be improved. |
Feedback Information
| Are opportunities for feedback provided? | A feedback form
is avail- able on the help page only |
Yes. |
| Are feedback opportunities easy to find? | Help would be easier to find if it was available on all pages | The "All about Google" page includes a link to "Contact us" which offers feedback on a variety of topics. |
Overall Feel and Look
| How well organized is the site? | AskJeeves is organized by category. Once the searcher has chosen a subject area, information can be easily located. | The Google directory is arranged alphabetically. However, the results pages were not as well organized. |
| Are the pages consistent from page to page? | Yes | Yes |
| How easy is it to locate important information? | I had little difficulty finding relevant information on the AskJeeves site. | Overall, I found Google to be more difficult to navigate then AskJeeves. Help was less readily available. These factors made it more difficult to find the information I was looking for. However, I know that it is used successfully in some libraries. With additional practice I believe that Google could be a very useful tool. |