Ask’s April Fools Prank
As I am done posting about the fake Google prank I saw that Ask had dished it’s own April Fools prank. Why today? who knows, maybe wanted to take the weekend off…
It started with a blog post asking the readers what should they do with this “exciting new service” they are ready to launch, wait till Monday or do it over the weekend, when the “buzz” will be a lot weaker.
An hour later they added this “Update: Launching Tonight” post about this service, they wrote:
Gamma? Yes. The new product is being released in Gamma mode, which is one step beyond Beta, but still not ready for primetime. Thus, it will be live on Ask.com, for all users, during the test period. Please send us your comments with recommended improvements.
and added the press release:
Ask.com Introduces RhymeRank™
Cutting Edge Technology Provides Phaster and Phresher Related Search Results
Oakland, CA, April 1, 2006 – Ask.com announced today the introduction of RhymeRank, an innovative search technology capable of producing related search results that rhyme with a searcher’s original query. The new product is located on the right-hand side of the Ask search results page, under the heading, “Rhyme Your Search.”
“This will go down as the day the momentum in the search wars shifted to Ask.com,” said Jim Lanzone, General Manager of Ask U.S. “When combined with our site’s already-powerful “Narrow Your Search” and “Expand Your Search” capabilities, “Rhyme Your Search” sets Ask.com apart with the unprecedented ability to suggest phat new ideas for your search.”
RhymeRank was developed at a top-secret laboratory near Ask’s headquarters in Oakland, California. It is based upon the educational theory that people commit information to memory more effectively when it is phonetically consistent. Understanding this, Ask hired dozens of experts to develop algorithms capable of producing the best and most irrelevant rhymes. For example, for the query, “Weight Watchers® Rewards”, Ask.com’s RhymeRank will suggest the following alternative searches:
Rhyme Your Search
mongolian hordes
the history of fords
pictures of fjords
maternity wards
create free message boards
names of drug lords
toward or towards
chart of guitar cords
bill cosby awards
roman legions swords“Web 3.0 is clearly upon us,” noted John Battelle, author of The Search, and one of the world’s leading experts on the search industry. “RhymeRank smartly builds upon the recent relaunch of Ask.com. This is a BIG DEAL and is the kind of innovation that demands Ask’s rivals stand up and take notice. Or to sit on the sidelines in the position of the lotus.”
“Aspiring rappers and poets are a huge, untapped market,” said lead engineer Keith Hogan. “Someone will win a Grammy or Pulitzer one day using this product. Or, at the very least, an Open Mic Night.”
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POSTED IN: ASK, Rumors & Gossip
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