By Carolyn J. Sosnowski, MLIS
Ask.com
www.ask.com
While much can be said for good habits (I know...I should floss more often), we can make the most wonderful discoveries when we deviate from our normal patterns. Next time you have to find information on the Internet, take that thought and try a different search engine: Ask.com. There are too many features to visit in depth in this space (visit Ask's "Site Features" page for a full list), but here are some highlights. Smart Answers actually gives you the information you're looking for on the results page--no need to click further. It's easy to get a stock quote (and links to other financial info), weather, earthquake data, and recent blog posts, plus links to dictionary and/or encyclopedia entries for your search terms. Enter your package tracking number and Ask links you to the right service. One click gets you the shipping status. Your search results page is accompanied by suggestions for related terms and narrower and broader searches. Not sure what that emoticon means and your teenager isn't around? Plug it in and Ask will tell you. Some newer additions to Ask include mobile search and news images by category.
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