School’s back in session, and it’s perfect timing for a facelift to Ask.com’s popular kid and tween search engine; Ask Kids.  The site has been upgraded and extended with a variety of new features, and now boasts the most graphically vivid display of any search engine portal available. 

With the launch of Ask Kids, it advances Ask.com’s strategy of using its core search technology to fuel vertical search properties such as RushmoreDrive.com- the search engine for the African American community, launched in April 2008.  The search engine is trying to expand into niche areas of search, instead of being just a simple search box like its competition, according to a company press release. 

With the use of “visual search results,” Ask Kids is hoping to appeal more to a younger audience.  Studies have always shown that visual learning improves children’s comprehension, retention, critical thinking, and organization.  Additionally, kids are more apt to “mouse” around a search engine and its images rather than typing.  Ask Kids was built with this in mind, and organizes search results in a “graphically vivid” three-panel display that includes “SmartAnswers” and related images, current events, videos and encyclopedia results related to the original search.  For example, a child who enters the query “George Washington” will see options to narrow their results with “Facts on George Washington,” along with options to expand their results to learn about the “Declaration of Independence,” “American Revolution,” and “Mount Vernon.”

The Ask Kids homepage offers a nicely “toned-down” look and feel to it that will cater to students doing research for homework and projects very easily.  It has special sections for photos, videos, games, and a “schoolhouse” function that brings together specialized sites that help with certain subjects such as math, geography, and more.  I think they did a great job creating a niche search engine for kids, and the update was introduced at the perfect time.  I don’t know that it will put a huge dent in Google which is most likely the default search engine at most schools, but for specialized information that is nicely organized by school subject, there’s nothing better.

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 at 9:57 pm under Uncategorized.

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