Ask Jeeves announced the launch of Ask Jeeves Spanish version.

• Ask Jeeves Spain Beta URL : http://es.ask.com

• Software to check your keyword ranking on Ask Jeeves Espana

• AskJeeves Blog : ¡Jeeves habla español! and Ask Jeeves blog in Spanish

OAKLAND, Calif., April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Ask Jeeves(R), Inc., a leading provider of information retrieval technologies, brands and Internet advertising services, today announced the launch of a Spanish version of Ask Jeeves. Currently available at http://es.ask.com , the search service is expected to formally launch this summer at http://www.askjeeves.es. Ask Jeeves Espana, which is in beta, is based on the Company's flagship consumer search site Ask Jeeves (http://www.ask.com), and follows Ask Jeeves' expansion into the United Kingdom and Japan. It is the first in a series of international growth initiatives to be announced by the Company this year. "International expansion is an important component to our corporate growth strategy," said Steve Berkowitz, CEO of Ask Jeeves Inc. "We believe the Ask Jeeves brand has a tremendous opportunity to succeed in Europe because it offers the only differentiated world-class search experience to consumers." Ask Jeeves Espana utilizes Ask Jeeves' proprietary Teoma(R) search technology, which determines a website's expertise on a subject, rather than just its link popularity. In addition to Teoma, Ask Jeeves Espana will include industry-leading features such as My Jeeves and the Binoculars site preview tool that make searching faster and easier. Ask Jeeves Espana is the first in a series of European launches Ask Jeeves Inc. expects in 2005. The Company plans to leverage the strength of the Ask Jeeves brand, its differentiated technology that provides users with expert, everyday search functionality, and partnerships with leading consumer media companies to grow users in emerging markets. Ask Jeeves expects to generate revenues from Ask Jeeves Espana through sponsored links. "Spain is still an emerging marketplace and search will be on par with email in terms of popularity," said Miguel Acosta, Vice President of European Development for Ask Jeeves Inc. "So as the Spanish Internet population grows, more and more people will turn to Ask Jeeves to access the best of what the web has to offer: from finding information on news, weather and entertainment to browsing the best shopping and travel sites." Ask Jeeves launches Ask Jeeves Espana

Source: Search engine roundtable: Ask Jeeves Espana

According to Jim Lanzone ("SVP, Search Properties and Bloglines Addict"), Ask Jeeves' primary focus will be on building the Bloglines service to fulfill his vision for it, adding resources to their toolbox to get there faster and better.

There will be no short-term changes to Bloglines that weren't already on their roadmap. Over the long-term, Mark Fletcher will now, as general manager of Bloglines for AJ, Inc., be responsible for that roadmap in the future.

We will take our time determining the optimal business model for the service. We will continue to put the user experience first. As part of a bigger company there will be more options for Bloglines - from indirect monetization (through increased usage of our other brands) to direct if there is a model that makes sense for everyone.

In terms of integration with Ask Jeeves, one of their first priorities will be to pair the Bloglines team with their Teoma search technology team to build world-class blog search. Ask Jeeves will also help distribute Bloglines to a broader audience, from MyJeeves to the portal properties they own that collectively make Ask Jeeves the 7th ranked property on the Web.

Mary Hodder has the scoop: Ask Jeeves Buys Bloglines, integrating Bloglines into their search system.

Their blog already includes links to Top Blogs and Most Popular Blog Links pointing to Bloglines.

Mark Fletcher, the CEO of Bloglines, will thus be employed by Ask Jeeves.

Via Steve Rubel (Micro Persuasion)

Erik Collier, Data Engineering Manager at Ask Jeeves, announces they launched their blog, following Google, Yahoo! and MSN.

For now there's not too much interesting news, except some photos of Ask Jeeves new offices: