Initially I want to compare MSDewey.com to the now retired AskJeeves.com which had featured a cartoon butler, but I think that there is a difference in the goals of the new Microsoft MS Dewey and Jeeves on Ask.com. I think MSDewey is a good example of creating LinkBait. According to Forbes, the engine was launched with out much fanfare by Microsoft as a means of experimenting and exposing users to the Live search technology.

Obviously the interface for this version of the MS Live Engine has an appeal to certain demographics, and it is slowly being spread through blogs, news sites, and social bookmarking sites. Jeeves on the other hand was an attempt to put a human face to search and familiarize people not just with the engine itself but to a unique method of search for that time period. The big thing that I recall about the old AskJeeves engine was that it was the first engine where I sought to ask it normal questions in normal language rather than type in keywords with search operators like and, not, or, near. Thus rather than a search on "California hotel not Eagles" or "California hotel -Eagles", I could search on a natural phrase like "I need to rent a hotel room in California" or when in doubt as to meaning, the engine would make some suggestions to help clarify my search.

While I don't think that the MSDewey interface is much more useful than the normal Live.com search, it may be a sign of things to come in 20 years. In the future, you may find that the new 'toolbar' that you install from Yahool, Googlezon or a future MSDewey-like web site might use a software agent. A software agent would already know or learn from your online search habits, follow your interests, and work to provide truly customized search results with intuitive search suggestions rather than simply presenting a novel user interface.

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