To know how, one has to enter IAC sister company Entertainment Publications, Inc, which is known as a company that puts out the annual Entertainment coupon books.

In a blog posted by Ask.com, the news came into the main limelight that AskCity has partnered with Entertainment Publications, Inc. Now the company with provide their discounted coupons with AskCity search results. As put by Ask.com, “Their coupon books are targeted to each city, which made them an ideal match with us. See a coupon you want? A free 14-day no-obligation trial gets you the coupon PLUS access to their whole coupon database: dining, shopping, mani-pedis…the whole local magilla.”

So, now users can get hold of some discounted coupons with AskCity search.

To read the whole blog posted at Ask.com, click here.

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“We’ve partnered with [Entertainment Publications] to provide their coupons with our AskCity search results,” states an announcement on The Ask.com Blog.  “Their coupon books are targeted to each city, which made them an ideal match with us.”  A reality check: it’s not like Ask and Entertainment connected over some great distance; the companies both fall under the larger IAC corporate umbrella.

But now that they’re together, consumers stand to benefit.  “More than 150,000 Entertainment coupons — which offer steep discounts of up to 50%-off and high-value ‘Buy-One-Get-One-Free’ offers — are now available through AskCity,” according to a press release.  “In early October, the companies will offer an additional 150,000 coupons to searchers, offering consumers millions of dollars in savings.”

The one drawback about this arrangement is that the coupons will be accessible through what is described as “a free 14-day no-obligation trial of the Entertainment book service.”  With the implication being that, beyond 14 days, there is an obligation.  Entertainment books typically range in price from $25 to $45, so you’ll need to either need to pony up some cash or choose carefully when to check this out.

Either way, you may find that it’s literally a small price to pay for the feature.  Hat tip to Greg Sterling.

Hit an embed link in the upper-right hand corner of any city.ask.com page and get an overlay on which you can change the size of the map and get the code for posting it to your website or blog.

Here’s a map on which I shamelessly and horrifically messed up the map of New York:

As you can see, the embedded map is just an image of the map, though with all the notations, drawing, search results and whatever else you add to it. The image links to the full map at Ask.com so users can navigate all of it there. Google’s implementation embeds an actual live map, which means you can use it create full-on mashups, unlike with Ask’s.

I’ve got to ask why Ask has Ask City and Ask Maps? They’re two seperate products, both with maps, one which searches businesses and one which does driving directions (though Ask City does that too, which is even more confusing). The two products share some of the same interface elements and clearly some of the same infrastructure, so why doesn’t Ask just combine them into one? Is there really a need for two products when one would be so less confusing?

Two other new features:

When you have directions, click adjust route and Ask City will insert a new waypoint for you in between the other two, sending you there first. In other words, you choose a start and end point, then you can add any places you want to go to in between, and it’ll send you to those places, then to your final destination. Not as fun to look at as Google Maps’ version of this feature, but more discoverable and more intuitive.

When searching by businesses, if you enter the business type and a zip code, it’ll draw the zip code on the map and show you all of those businesses within that zip code. Very convenient (and also a quick way to see your zip code boundaries.

* – Only an idiot would suggest Ask coded this in the last 20 days, though if they did, that’s impressive. My point is that Google beat them to it, not that they are copying.

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The tools enable a user to demarcate a certain area within the map to limit the search within that area. If a user is looking for a place and does not remember the exact location. Hard to believe it, however it is possible to circle the intersection and search within that limited area. This is simply great and there is a lot more to it.

Try it once and get addicted.

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As the Ask Blog noted, the drawing feature has been enhanced with a little more interactivity:

But now, you can use those drawing tools to focus your search on a specific area. Just draw your shape around the area you want to search and click on the magnifying glass to open a search window.

The square, circle and polygon tools let you create the shape you’ll search within.

The line tool lets you search a single street, no matter how long or short it is.

As an example of the new feature’s utility, Ask described how someone might remember a business being at an intersection, but doesn’t recall the name of the place. By circling the intersection and searching for the type of business, the query returns results for that circled area matching the request.

The search works in aerial and map views, giving users a choice in seeing the results in the view they prefer. AskCity’s update has already gathered some plaudits, with Marshall Kirkpatrick wondering why Ask is so far back in search market share when they have products like this available.

Good question.

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Let’s face it, Snakes on a Plane isn’t going to capture the Best Picture statuette this year. Life just isn’t fair sometimes.

That should not dissuade the avid moviegoer from hitting the local cinemaplex for some big screen entertainment. Finding the place to go and the movie to see becomes a lot easier when using AskCity to be the guide.

The search engine that wants to place information at everyone’s fingertips debuted AskCity at the start of last month’s SES Chicago conference. Its four main points of focus offer maps & directions, business listings, events, and movies.

With only a few weeks of being publicly available, some Internet-powered movie fans may not have given AskCity a try yet. The Ask team provided a closer look at the movies feature of AskCity, using some big name examples:

Those works are the companion World War 2 period pieces Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima. Further search choices become available, with options to look for films by genre or neighborhood with a single click appearing in the left-side navigation.

Results of a search may be sorted by movie or by theater. Through SMS, details about the movie listing can be sent to a mobile phone, making it easier to get everyone on the same page when gathering a group for a night at the flicks.

AskCity can’t plan Oscar night for you (actually, maybe it can), but it can get you to see the movie you want to see when you want to see it. Ready when you are, C.B.!

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AskCity is Ask.com’s recently launched map service and according to their blog, the service has been really well received. They have also had enough queries since the launch to post lists of what’s being searched on a frequent basis.

Before they got into their lists, Ask.com acknowledged AskCity’s favorable press while taking a jab at Robert Scoble – “We’ve seen hundreds of news items and blog headlines about the product, and the positive ones outweigh the negatives at a rate of about 100 to Scoble.” – which is a response to a Scoble post discussing Ask’s new map service. Robert wasn’t impressed by the fact AskCity couldn’t find Amsterdam.

After tooling around for a few minutes, I can see why Robert was frustrated. AskCity’s search isn’t as intuitive as you would like. I too searched Amsterdam and was given the result to Amsterdam, NY. When I searched the Netherlands, I was returned the result for Netherlands, MO. Both results are legitimate. However, it shouldn’t be difficult to toggle between a local business search and a global search, especially if you offer users a world map to pick from, but I digress.

As indicated, Ask’s post revealed what people are searching for, which is broken down into three categories – dining search, which artists are being queried in the Event Search, and what services people are looking for:

Top 10 Dining Choices in Business Search:
1. Pizza
2. Italian
3. Traditional American
4. Sushi
5. Coffee
6. Chinese
7. Starbucks
8. Fast food
9. Deli
10. Mexican

Top 10 Artists in Event Search:
1. Madonna
2. U2
3. Rolling Stones
4. Dave Matthews
5. The Who
6. Rod Stewart
7. Justin Timberlake
8. Incubus
9. Dixie Chicks
10. Damien Rice

Top 10 Services in Business Search:
1. Massage
2. Shopping mall
3. Hospitals
4. Family doctor
5. Churches
6. Plumber
7. Florist
8. Police department
9. General practice attorneys
10. Auto repair

As you can see, this is fairly standard stuff; although, the Event Search is pretty unique. Having the ability to see who is touring in your area is a nice feature. However, I’m wondering how Madonna topped Ask’s Event Search list, much like Britney did with regular web search. Are people still that interested in seeing the Material Girl live?

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Ask’s CEO explained AskCity is a new local application from Ask.com which can be found in one of two ways: through the AskCity link on the homepage, or at the top of standard results page in response to your local queries. “AskCity users won’t have to bounce around to multiple sites in order to find, and take action with local information. In short, we get you from Point A to Point B faster.”

When questioned on whether this is beginning of Ask.com becoming the connective tissue of IAC, he replied: “I look at the connective tissue thing a bit differently, in that to date I think people have assumed that meant we’d stick a bunch of links for IAC companies all over our homepage. But that’s not what people want from search, and going back to Pathfinder I don’t think that’s a model that’s worked well. Even today, we’re being used more and more for what you might deem “portal” content, because people find it easier to use a search box than navigate a page with dozens of services on it and going through a separate experience. If they can get it, people want one, cohesive experience.”

The conversation was concluded by the CEO’s statement that he has lot of expectations with this new product. “The product deserves it, because it delivers.”

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Just one question for Ask.com. How hard is it to coordinate the launch with your own blog announcement? This is a great launch and shows how Ask will continue to benefit from IAC, so this two-line note on your blog doesn’t cut-it. Sorry.

“AskCity local search, Our latest and greatest product, hit the streets as of the wee hours this morning, and we couldn’t be happier. Look for a more detailed post about AskCity later today”

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You have to look no further than the new “AskCity” which is all the rage this morning over on TechMeme.

First, a little aside. Why can Google do maps with one input box while Microsoft, Yahoo, and Ask need two? That’s lame. Major kudos to Google. It simply is easier to use. And, yes, this is a major reason why I use Google instead of the others. Why? Cause I’ve done hundreds of map searches and invariably I put the wrong thing in the wrong box. Hey, I’m a “stupid Americun.” But Google makes me feel smart ALWAYS.

But, then, I ask Live.com, Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, and AskCity to find me Amsterdam on a map. Just type “Amsterdam” into any of these and see what it does.

Google, Yahoo, and Live do just fine, but AskCity takes me someplace in the United States. Lame. Strike two.

The bar has gotten higher for local services. If you aren’t international you won’t beat Google. Even for a “stupid Americun.”

Oh, and Google was faster than the rest of them too.

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