Despite spending $140 million since 2005, and deploying campaigns that feature nerds and monkeys, Barry Diller's IAC Corp. hasn't been able to convince internet users to turn to Ask.com as their primary search engine. With Ask's numbers stagnant against rivals like Google and MSN, newly appointed boss Jim Safka plans to take it slow.

"The first step is figuring out who uses Ask today and what they use it for," Safka told The Wall Street Journal. "We are not going to take wild swings."

According to Safka, advertising will play a role in turning Ask around, but he said the search engine also needs to narrow its focus so that it becomes the prime destination for at least some web users.

Safka, who is regarded as a marketing whiz for his work at Match.com, will have a tough hill to climb. Ask's share of U.S. searches fell to 4.3 percent in December, down from 4.7 percent the previous year.