How Mahalo Functions

The search engine is a key tool in navigating the Internet. Though many search engines have emerged, they often operate in similar ways—scanning Web pages using algorithms to find the search terms. This quickly became obvious to web page creators, and soon, irrelevant sites cluttered search results simply because their owners strategically embedded search terms in hidden html code.

Mahalo is transforming search engines with a new vision—offering users an experience that’s seamless, insightful, and relevant. Instead of relying solely on complex algorithms, Mahalo uses humans. Real, live people conduct research on each search query to find the best matching websites. While most search engines depend on algorithms crafted by a few developers, Mahalo’s results come from the collective effort of hundreds working to deliver the finest results the Web has to offer.

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While people contribute to the search engine, they don't manually input results as users submit queries. Instead, Mahalo contributors provide search results pages (SeRPs) to a central hub called the Mahalo Greenhouse. Once a SeRP contains valuable links, Mahalo publishes it online, making the search results available to users. Each SeRP has a completion percentage, reflecting how close Mahalo employees believe the results are to their ideal selection of the top links related to that topic.

The best way to grasp Mahalo's search engine philosophy is to use it. When you search for a term like "Hawaii," for instance, you'll find links organized into categories. The first is "The Mahalo Top 7," showcasing seven sites Mahalo staff deem most relevant to the term. Additional categories cover topics like Hawaii Vacations, Hawaii State Government, Hawaii State History, and Hawaii State News. You can browse the results to find what you need, knowing each link is the product of careful research.

In this article, we'll explore Mahalo's internal setup and discover what the Mahalo search experience entails. We'll take a look at the Mahalo Greenhouse database, where employees refine search results. Plus, we'll learn how to create a SeRP and join Mahalo’s team.

In the next section, we'll explore what happens when you perform a search on Mahalo.

Mahalo Searches

When you visit Mahalo and run a search, you might notice some links with small symbols next to them. These symbols serve as tags for the links. There are three types of tags used:

If you come across a dead link on Mahalo or one that leads to a subpar website, you can easily report it by clicking the "Report a problem" link. Additionally, you can join the discussion about the page on Mahalo's forums by clicking the "Discuss this Page" link.

If you know of a link that should be added to the Mahalo page but isn't listed, you can suggest it by clicking on the "Recommend a Link" option. This will open a form with two fields: one for the link's URL and the other for a brief explanation of why you believe the link should be included in Mahalo's search results page.

In the following section, we will delve into the guides responsible for curating Mahalo search results.

Mahalo Guides

Mahalo contributors come in two varieties: full-time Guides (FTGs) and part-time Guides (PTGs). Full-time guides are Mahalo's employees, similar to a newspaper's writing team. Part-time guides work more like freelancers. To join as a part-time guide, individuals must join the Mahalo community and submit an application through Mahalo.com. Once approved, they can start creating search result pages (SeRPs).

Mahalo's environment flourishes through robust communication channels between employees and contributors. The company relies on e-mail and a message board to promote idea exchange. Additionally, guides are encouraged to install an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) program and an instant messaging program for real-time discussions.

Full-time guides review each other's work. An FTG submits SeRPs to other FTGs and the editorial team for feedback. They also act as editors for PTG submissions and can reject a PTG's work, requesting revisions and resubmission. Only full-time guides are authorized to create stubs, which are search result pages with minimal content, unlike complete SeRPs that include multiple sections.

The part-time guide system is structured into various levels:

Mahalo compensates part-time guides based on the number of SeRPs that are accepted, paying either by check or through PayPal.

Mahalo compensates its employees via check or through PayPal.

Mahalo's funding comes from investors. The platform has raised enough capital to operate for up to five years. The company's long-term strategy is to generate income by selling advertising space on SeRPs [source: Associated Press].

In the upcoming section, we will explore the Mahalo Greenhouse, where guides craft search results.

Mahalo Greenhouse

Mahalo guides create search results pages (SeRPs) within the Mahalo Greenhouse. The Greenhouse utilizes MediaWiki software, enabling multiple users to build and update wikis.

Each SeRP must meet Mahalo's requirements, including the design and structure of the page. Mahalo provides guides with the necessary code to generate a SeRP, featuring placeholder headings that need to be replaced with the relevant search topic.

The most crucial standard for any SeRP is that the results must be the highest-quality content on the Internet for the search topic. Mahalo's guidelines dictate that certain types of sites are not suitable as search results, such as:

Mahalo is committed to including only websites that offer expert-level information and deliver a positive, helpful experience to users. Sites that don't meet these standards are unlikely to appear on a SeRP. In instances of copyright violations, Mahalo adds the site to a banned list and ensures it will never be featured on any SeRP.

Other search categories, known as verticals, have unique layouts. Mahalo focuses on grouping search results by relevance and subject matter. For instance, hotel results in travel searches are listed under one section, while air travel websites are grouped in another. The objective is to create a SeRP that users can quickly scan to find exactly what they need, while also providing a variety of other excellent links for further exploration of related topics.

Next, we'll explore the process a Mahalo guide follows to create a SeRP.

Building Mahalo Search Results

Mahalo relies on contributions from two key sources: in-house FTGs and remote PTGs. The FTGs mainly handle the editing of SeRPs created by the PTGs. Crafting a SeRP involves multiple steps to ensure only the best links are featured on Mahalo.

The PTG starts the SeRP creation process by browsing Mahalo's Most Wanted page to select a topic. Some topics on the Most Wanted list are drawn from user requests or Mahalo's message board discussions, while others highlight gaps in Mahalo's coverage or emerging news stories. The Most Wanted page is organized into verticals, broad categories such as food, business, or travel. These verticals are subdivided into more specific topics. For instance, 'food' could have 'beverages' as a subcategory. Most Wanted topics are color-coded: red indicates unclaimed topics, while green shows those already assigned to other contributors.

A guide should select a vertical and topic they are knowledgeable about, ensuring there’s no conflict of interest. After identifying a suitable topic, the guide claims it by clicking the corresponding link. Once claimed, the guide has seven days to complete the SeRP. If no progress is made for two consecutive days, Mahalo automatically sends a reminder e-mail about the SeRP's due date.

The next step in creating a SeRP is building the SeRP template. Mahalo assigns a unique shortcut code to each template, which the guide then copies and pastes into the editor window. This template streamlines the SeRP creation process and ensures guides adhere to Mahalo's formatting standards. The guide customizes the template by replacing placeholders like 'beverage' with the actual search term, such as 'Coca-Cola.'

Once the SeRP template is ready, the guide begins searching for quality links. They use major search engines like Yahoo! and Google, but may also refer to other sources like del.icio.us and Digg. When a suitable link is found that meets Mahalo's standards, the guide activates the Greenhouse tool to include it in the SeRP.

The Greenhouse tool provides a toolbox with the appropriate SeRP name. A dropdown menu shows the titles of all SeRP subsections, allowing the guide to select where the link should be placed. Additionally, guides must complete the following fields:

After filling out these fields, the guide clicks Add URL in the Greenhouse toolbox. The tool then automatically adds the link to the correct SeRP section. Once all necessary links are added, the SeRP is ready for editorial review.

In the next section, we will explore the steps a guide takes to ensure their SeRP is approved by Mahalo's editors.

Fine-Tuning Mahalo SeRPs

After gathering three to five top-quality links for each SeRP section, the guide adds a guide note before submitting the SeRP for quality checks. The guide note is a brief overview of the search term along with a short list of verifiable facts that present the information in a clear and concise way, making it user-friendly.

Next, the guide fills out the related searches field, listing search topics connected to the SeRP. Guides should prioritize these topics by relevance, and can even include search terms that don’t yet have their own SeRP.

An essential part of the process is the redirect box. Users may search for information using various word combinations, so the guide must predict all potential search terms, including common typos and variations, ensuring the user reaches the correct page.

Guides can also complete the category field, listing relevant categories for the search topic. Mahalo limits this list to a maximum of 10 categories, and all categories are pre-defined—guides are not allowed to create their own.

Once the SeRP is complete, it is submitted for quality control. FTGs and Mahalo mentors—experienced users who assist other guides—review each SeRP for accuracy, content quality, broken links, relevance, and organization. If the SeRP meets Mahalo's standards, the guide is notified that it has been accepted and will be featured in searches. The guide is then paid for the SeRP and can begin work on a new SeRP for a different topic.

If Mahalo decides not to accept a SeRP, it will be returned to the guide by an FTG or mentor for revisions. Even when a SeRP is accepted without the need for changes, editors may still modify it before it is published.