Comments on: Productivity - The Big Challenge For Mahalo http://www.psynixis.com/blog/2007/06/05/technology-the-big-challenge-for-mahalo/ Simon Brocklehurst's Technology Blog Sun, 23 Nov 2008 09:54:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Jason Calacanis http://www.psynixis.com/blog/2007/06/05/technology-the-big-challenge-for-mahalo/#comment-68514 Jason Calacanis Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:11:41 +0000 http://www.psynixis.com/blog/2007/06/05/technology-the-big-challenge-for-mahalo/#comment-68514 Mahalo for the feedback! I think you make some great point about productivity. With regard to the iPhone SeRP (search engine result page) it has a RSS feed pulled from Google News on iPhone that keeps the page up-to-date. RSS is a big solution to keeping the pages up to date. Also, if you look in the right hand column you'll see the top submitted links by users... clicking it take you to this list: http://www.mahalo.com/Special:Mahalouserlinks?page_id=7451 our hope is that the public keeps the site up to date and does half the work for us AFTER we have created a SeRP. Mahalo for visiting Mahalo! jason Mahalo for the feedback!

I think you make some great point about productivity. With regard to the iPhone SeRP (search engine result page) it has a RSS feed pulled from Google News on iPhone that keeps the page up-to-date. RSS is a big solution to keeping the pages up to date.

Also, if you look in the right hand column you’ll see the top submitted links by users… clicking it take you to this list:
http://www.mahalo.com/Special:Mahalouserlinks?page_id=7451

our hope is that the public keeps the site up to date and does half the work for us AFTER we have created a SeRP.

Mahalo for visiting Mahalo!

jason

]]> By: simon http://www.psynixis.com/blog/2007/06/05/technology-the-big-challenge-for-mahalo/#comment-68449 simon Tue, 05 Jun 2007 15:17:59 +0000 http://www.psynixis.com/blog/2007/06/05/technology-the-big-challenge-for-mahalo/#comment-68449 Yes - the Mahalo business model is "lots of page views". I think that's fair enough, even without social networking. After all, Google gets lots of page views ;-) For sure, intelligence agencies already have an aspect of the kind of software I'm suggestng. But it's not that great, I don't think. For a while now, various intelligence agencies have had, as part of their mission, a goal to get some of their technology out into the private sector. Whenever they've shown it to me, I have to say that I've not been that impressed. To address your question 1. It's a good question. Remember, though, they're not actually creating content;they're just linking out to it. I think the idea is that, over time, the community will help ensure they link out to the most authoratitive sites for a topic... they're betting this will be better than Google. 2. What will make you come back? This is a really good question. Jason's answer seems to effectively be "why *wouldn't* you come back?" However, most people use just one search engine - Google. Clearly, though, a search engine isn't really that sticky. The only thing that will make you come back is if it gives you fabulous search results. The bottom line is: Mahalo has to do significantly better than Google for the "top 25%" of web searches, otherwise they're out of business. Your point 3. That's another good one. I think it would be possible to do a pretty good Mahalo-type "top 25% search term pre-computed results site" that didn't require human guides at all, by using advanced AI software. It could have some of the same advantages that Mahalo should have i.e. virtually impossible to game/spam by using SEO. And, it could be much more up-to-date than the biggest army of human guides could manage. I suspect you could build in quite a lot of expertise into the "virtual" guides as well. Hmmmmm... that's actually quite an interesting idea... maybe more than "quite interesting" in fact... Yes - the Mahalo business model is “lots of page views”. I think that’s fair enough, even without social networking. After all, Google gets lots of page views ;-)

For sure, intelligence agencies already have an aspect of the kind of software I’m suggestng. But it’s not that great, I don’t think. For a while now, various intelligence agencies have had, as part of their mission, a goal to get some of their technology out into the private sector. Whenever they’ve shown it to me, I have to say that I’ve not been that impressed.

To address your question 1. It’s a good question. Remember, though, they’re not actually creating content;they’re just linking out to it. I think the idea is that, over time, the community will help ensure they link out to the most authoratitive sites for a topic… they’re betting this will be better than Google.

2. What will make you come back? This is a really good question. Jason’s answer seems to effectively be “why *wouldn’t* you come back?” However, most people use just one search engine - Google. Clearly, though, a search engine isn’t really that sticky. The only thing that will make you come back is if it gives you fabulous search results. The bottom line is: Mahalo has to do significantly better than Google for the “top 25%” of web searches, otherwise they’re out of business.

Your point 3. That’s another good one. I think it would be possible to do a pretty good Mahalo-type “top 25% search term pre-computed results site” that didn’t require human guides at all, by using advanced AI software. It could have some of the same advantages that Mahalo should have i.e. virtually impossible to game/spam by using SEO. And, it could be much more up-to-date than the biggest army of human guides could manage. I suspect you could build in quite a lot of expertise into the “virtual” guides as well. Hmmmmm… that’s actually quite an interesting idea… maybe more than “quite interesting” in fact…

]]> By: Asam Bashir http://www.psynixis.com/blog/2007/06/05/technology-the-big-challenge-for-mahalo/#comment-68430 Asam Bashir Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:32:45 +0000 http://www.psynixis.com/blog/2007/06/05/technology-the-big-challenge-for-mahalo/#comment-68430 Strikes me that the kind of software technology that's needed for this would also be the kind of AI technology the security services would be interested in and are probably already being developed. However, whilst this indeed would be clever technology to develop, I don't think Mahalo as a concept will work. It seems to be yet another business plan that basically bottles down to trying to create a lot of page hits and views, but without any of the addicitive features of social networking sites. I've only had a quick look at the Mahalo site but the topics seem to be more suited to established portals where you can clearly establish authority and trust. Why would I trust a Mahalo guide in say a certain health topic rather then say WebMD. Sure, Mahalo might give me the latest papers for a medical condition, but this isn't the information the public would want or need. In summary: 1. Why should I trust Mahalo in the absence of a clear mechanism to establish author/editorial authority in specialist subjects? 2. What's going to make me come back, where's the addicitive element? 3. Where's the AI technology needed for the kind of advanced monitoring which would be needed without an army of guides? Strikes me that the kind of software technology that’s needed for this would also be the kind of AI technology the security services would be interested in and are probably already being developed. However, whilst this indeed would be clever technology to develop, I don’t think Mahalo as a concept will work. It seems to be yet another business plan that basically bottles down to trying to create a lot of page hits and views, but without any of the addicitive features of social networking sites. I’ve only had a quick look at the Mahalo site but the topics seem to be more suited to established portals where you can clearly establish authority and trust. Why would I trust a Mahalo guide in say a certain health topic rather then say WebMD. Sure, Mahalo might give me the latest papers for a medical condition, but this isn’t the information the public would want or need. In summary:

1. Why should I trust Mahalo in the absence of a clear mechanism to establish author/editorial authority in specialist subjects?

2. What’s going to make me come back, where’s the addicitive element?

3. Where’s the AI technology needed for the kind of advanced monitoring which would be needed without an army of guides?

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