Mahalo Searches

If you g­o to Mahalo and pull up a search, you might see some links with little symbols next to them. These symbols are used to tag links. There are three kinds of tags:

• Warning tags: These tags tell the user that the link might be very good, but it has some things Mahalo usually tries to avoid, like pop-up ads and intrusive music, or parts of it are written in languages other than English. Moving your cursor over the warning icon generates a message that explains why the guide felt that warning was necessary.
• What is? tags: Sometimes a guide will find a really great link relating to a search topic, but the link's source is obscure. If the guide feels that the user might not be familiar with the link's source, he or she can create a What is? tag, which will give a short description of the Web page when you run your mouse over the icon.
• Guide's Choice tags: Mahalo guides use the shaka symbol to designate really cool links. If a guide feels that a particular link is better than others, he or she can mark it with a Guide's Choice tag. If you move your cursor over the icon, you'll see a short explanation that describes how this link is one of the best on the Internet.

If you find a dead link on Mahalo or a link that leads to a substandard Web site, you can report it by clicking on the "Report a problem" link. You can also discuss the page on Mahalo's forums by clicking on the "Discuss this Page" link.

Perhaps you know of a link that should be on the Mahalo page but isn't. In that case, you can click on the "Recommend a Link" option. Clicking on it opens a couple of fields. The first field is for the link's URL and the second is for a short description of why you feel the link belongs on Mahalo's search results page.

In the next section, we'll learn about the guides who generate Mahalo search results.