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Should Mahalo add more social networking features?
I consider Mahalo to be a social networking site as I get to interact with many interesting people through asking and answering questions.
Do you think Mahalo should add Facebook/MySpace/Twitter style features such as messaging, status updates, blogging and photos?
Or would this take away from the features that already exist?
Do you think Mahalo should add Facebook/MySpace/Twitter style features such as messaging, status updates, blogging and photos?
Or would this take away from the features that already exist?
voted interesting: connectedgeek M$0.50, jeffhoard M$1.00, lesliec M$0.25, ppalmer21 M$0.05, oboewan M$0.05, spoon M$1.00, lon M$0.10, lauriem M$0.25, easyeboy M$1.00
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First you need to ask yourself, what is Mahalo? What is the vision for Mahalo? If Mahalo is intended to be a unique question and answer site where users are rewarded for their efforts, then social networking may not fit. However, if Mahalo is a community of information sharing... now you have some need for some social networking.
Whatever you do, don't go overboard. No one will be served by going the way of MySpace and suffering from obvious Facebook jealosy, and losing your identity in the process. Be your own site. Now, if that means that you have hosted chats on topics of interest versus everyone having a blog, so be it. But be your own site and stay true to the vision of what Mahalo is intended to be.
Sometimes, in the Internet world, research can be your downfall. Because everyone wants a site that will do everything. So you spin your wheels trying to create a product that serves all only to not serve anyone.
Know your target, know your vision, know your core user and the rest will fall into place.
Check out this article on MySpace's CEO stating that even HE doesn't know what MySpace is.
http://www.businessinsider.com/myspace-ceo-admits-users-have-no-idea-what-myspace-is-2009-7
Whatever you do, don't go overboard. No one will be served by going the way of MySpace and suffering from obvious Facebook jealosy, and losing your identity in the process. Be your own site. Now, if that means that you have hosted chats on topics of interest versus everyone having a blog, so be it. But be your own site and stay true to the vision of what Mahalo is intended to be.
Sometimes, in the Internet world, research can be your downfall. Because everyone wants a site that will do everything. So you spin your wheels trying to create a product that serves all only to not serve anyone.
Know your target, know your vision, know your core user and the rest will fall into place.
Check out this article on MySpace's CEO stating that even HE doesn't know what MySpace is.
http://www.businessinsider.com/myspace-ceo-admits-users-have-no-idea-what-myspace-is-2009-7
source(s):
Personal experience, 12 years in marketing and brand management
http://www.businessinsider.com/myspace-ceo-admits-users-have-no-idea-what-m...
Personal experience, 12 years in marketing and brand management
http://www.businessinsider.com/myspace-ceo-admits-users-have-no-idea-what-m...
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Several wonderful answers. I hope Jason (and everyone else) has a chance to check all of them out.
Yes it should. We could use more ways of communicating and generating fresh content. Blogs would be ideal to drive more traffic to the site. We could then draw blog posts into pages, reference pages within blog posts, and have a rich commenting system to keep buzz going on our favorite pages/topics.
The beauty of it is all the fresh content that would find a home on Mahalo.
We need a forum too, especially for visitors to discuss things on Mahalo. Not every user will become an answers guru or a page manager, but we should have something for everyone to do here.
The beauty of it is all the fresh content that would find a home on Mahalo.
We need a forum too, especially for visitors to discuss things on Mahalo. Not every user will become an answers guru or a page manager, but we should have something for everyone to do here.
voted helpful: brian san, connectedgeek, maadhu
I have been saying this ever since I arrived here at Mahalo (almost two years ago).
Myself and others have created a few sites about the subject over the past couple years and a couple webcasts; however, they never seem to take off. (see below)
Don't get me wrong, the recent startups (like Mahalo Tutorials, This Week in Startups and the Barnraisings) have given the community a nice kick in the pants.
I would love for Mahalo (as a whole) to have a forum and have true interactive features (like facebook and twitter). As we all know, it already has a ton of hooks in to these products. Personally, I don't think Mahalo (in it's current state) lends itself to that type of venue. Mahalo is about exchanging knowledge and it is doing that right now and properly, I think. The transfer of this knowledge is being done at a level where if we threw in a forum or random feed of information, it might skew the point Mahalo is trying to make. Giving people good answers to good questions.
As I stated before, I truly think Mahalo should have a forum; however, it should be outside of this site. I think a good wiki and/or even a good fashion bbphp forum would do just fine. However, I am just fan and I love this site and I don't have any say in the future of how things are done at Mahalo. :)
Myself and others have created a few sites about the subject over the past couple years and a couple webcasts; however, they never seem to take off. (see below)
Don't get me wrong, the recent startups (like Mahalo Tutorials, This Week in Startups and the Barnraisings) have given the community a nice kick in the pants.
I would love for Mahalo (as a whole) to have a forum and have true interactive features (like facebook and twitter). As we all know, it already has a ton of hooks in to these products. Personally, I don't think Mahalo (in it's current state) lends itself to that type of venue. Mahalo is about exchanging knowledge and it is doing that right now and properly, I think. The transfer of this knowledge is being done at a level where if we threw in a forum or random feed of information, it might skew the point Mahalo is trying to make. Giving people good answers to good questions.
As I stated before, I truly think Mahalo should have a forum; however, it should be outside of this site. I think a good wiki and/or even a good fashion bbphp forum would do just fine. However, I am just fan and I love this site and I don't have any say in the future of how things are done at Mahalo. :)
source(s):
http://mahalo.connectedgeek.net/answers/ - My attempt at a forum (re-worked recently, still needs a lot of work)
http://mahalo.connectedgeek.net/blog - My attempt at a blog (no longer active)
http://mahalo-hahai.wetpaint.com/ - My attempt at a wiki (out of date)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mahalo-Answers/45619419108 - My fan page (only 31 fans)
http://www.youtube.com/user/ConnectedGeek - My attempt at webcasts (about a year old)
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/my-mahalo-mashups---answers - My second attemt at webcasts (I started them up again two days ago)
http://unofficialmahalopodcast.com/ - By Jeremy Bray
http://mahaloians.yuku.com/ - Started by Darcy Logan - now out of date and not active
http://mahalo.connectedgeek.net/answers/ - My attempt at a forum (re-worked recently, still needs a lot of work)
http://mahalo.connectedgeek.net/blog - My attempt at a blog (no longer active)
http://mahalo-hahai.wetpaint.com/ - My attempt at a wiki (out of date)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mahalo-Answers/45619419108 - My fan page (only 31 fans)
http://www.youtube.com/user/ConnectedGeek - My attempt at webcasts (about a year old)
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/my-mahalo-mashups---answers - My second attemt at webcasts (I started them up again two days ago)
http://unofficialmahalopodcast.com/ - By Jeremy Bray
http://mahaloians.yuku.com/ - Started by Darcy Logan - now out of date and not active
voted helpful: brian san, ppalmer21, spoon, silverhammer, chriswingate
I have a contrary opinion. If people can get quick answers over chat it will detract from the searchable nature of Mahalo to view past conversations about a given topic.
If they'd just fix the email notification problem there'd be more return visits.
If they'd just fix the email notification problem there'd be more return visits.
I think Mahalo should add more social networking features to attract more people and to be more fun
source(s):
My Brain :)
My Brain :)
voted helpful: brian san
as far as i can see currently Mahalo hasw it's own identity, why make it like other sites like facebook which would detract from the idea of this site.
voted helpful: brian san, williamwaco
No Doubt abou that , Mahalo should add more social networking features to attract more people.
voted helpful: brian san
That's a good question. I kinda like the open forum idea. My only concern on that would be that it might take away from the answers community. Answers is kinda of like a forum right now, just organized differently.
I think Mahalo could experiment with new social features, but I agree, it should just become a clone of the other social networking sites. It has to keep it's originality.
Right now, I would like Mahalo to focus on fixing all the current bugs before adding more features.
I think Mahalo could experiment with new social features, but I agree, it should just become a clone of the other social networking sites. It has to keep it's originality.
Right now, I would like Mahalo to focus on fixing all the current bugs before adding more features.
voted helpful: brian san, williamwaco, jeffhoard, acastlegirl
No, Mahalo should not add social network site...there is a gracious over abundance now...Twitter, Fritter, Critter, Ditter, Face, Grace, Ace, Mace...
source(s):
experience
experience
voted helpful: williamwaco, n4thanl
I say no - we should instead focus on more integration with social networks that already exist. (Actually, what we really need is an iPhone app, but…)
My argument against joining every social network out there is "Why should I invest my time into this when all my friends just use Facebook?"
We already have a forum (Answers) and a wiki (topic pages). And essentially, we're outsourcing all our other social networking features to Facebook. The only thing I think we're missing is PMs.
As "Weird Al" Yankovic once said, "I need another social network like I need another orifice in my cranium."
My argument against joining every social network out there is "Why should I invest my time into this when all my friends just use Facebook?"
We already have a forum (Answers) and a wiki (topic pages). And essentially, we're outsourcing all our other social networking features to Facebook. The only thing I think we're missing is PMs.
As "Weird Al" Yankovic once said, "I need another social network like I need another orifice in my cranium."
voted helpful: williamwaco
don't get me wronge, but i would vote against these features.
I think that developing mahalo should be more specialized. the last thing we need is another facebook or myspace etc.
I also think that mahalo is an original idea, and should be kept that way to survive. however there is a lot of development that can be done. for example, the bar that is under the search can be enhanced if it was made as a pull down menu with more features.
also the search options can be enhanced, for example, the "related searches" are important for user-made contents. so far the best thing like that is at ask.com and it is frustrating.
Ok, so back to your question! The main social stuff that i guess needs improvement is in mahalo answers. we need an efficient method to follow people with interesting questions and/or answers. also the tipping process can be complicated by followers of a person!
I think that developing mahalo should be more specialized. the last thing we need is another facebook or myspace etc.
I also think that mahalo is an original idea, and should be kept that way to survive. however there is a lot of development that can be done. for example, the bar that is under the search can be enhanced if it was made as a pull down menu with more features.
also the search options can be enhanced, for example, the "related searches" are important for user-made contents. so far the best thing like that is at ask.com and it is frustrating.
Ok, so back to your question! The main social stuff that i guess needs improvement is in mahalo answers. we need an efficient method to follow people with interesting questions and/or answers. also the tipping process can be complicated by followers of a person!
voted helpful: williamwaco
No. There are already too many social sites. Also, Mahalo has plenty of problems that need fixing and should not waste its efforts reinventing wheels.
voted helpful: williamwaco
I would prefer
(1) that the staff concentrate on fixing current bugs and lack of information on the site,
(2) develop an internal forum for bugs and technical questions that would not distract other users of answers (and would not make Mahalo look like a work in progress, which it is)
(3) to know that Mahalo has a staff member who is responsible for fixing the bugs and lack of bugs, someone to funnel the information to. Now it seems to be a "all parties alert"
I haven't been with Mahalo long, but I do see problems in lack of information and abilities to edit and create pages.
We could all benefit from making our work on Mahalo more efficient.
Then perhaps social networking. We can now contact each other with direct questions at this moment if there is a specific need.
I think that integrating with another site is a very good idea if there is social networking.
(1) that the staff concentrate on fixing current bugs and lack of information on the site,
(2) develop an internal forum for bugs and technical questions that would not distract other users of answers (and would not make Mahalo look like a work in progress, which it is)
(3) to know that Mahalo has a staff member who is responsible for fixing the bugs and lack of bugs, someone to funnel the information to. Now it seems to be a "all parties alert"
I haven't been with Mahalo long, but I do see problems in lack of information and abilities to edit and create pages.
We could all benefit from making our work on Mahalo more efficient.
Then perhaps social networking. We can now contact each other with direct questions at this moment if there is a specific need.
I think that integrating with another site is a very good idea if there is social networking.
voted helpful: brian san, soundboy, emergingmagazine, krowland, n4thanl
Very interesting...About a year ago, we did try to integrate some more social networking-type features into the site. That's where the "profile pages" initially came from, as well as the notion of befriending your fellow users.
I think, over time, we felt that the social network-style features on the site started to overwhelm the core uses for Mahalo. It became sort of a distraction, particularly for new members of the community, who weren't sure if they were on yet another site expecting them to "build a profile" and sign up all their friends, or a site where they could find useful info and great links.
Today, I feel like Mahalo Answers sort of gives us the best of both worlds. Want to update other people about what you're doing, or sound off with your opinion about something? Just write a great question and put an M$1 tip on it. I do this all the time when there are things I want to express to the community or get off my chest.
We should, however, have some kind of "messaging" system that's separate from the Direct Questions mechanism we currently use to talk to one another, I think. It's something we're planning for a future iteration of Mahalo, and something that I think will be very helpful in making Mahalo into a more cohesive, robust community.
I think, over time, we felt that the social network-style features on the site started to overwhelm the core uses for Mahalo. It became sort of a distraction, particularly for new members of the community, who weren't sure if they were on yet another site expecting them to "build a profile" and sign up all their friends, or a site where they could find useful info and great links.
Today, I feel like Mahalo Answers sort of gives us the best of both worlds. Want to update other people about what you're doing, or sound off with your opinion about something? Just write a great question and put an M$1 tip on it. I do this all the time when there are things I want to express to the community or get off my chest.
We should, however, have some kind of "messaging" system that's separate from the Direct Questions mechanism we currently use to talk to one another, I think. It's something we're planning for a future iteration of Mahalo, and something that I think will be very helpful in making Mahalo into a more cohesive, robust community.
Hi Lon,
Here is my take on it. I welcome a debate on these ideas.
I agree completely with the idea of a more streamlined way to communicate directly between users. The current system is not useful for longer threads of communication.
I also think that adding a comment option directly on questions should be a high priority. It needs to be done right to avoid abuse, but would really help in cases where a question was vague and needs clarification.
Also, I think that some method of separating Mahalo announcements from the current question/answer system might be a good idea. Basically, anything that you are not expecting true "answers" for should be separate (or at least counted separately in the stats).
It's a nit picky thing, but saying "way to go" on the announcement of a user's new belt level hurts your "best answer" percentage. So if you care about that sort of thing, then you have to be less "social" on the site.
I agree with others that trying to compete with Facebook and others directly would be foolish. But being able to communicate a bit more freely with other Mahalo users might be a good thing, as long as it doesn't take away from the core of the site.
And finally I just want to say how great it is that the Mahalo staff, such as yourself, are so accessible to everyone using the site.
Knowing that you guys are really paying attention to your users is one of the biggest draws for me to Mahalo. (I have yet to have a direct debate with Mark Zuckerberg about what great features I think should be added to Facebook..)
Here is my take on it. I welcome a debate on these ideas.
I agree completely with the idea of a more streamlined way to communicate directly between users. The current system is not useful for longer threads of communication.
I also think that adding a comment option directly on questions should be a high priority. It needs to be done right to avoid abuse, but would really help in cases where a question was vague and needs clarification.
Also, I think that some method of separating Mahalo announcements from the current question/answer system might be a good idea. Basically, anything that you are not expecting true "answers" for should be separate (or at least counted separately in the stats).
It's a nit picky thing, but saying "way to go" on the announcement of a user's new belt level hurts your "best answer" percentage. So if you care about that sort of thing, then you have to be less "social" on the site.
I agree with others that trying to compete with Facebook and others directly would be foolish. But being able to communicate a bit more freely with other Mahalo users might be a good thing, as long as it doesn't take away from the core of the site.
And finally I just want to say how great it is that the Mahalo staff, such as yourself, are so accessible to everyone using the site.
Knowing that you guys are really paying attention to your users is one of the biggest draws for me to Mahalo. (I have yet to have a direct debate with Mark Zuckerberg about what great features I think should be added to Facebook..)
That's why there are other social networking sites launching, because the current ones do not help people with networking as much as they claim! There are people like myself who are visionaries, and are working on launching a niche social networking site that will work with this site and almost every site on the web eventually. I think that people are less here to network, and more here to prioritize on getting answers and answering questions. Communication is key, but over communication can challenge the site. If Mahalo added chat, then people might choose not to answer questions in the actual question, and instead through chat. This causes a challenge to the communication in the community. It's my goal and vision to grow one of the biggest social networking sites, it's Mahalo's goal and vision to provide people with information on the Web. I've seen other sites with answers with social networking like features such as iMedix. Mahalo's core competency is not social networking, it's Mahalo Pages, and Mahalo Answers, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't have a way to communicate beyond the question and answer. I believe Mahalohas bigger challenges to solve, and that's the Web and information organization, something that search engines such as Google have even been challenged with. Perhaps adding features like Meebo or Toksta may be helpful to communicate and chat, but it will also cause people to ask questions outside of the question and answer area that Mahalo wants. If someone can ask a question in chat, they should add it to Mahalo as well. So, if someone is typing, "Where is a good place to eat in New York in a chat conversation" then it could be added to a question.
I think sites like iMedix do a good job at health related questions and social networking with a messaging system. I told Mahalo to model its site like iMedix, and it would be good enough. Check out iMedix, and perhaps adding a messaging feature would be good.
I think sites like iMedix do a good job at health related questions and social networking with a messaging system. I told Mahalo to model its site like iMedix, and it would be good enough. Check out iMedix, and perhaps adding a messaging feature would be good.
The only "social networking" type feature I'd like on Mahalo is being able to easily see the questions, answers and comments from friends.
Otherwise it's fine as a Q&A site, and I have no desire to use it for general chat or updating people about my life.
Otherwise it's fine as a Q&A site, and I have no desire to use it for general chat or updating people about my life.
NO.
Mahalo means "thank you." I think every feature on Mahalo needs to relate to the original concept of human powered knowledge. Answers fits into that and so does topic pages. Social networking does not.
Mahalo means "thank you." I think every feature on Mahalo needs to relate to the original concept of human powered knowledge. Answers fits into that and so does topic pages. Social networking does not.
voted helpful: brian san
Mahalo shouldn't add those functions. We all already have a Facebook/MySpace/Twitter account and I don't want nor would I use a replacement for those services. Trying to be a social networking site such as those would detract from what makes this site new and interesting.
tags: networking, social
voted helpful: brian san
I know I'm new here, so I do not have the ultimate knowledge of Mahalo as many of you have, but I believe Mahalo is fine as it is. I do not think it has to become a social networking site in order to thrive. Mahalo is unique unto itself. And THAT is what will make it stand out from the flood of social networking sites.
I think the only social networking aspect Mahalo should have is the ability to add Mahalo "badges/widgets" to your personal websites and blogs, that links to your profile here, or pages you manages, etc - very much like what Twitter does.
Other than that, there is plenty of work for the Mahalo staff to do in keeping this website up-to-date, protected, and running smoothly, without having to add all new sections that invite trouble makers and ruin it for us good folks.
I think the only social networking aspect Mahalo should have is the ability to add Mahalo "badges/widgets" to your personal websites and blogs, that links to your profile here, or pages you manages, etc - very much like what Twitter does.
Other than that, there is plenty of work for the Mahalo staff to do in keeping this website up-to-date, protected, and running smoothly, without having to add all new sections that invite trouble makers and ruin it for us good folks.
voted helpful: brian san
No, Mahalo should not become the newest social site on the web. I think that the creators of this site were creatively intelligent when they created the whole concept behind this site. Mahalo can easily be (or already is) integrated with the 3 top social sites on the information superhighway today.
The 3 top social sites being Facebook, MySpace, & Twitter of course. Honestly, I wouldn't like Mahalo as much as I do if there was "more commotion" in the back office, so to speak. If you think about how phased out some of these "new" social sites will be within the next few years, simply because Facebook & MySpace are so huge, then you would agree.
People don't want "another" social site where they have to invite (bother) their friends to join, add new apps (or the same as they already have on another site), make friends with people they don't know, and play more fantasy games. While the idea is great, Mahalo should focus on creating apps within the top 3-5 (at first) social sites that already exsist. I like the comment from one of the answers to this question that states, "Mahalo doesn't need to reinvent the wheel." Use what is already out on the web, that many people are already involved in and log into each day.
Turning Mahalo into the next new social site would definately be a waste of time for "Team Mahalo." I would rather you find more creatively interresting ways for the average person to make money using Mahalo. In my opinion, that would be the best way for the development team to utilize their time.
The greatest form of advertising has been proven to be by "word of mouth." The best way to spread the "word" would be to use Facebook, Myspace, Digg, Mashable, Mixx, YouTube, etc. because there are so many people already established there. Therefore, you bring the Mahalo site to the people, instead of bringing the people to the site. In my opinion, this seems to be the best way, logically.
The 3 top social sites being Facebook, MySpace, & Twitter of course. Honestly, I wouldn't like Mahalo as much as I do if there was "more commotion" in the back office, so to speak. If you think about how phased out some of these "new" social sites will be within the next few years, simply because Facebook & MySpace are so huge, then you would agree.
People don't want "another" social site where they have to invite (bother) their friends to join, add new apps (or the same as they already have on another site), make friends with people they don't know, and play more fantasy games. While the idea is great, Mahalo should focus on creating apps within the top 3-5 (at first) social sites that already exsist. I like the comment from one of the answers to this question that states, "Mahalo doesn't need to reinvent the wheel." Use what is already out on the web, that many people are already involved in and log into each day.
Turning Mahalo into the next new social site would definately be a waste of time for "Team Mahalo." I would rather you find more creatively interresting ways for the average person to make money using Mahalo. In my opinion, that would be the best way for the development team to utilize their time.
The greatest form of advertising has been proven to be by "word of mouth." The best way to spread the "word" would be to use Facebook, Myspace, Digg, Mashable, Mixx, YouTube, etc. because there are so many people already established there. Therefore, you bring the Mahalo site to the people, instead of bringing the people to the site. In my opinion, this seems to be the best way, logically.
source(s):
Personal Experience
Personal Experience
voted helpful: chriswingate, brian san
Yes. More people more interaction, more traffic.
It should not be a copy cat but it should make people visit to Mahalo repeatedly and become famous like Twitter, Myspace. facebook.
Style features are required like updating messages will bring your blog website traffic in google search engines updates list.
I don't know about the features, but give it a try.
It should not be a copy cat but it should make people visit to Mahalo repeatedly and become famous like Twitter, Myspace. facebook.
Style features are required like updating messages will bring your blog website traffic in google search engines updates list.
I don't know about the features, but give it a try.
voted helpful: brian san
I think Mahalo should be more of a social networking site because of all the people that are not financially well right now in this touch economy. maybe being on a site that pays you would actually help the whole economy out maybe just a bit. What a great start that would be . right.
source(s):
my opinion
my opinion
voted helpful: brian san
I personally would not use the social networking features if they were added. I think there are enough social networking sites out there and I would like to just stick with one place to socialize with my friends. It becomes too confusing when you have some friends on one social networking site and some on another. First it was MySpace and now everyone is on Facebook.
What I would like to see is the current bugs fixed before moving on to adding more features. Once this is done, I would like to be able to earn something for referrals. I think we could get a lot more people on here if we gave just $.50 or $1.00 for each person we refer to the site. I don't want to earn a percentage of what our referrals earn because that would just take away from the money we would earn for ourselves and some people tend to stay away from pyramids.
I already have added this to my blog even though I am not earning anything from referrals, but it would be nice to get a little something for it.
What I would like to see is the current bugs fixed before moving on to adding more features. Once this is done, I would like to be able to earn something for referrals. I think we could get a lot more people on here if we gave just $.50 or $1.00 for each person we refer to the site. I don't want to earn a percentage of what our referrals earn because that would just take away from the money we would earn for ourselves and some people tend to stay away from pyramids.
I already have added this to my blog even though I am not earning anything from referrals, but it would be nice to get a little something for it.
tags: networking, social
voted helpful: brian san
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