To get started in Tasks, you'll first need an account with Mahalo. Just click the "Join" button in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen and create a profile. It just requires an e-mail address (though if you want to add an avatar, it'll help us recognize you!).

Here's what the Tasks front page looks like:

Clicking any of these links for open tasks will take you to that particular Task's page, which will provide more detailed instructions on completing the assignment. (Typical tasks involve writing a Guide Note, Fast Facts and a sub-section on the given subject.)

You can also suggest a topic to Mahalo and put in a request to complete a task for that topic. If you search on Mahalo for a page we don't yet have, you will see this message: Get paid to help Mahalo build this page! Click here to get started! When clicking on request, a request will automatically be sent to Mahalo after you fill the amount you would like to get paid for the task. Mahalo will generally accept amounts ranging from M$1 for non-popular terms, to M$3 for more popular terms and M$5-M$10 for some text-heavy terms. If the payment is considered too high for the assignment, we will offer a lower payment. When you make the request a Mahalo staff member will accept or modify your request, a counter offer could be made if the dollar amount appears too high for the page. Mahalo may deny your request if the term requested can be re-directed to a term already on Mahalo.

After a request has been approved or you have claimed a task, the task will appear in your profile under Claimed Tasks. Clicking on the task title will take you to the task itself.

You can work directly on that page, filling in the appropriate boxes and including all the sources you used to find the information. By clicking "Submit," your work will automatically be saved and sent to Mahalo's Quality Control (QC) team. They will then evaluate your work for accuracy, originality, grammar/spelling, citation of sources and general adherence to Mahalo's high standards for content. They will either approve the task or send it back and allow you to try again. Either way, you may receive feedback and advice for future Tasks. If your task is approved, you will receive the Mahalo tip that appears at the top of the task.

The Tasks interface closely resembles Mahalo Answers, and the system utilizes the same "belt" system. As you rise in belt level, you can claim more tasks at a time. The breakdown is listed below:

White: 2
Yellow: 6
Green: 8
Purple: 10
Brown: 14
Black: 20

Work on your Task in the space provided on the Task screen -- the same screen where you have just claimed your Task.

For information on how to complete sections in How to pages, consult How to Build a How To Page and the section of this guide named How To Pages. For standard topic pages, you will be asked to write a Guide Note, which should be about 200 words or longer and cover the most important information about the topic. You will also be asked to complete the additional text sections required for this specific task. Next you will be asked to fill out some Fast Facts, which are short bite-sized pieces of info that readers quickly can scan. (Fast Facts are not complete sentences and do not need to end with punctuation.)

On Mahalo pages, we strive to give our users the best possible information without bias or filler. Please keep this in mind when working on your Tasks. When writing Guide Notes, make them as clear and concise as possible, including only true, verifiable information. Try to avoid using anecdotes or personal experience. Instead, include as much information gleaned from online research as you can.

Also, avoid sounding biased in your writing. Whether you're working on a controversial hot-button topic or a seemingly mundane one, try to avoid expressing personal opinions. Even if you love oatmeal and it's your favorite breakfast, "Oatmeal is delicious" would not make a good opening sentence.

When completing Fast Facts, include a citation to specific information such as statistics, numbers and other details. You can include the citation by pasting the URL of the source into the space below the Fast Fact itself. If a Fast Fact is not applicable for the topic, simply click on n/a.

Please note that there is no way to save a task until you complete it and submit it for review, so make sure to keep a backup of your work.

CITATIONS

All pages must be referenced and sourced. A citation is needed whenever you:

1. Use a quote
2. State a statistical fact
3. State specific and detailed information which is not commonly known
4. Paraphrase information from another source
5. Utilize someone else's opinions and interpretations
6. Are making a medical, legal, or financial claim

Citations are not needed when you:

1. Are stating "common knowledge." A general rule of thumb is, if you are not sure whether something is common knowledge or not, it probably isn't. Common knowledge statements are claims that are generally accepted and known in a given community.http://www.uta.fi/FAST/PK6/REF/commknow.html For example, the fact that turkey is common at Thanksgiving dinners is general knowledge, but historical information on what has traditionally been eaten in the past is not.
2. Are giving your own interpretations. In general, subjective and first person writing is not condoned on Mahalo. However, the nature of How To's demands that writers interpret information and present it in their own voice. Within reason, then, interpretive statements are allowed—but should be tempered with sourced opinion.

FORMAT AND WIKI TEXT

To complete the Related Mahalo Pages section, include about 10 to 15 pages closely related by placing the names of the pages in double brackets and separating the names by placing a pipe between them like this: [[Bed Bath and Beyond Coupons]] | [[coupons]]. The final result will look like this: Bed Bath and Beyond Coupons | coupons

You should also add inlinks to other Mahalo searches. Mahalo pages usually inlink to proper nouns, names, years and any term that could be a search on Mahalo. Add inlinks by placing terms in double brackets. You should also add an inlink to the title of the page itself in the Guide Note. For example, on a page named Golden Corral Coupons you should inlink to the term by including it in a sentence, for example like this: "Golden Corral Coupons can be find online."

To refer to a term differently in the text than what the page is called, you can use a pipe to separate the term, placing the page title first and the text second like this: [[New York State|NY]] will look like this: NY and inlink to the page titled New York State.

Please include references to Fast Facts as well as to specific statistics you include on a task. To include references to a Fast Fact, simply copy and paste the URL into the box below the Fast Fact itself (where it says source). If you want to cite a fact you are writing in a text section (as opposed to the Fast Facts section), you can use <ref> to designate a link. Take a look at this sentence as an example: [[Barack Obama]] is the 44th President of the [[United States]].<ref>http://www.mahalo.com/barack-obama</ref>

Now here's how that would look on a Mahalo page: Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States.http://www.mahalo.com/barack-obama

When clicking on the footnote number on the completed Mahalo page (this will not work on the task itself) it will take you to the bottom of the page, where your URL is now listed as a "reference."

Once you submit your work to Mahalo, we will perform what we call a Quality Check (or "QC"). Mostly, we're looking for "stop errors" -- problems with the writing or facts that would cause a person to stop reading and question the content. These could include difficult-to-read sentences, particularly incorrect spelling/grammar, factual errors or a failure to cite sources for information.

If the guide approves of your task, you will be awarded the tip and 10 points towards your next belt level. Don't worry about moving your information onto the Mahalo page itself -- this will be done automatically when your submission is approved.

If your submission is rejected, the Mahalo guide who looked over your work will offer you constructive feedback and, in most cases, will offer you a chance to try again. You will be offered an opportunity to reclaim the task and fix whatever was missing. In some special cases, a guide may choose to open up the task to different users, and it will return to the Mahalo Tasks front page.

During Mahalo "Barnraising" competitions, we will be placing a large amount of similarly themed topics into Mahalo Tasks. The users who complete the most tasks within a pre-set time limit (typically a few days) win a variety of prizes. New Barnraising competitions typically begin on Mondays or Tuesdays and continue through the weekend.

To participate in a Barnraising, all you have to do is start grabbing tasks labeled BARNRAISING and get to work.

The same belt levels apply during these competitions. That means, if you have a Yellow Belt and have already claimed and completed 3 Tasks, you will need to wait for those to be approved before moving on to your next task.

RULES AND REGULATIONS

• Tasks can be claimed at any time
• The competition begins when the first tasks are reviewed and accepted
• Open to all belt levels
• Belt levels can still only claim their standard maximum number of tasks
• Late submissions will not count towards a user's total
• No borrowing content from other sources, including Wikipedia

Mahalo's "How To" pages are the most detailed, step-by-step guides on the Internet to doing all sorts of different projects. For some great recent examples, check out our pages on How to Trim Roses, How to Clean Hardwood Floors and How to Grow Thyme.

We are allowing the public to write How To pages for us through Mahalo Tasks, and are compensating M$7 for each accepted How To that gets built. Even better, we are offering users the opportunity to manage these pages, which involves keeping them fresh, up-to-date and heavily promoted around the Web, in exchange for 50% of the revenue they generate in Mahalo Dollars. This is a great deal, as most of these pages go on to perform very well in search engines and can be worth up to hundreds of dollars per month.

In order to get permission to edit How To pages, we first ask that users join our How To team. You don't need to sign up...All you have to do is participate in one of our How To Rush Weeks!

For complete information on joining the team, check out our page How To Join The How To Team.

What is a Rush Week? It's a time when we post a lot of How To's into the system and allow anyone who wants to make How To's to claim one (and only one). These pages are easy to find, as they are all labeled HOW TO RUSH WEEK. Rush Weeks typically begin on Wednesdays.

When you see a How To Rush Week task that interests you, click on it, claim it and make the page really, really great. At the end of the week, we look at all the approved pages, and pick out our favorites. Chosen writers are then invited to join the How To Team, and will be able to start making a lot more How To pages, all the time, and may even start suggesting some topics of their own!

We'll also pick out our four favorite Rush Week submissions and award the writer an additional M$25 prize for doing such a great job. It's just our way of saying thanks for your hard work, and recognizing the people who go above and beyond to submit the best-quality How To pages possible.