How To Write a Mahalo Page

This guide will walk you through, step-by-step, everything you need to know about how to write a Mahalo page! Mahalo pages are collections of the very best information from around the Internet on a certain topic. Sometimes, these pages will be about BIG important topics, and will be very general, like this page on Richard Nixon. Other times, they will be extremely specific, like this page on Ben and Jerry's Free Cone Day, or they will be about longer, more in-depth topics, like How to Drive a Stick Shift or How To Beat the Game BioShock 2.

When first starting a new topic for Mahalo, it's a good idea to think about what information your readers will be looking for. Let's say that a hot new singer, Lady Baba, has just announced that she is adopting a baby from the faraway country of Mahaloland. You have been assigned to write the page, and we're going to call it Lady Baba Mahaloland Baby. If I'm a person typing that term into Google, what kinds of information do I want to see?

Here's my list:

- Does Lady Baba have any other kids?
- Is she able to have other kids?
- Where is Mahaloland?
- Why did she decide to adopt a baby from there?
- What is the baby's name?
- When is the adoption going to take place?
- Have any other celebrities adopted kids from Mahaloland?
- If so, who? How has their experience been?
- How many celebrities each year adopt babies?
- What are the most common countries where babies are adopted from?
- Who is Lady Baba and what has her career been like?
- What are other people in the media saying about the situation?

If you are here with us on Mahalo, you are probably someone who already reads the news and thinks about current events. You just want to use that experience, and your own creativity, to guess at what information will be most relevant to a reader.

This exercise will work even if the topic you are covering is not news-related. If you're writing about a product, think about how that product is used, what other products could be used in similar situations, what company owns the product, how long it has existed, what the usual price is, where it can be purchased and where in the world it is available.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In many cases there will be a template or instructions for page content included with your page assignment. If a template or Gold Standard reference page exists, it's important to follow the model as closely as possible, making sure that all categories, fast facts, text sections, and related pages meet the requirements specified on the Gold Standard page.

So, now you've got your topic, you know the sort of things you're going to write about, and you know you have to hit 300 words.

The next thing you'll want to do is research. Look for 3-5 high quality online sources that give you a good, clear understanding of the topic. Try to get as close to the original source of any information as possible. An original news story is a better source than a blog that comments on the news story. The references listed at the bottom of a Wikipedia page are often great sources, whereas the Wikipedia page itself is not. An actor's official website is a better source than a gossip column about the actor.

No matter where you find information, rigorously note where you found it, and include the URL inside reference tags right after you use it in your writing. More on how to do this can be found further down this page in a section titled "Mahalo Citation and Formatting Requirements".

Do not merely paraphrase information from another source. A great Mahalo page will synthesize information from several sources to produce original content.

Use direct quotes sparingly. If you must use a direct quote, then set it off on its own line of text, put it in italics, make it very short, and of course reference the site where you found the quote. 99% of the content on your page must be in your original words.

Once you've done about 5-10 minutes of online research, you should start thinking about how you'd like to lay out your findings. The "content section" of your Mahalo page should include an introductory paragraph or two and then 1 or 2 sub-sections that expand on or further explore various aspects of the topic.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Even if you are knowledgeable about a topic, it's essential that you back up your statements with credible sources.

You must have at least 5 Fast Facts on Mahalo pages ("How To" pages don't have Fast Facts, but instead, have Tips. For more information on "How To's", go to the How to Build a How To Page).

Many page templates have required Fast Facts. If yours does, consider completing this section first. Looking for the specific facts needed for the page can jump start your research. Frequently, after you've completed the Facts, you've accumulated enough knowledge to begin writing the page.

Fast Facts are bite-sized pieces of information that readers can look at to get a quick feel for the content of the Mahalo page. Are there significant stats that you want to highlight? Important dates that you want to point out? Put them in the Fast Facts—and be as clear and succinct as possible. All Fast Facts should be supported by a citation. In the box marked "Source," provide the URL of the page where you found the information. (Make sure this is a reliable site. An established blog, news article or official site is preferable to a "crowd-sourced" service such as Wikipedia).

Fast Facts are bullets, not sentences.

When you get to the end of the suggested facts, feel free to include some of your own.

The Fast Facts section does not need a header. If you choose to include one, title it "Search Term Facts". Do not title it "Fast Facts for Search Term" or "Search Term Fast Facts."

Only the first letter of the label and the first letter after the colon should be capitalized, unless the text includes proper nouns.

Inlink 1-3 relevant existing Mahalo pages in Fast Facts. Do not inlink dates or locations, unless relevant to the page.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Whenever possible use the Label: Data format for Fast Facts; it makes them more scannable.

In the first text section of your Mahalo page, put the title of the page in a sentence that defines what the topic is. Capitalize the title of the page as you would in a normal sentence, not as a title. Do this in the first sentence, when it is natural to do so. Also in this first paragraph, put the most important information about the topic. Do not use the phrase "This page is" or "This page will."

Do NOT put a title above the guide note.

As an example, here is a well-written guide note to the Mahalo page about singer and Internet personality Tay Zonday:

Tay Zonday is an Internet personality and musician. One of his videos is for his original composition, Chocolate Rain. The song lyrics are a commentary on race relations, and the video is highlighted by Zonday's idiosyncratic performance. He periodically leans back from the microphone in order to breathe, and he uses a deep baritone on the vocals.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not use bullets or lists. Keep this first text section narrative only. Aim for 100-125 words, divided into two paragraphs. The guide note needs to be content-rich and compelling, as it will be used for the abstract that search engines show to users.

Now that you have a great introductory paragraph, write one or two more content sections for your page. Which sections these are will depend on the vertical category of the page, and on what you were able to find in your research. For the very best examples of what types of content sections should be on Mahalo pages, see the Mahalo page entitled Mahalo Gold Standard Pages.

The second section of many Mahalo pages consists of the latest news available on the topic. Be sure to include a citation for the news event. You can read more about citations later on down this page, in the section entitled "Mahalo Citation and Formatting Requirements". Be sure to return to your page and update the news paragraph when breaking news happens. If breaking news is unlikely, then periodically challenge yourself to find a news item to use for an update.

Avoid relying on your personal experience. Everything on a Mahalo page should be verifiable, cited information that you have received from an informed source. Do not write in the first person (I, me, my). Write in the third person (he, she, it) whenever possible. Write in the second person (you) if writing in the third person would be awkward, such as on a How To.

As well, everything on a Mahalo page should be totally free of bias. Avoid giving your own opinion of a subject and instead stick to "just the facts." This is true of pages that are politically or culturally charged, but extends to all other kinds of pages, too, even on topics that are generally considered inoffensive. For example, a page on cinnamon buns should not say "Cinnamon buns are a delicious treat for the whole family" or "Cinnamon buns are my favorite food." This may very well be true, but Mahalo pages should be more like an encyclopedia entry: free of personal perspective and limited to factual information about the subject.

Make sure your content flows in a linear, logical fashion. Avoid ambiguous phrases, using specific words wherever possible. So rather than saying "Coupons usually have have expiration dates," say "Kraft coupons generally expire 3 months after they are issued," for example.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Avoid using words such as well known, known for, easy, great, fun, delicious, popular, or unique. Keep your voice objective throughout the page.

All legal, financial, and medical pages must come with Disclaimers. This exact wording should be used :

Legal Pages:
The content in this page is not a substitute for professional legal advice. Please contact a law professional before using the information presented here.

Medical Pages:
The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact a doctor before using the information presented here.

Financial Pages:
The content in this page is not a substitute for professional financial advice. Please contact a finance professional before using the information presented here.

Disclaimers should be positioned in the sidebar, above the Related Pages section.

DOUBLE BRACKETS FOR INLINKING

Put double brackets around terms used in the text that Mahalo has an existing page about. This will create an internal link (inlink) to that page. *[[Mahalo]] is an Internet [[search engine]]. will look like this:

• Mahalo is an Internet search engine.

1. Keep inlinks closely related to the topic.
2. Aim for at least one inlink in each 100 word section and 1-3 inlinks in Fast Facts.
3. Do not inlink dates or locations, unless relevant to the page.
4. To refer to a term differently in the text than what the page is called, you can use a pipe to separate the term from the anchor text, placing the page title first and the text second like this:

• [[New York State|NY]] will look like this: NY, and it will inlink to the page titled New York State.

BOLD AND ITALICS

All video game, book and movie titles, as well as ship names need to be in italics. To use italics, put two apostrophes on either side of the word or phrase you want italicized. Put the apostrophes outside any brackets that you have put in order to inlink the term. Here is an example:

• ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'' will look like this:
• The Great Gatsby

You may use boldface sparingly for emphasis or for subheadings within a section. To use boldface, put three apostrophes on either side of the word or phrase you want bolded. Put these outside of any brackets that you need to inlink the term. Here is an example:

• '''The Great Gatsby''' will look like this:
• The Great Gatsby

CITATION OF REFERENCES IN TEXT

Whenever you write a fact in a text section of a Mahalo page, at the end of the sentence, just after the period with no space after the period put <ref>URL</ref> to link to the authoritative website where you found this fact. 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> will look like this:
• Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States.http://www.mahalo.com/barack-obama

Click that footnote number and it will take you to the bottom of the page, where your URL is now automatically listed in a "References" section.

Do not put citations in the middle of a sentence - if there is more than one reference for a sentence, place them both after the sentence, leaving a space between each reference. Do not put all the citations at the end of a paragraph - that would imply that everything in that paragraph came from the same source. Your citations should reflect the multiple sources used in your research.

If there are 2 or 3 sentences in a row that all use information from the same source, place the citation at the end of the last sentence that uses the information.

WHITE SPACE

Hit "enter" three times between paragraphs. Otherwise, there won't be any space between your paragraphs. Write many short paragraphs, rather than one long paragraph. Whenever appropriate, break paragraphs up even further into bullet points or numbered lists of statements. All this makes your web page easier on the reader's eyes. Remember though, that the first text section on your page - the guide note - needs to be free of bullets or lists, for page formatting reasons.

BULLETED AND NUMBERED LISTS

Type * before every item in a list, or # to make it a numbered list. Otherwise, the list will not format correctly on the completed page, and will just look like a regular paragraph. Make sure to align the * or # all the way to the left. Capitalize the first word in each bullet or number.

All pages must be referenced and sourced.

A citation is NEEDED whenever you:

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

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please note that every fact must be cited. This means that you need to verify everything that you write. Do not rely on your personal experience, education or opinion. Especially, do not show your opinion nor any bias in your writing. Not even favorable opinion or bias. Remain neutral. Present just the facts. If it makes sense on your topic to present popular opinions, then present both sides and let the reader make up his or her own mind which one makes more sense. Make sure and cite references for these popular opinions, too.

All Mahalo pages are required to contain a video. The video can be located either at the bottom of the content section or the top of the links section, depending on the particular page's format.

The video requires a 50-100 word summary of what's on the video. If the reason you chose the video isn't obvious, you can include a lead in statement, but, in general, the text supporting the video should summarize information on the video. Do not begin by saying "This video will." Do not review the video, by making comments about it "being a great video" or advising the user to "watch this video." Stick to the facts.

After you have added the video, add a comment under the video in the discussion area. These comments CAN be personal opinions or observations.

You can choose to include additional sections from the "to Links" drop-down menu in the Page Builder:

Links: This will pull in a link search on the topic of your page

News: This will pull in a news search on the topic of your page

Text: This will allow you to just write some information on the page. It will mostly be used on more content-heavy pages like How To's or Video Game Walkthroughs.

List: This will add a numbered or bulleted list to your page. These will often be useful as timelines, if you want to list, for example, biographical information on a historical figure, a director's complete filmography or all the albums released by a band. Remember though that the text in lists does not count toward the 300 words of content that must be on your page.

Blogs: This will pull in a blog search on the topic of your page.

Map: This will import a map from Google Maps. If the title of your page is a location, the map will automatically display that location. If you want to specify a location for your map that's different from the title of the page, click "Edit" and enter the name under the "Location" box. You should also include a brief description of the area depicted in the map and indicate why you have placed it on the page.

Stock Quotes: If you are making a page about a company, you may want to include a stock quote in your links. Choosing a stock quote section will automatically pull in financial information for a company of your choice. To enter an appropriate stock symbol, click the "Edit" button and then enter it into the appropriate box. The stock ticker should display automatically.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: These sections should only be added if they add value to the page. When adding any of these additional sections, make sure they produce relevant results. Sometimes the page title, which is the default search term, does not produce good results, and should be tweaked. If, after tweaking the term, you can't get relevant results, do not include the section.

Mahalo has strict standards for quality and presentation. Each guide should expect to have several pages scored each week. The scores will be accompanied by feedback, explaining any areas that were not in line with standards. In some cases, the feedback will ask the guide to update the page and resubmit it for review.

The scores are on a scale from 0-10, with 10 representing the perfect Mahalo page and 0 representing a blank Mahalo page.

Here are some guidelines on how to interpret your scores:

10: Perfect page. These will be very rare.

9 - 9.5: Excellent page.

8 - 9: Very good page.

6 - 7.5: Promising page with room for improvement

5 - 6: Potentially good page with some significant work needed.

3 - 4.5: A problem page. Urgent attention needed.

0 - 2.5: A poor page.

Here are the scoring standards:

Word Count

Topic Pages and "Big Video" How Tos

Under 200 words of original content overall (-2)
Under 300 words of original content overall (-1)
Under 100 words of original content in the Guide Note (-1)
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Pages that contain fewer than 200 words of original content become stubs, which means they do not index on Google. These need to be brought up to 200 words immediately.

300 or more original words on each Mahalo page is the "standard" for topic pages. These 300 words INCLUDE Fast Facts, video/image descriptions and all other original text that appears on a Mahalo page and is composed by a user. List sections that just list information such as movies, books, nominees of awards etc. do not count towards the word count requirement. Quotes are also not considered original content.

"Feature" How To Pages

Under 100 words of original content in a step or intro (-1 for each section)
Under 200 words of original content (-0.5 for each section)
This does not apply to the short, 300 word How To pages. The word count requirement on those is the same as for Topic Pages.

Factual error (-2)

Mahalo pages should have NO inaccurate or incorrect information. All dates, data, statistics and other specific information should be backed up by citations.

Bias/NPOV (-1)

Mahalo pages should not take a perspective on an issue or a side in a discussion. All information presented on a Mahalo page should be fact-based, rooted in supportable research from external sources rather than anecdotal information. This includes political pages or pages about controversies, but also general interest pages. Remember that even positive statements of opinion (such as "schnauzers are great dogs for kids!" or "cinnamon buns are the best way to wake up in the morning") count as biased and should not be included. (NOTE: How To pages may occasionally include a bit more "anecdotal evidence" and "personal opinion" than standard Mahalo pages, but should strive to eliminate bias).

Outdated information (-1 to -2)

While this is more likely to be an issue with updates, it's important to make sure that new pages contain the most current information.

Vague writing/filler (-1)

Often, page managers may be tempted to "pad" their writing in order to create the appearance of more content on their pages. This is strongly discouraged. Examples of padded writing or filler could including repeating the same point or phrase multiple times, talking around an issue rather than getting right to the point or making obvious statements that any person with common sense would already know.

As well, being vague or misleading about a topic should be avoided. Always be as specific as possible, and when writing descriptions of objects, places, events, processes, etc., try to work in as many details (who, what, where, when, why, how) as possible. Remember that the ultimate goal of Mahalo pages is to be truly helpful to readers.

Spelling error (-1) per error

Grammatical error (-.25 to -.5)

No categories (-1)

Aim for 3-8 relevant categories.

Inlinking Errors (-.5 to -1)

Excessive inlinking , having fewer than 1 inlink per 100 words, or inlinking to nonexistent pages will all impact the score.

No Related Mahalo Pages (-1)

A writer should include at least 5 "Related Mahalo Pages" on every topic page. Failure to include at least 5 related pages will result in the loss of a point.

General formatting error (-.5 to1)

This can include any basic formatting problem on the page. Common examples include sub-sections in the written content that do not have "headlines" or titles, Featured Videos that do not have 50-100 word captions, or sections that are misplaced on the page.

No citations (-1)

If a page contains specific, factual information that is not cited, that page will lose 1 point. Not ALL factual information needs to be cited. A good rule of thumb is whether or not that fact is "common knowledge." That Barack Obama is President of the United States who was elected in 2008 is a commonly-known fact that would not need to be cited. That he was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii, is much more specific, less commonly-known info and should be cited.

No disclaimer (on medical, legal, financial pages) (-.5)

These disclaimers appear automatically on all new pages in these three categories. They should remain intact on the page and you will be marked down for not having/including them.

No Fast Facts/Tips (-1)

All topic pages require Fast Facts; all How To pages should include Tips sections. Fast Fact sections should include no fewer than 5 facts and Tips sections should include at least 3 tips. Having fewer than 5 Fast Facts would be considered a general formatting error.

No Featured Video (-1)

All Mahalo pages should include a featured video. If you cannot locate a video that is exactly about the topic, then you can use a more general video that includes the topic.