We’ve interviewed a lot of people about how they use the web and observed them use the sites they normally use and then try Mahalo (more details at the Mahalo User Testing page). The biggest lesson we’ve learned is that people love Mahalo search result pages but sometimes struggle to discover the right page on Mahalo.

People love Mahalo search result pages because they address the biggest frustrations with Google and other algorithm based search engines; the time-consuming trial and error process of figuring out the right query and wading through millions of results, many of which are spam or unhelpful.

People have been trained by Google to think that you need to enter a very specific query to get helpful results. On Mahalo, it’s the opposite, you get great results when you enter a simple query. For example, if you’re trying to figure out which refrigerator to buy, on Mahalo all you need to do is search for “refrigerators” and you’ll find a page with organized sections of links to the best information and reviews, manufacturers, retailers, price comparisons, coupons & deals, accessories, and message boards — all for refrigerators.

When you search on Mahalo try to start with a general term. It will save you time. Mahalo’s Guides have already done the hard work of finding and organizing the best links related to popular search terms.

It’s been exciting to watch people discover how Mahalo works, and we’re working on a bunch of tweaks and features to flatten the learning curve. We’ll have more details soon.

We created a short video of clips from listening labs with an example of someone struggling to figure out the right query on Google and then a few clips of people figuring out how Mahalo works and getting excited about how Mahalo can help them. We hope you enjoy it.

You can also download a higher resolution QuickTime version of the file.

Refinement, progress, and productivity! This week saw yet another innovation in the Mahalo Greenhouse, where Part Time Guides (PTGs) from all over the world help us create the highest-quality, spam free search results pages on the Internet. We’ve added the Mahalo Mentors, a small but mighty band of Part Time Guides who have already established their excellence.

These folks take brand new PTGs under their wings, help them along, review their work, and answer their questions in e-mail and in chat. We hope to have ten Mahalo Mentors by the end of July — welcome our first three, Sean, Heather, and Richard!

A look at Greenhouse accomplishments this week…

• 350 new search results pages accepted into Mahalo from the Greenhouse, bringing us to over 860 total. Some of the best, according to a random poll of the Guides in our Santa Monica office:
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey by Justin G
  • Starscream by Drew C
  • Zodiac Killer by Colette L
  • Deadliest Catch by Richard M
  • Parakeets by Lori M
• Nearly 600 Part Time Guides… smashing our original expectations, and continuing to grow day by day!

Coming next week: Additional Mahalo Mentors, new refinements and features from our crack team of developers, and it’s safe to say we’ll blast past 1,000 search results pages accepted into Mahalo from the Greenhouse! That’s going to be a day to celebrate!

This first week of the second month of the Mahalo Greenhouse was marked by more growth and more incredible progress. Last Friday, we activated a special private chat room for the Greenhouse Part Time Guides, and it’s been packed ever since! It’s great seeing Part Time Guides interact, help each other out, joke around, and get to know the Greenhouse staff and Mahalo Full Time Guides while they continue to pump out new search results pages for Mahalo!

Among the milestones this week:

• Over 525 search results pages accepted to Mahalo courtesy of the efforts of some of our 570+ Part Time Guides! Check out… Microwave Cooking
• Boba
• George Lopez
• Neil Gaiman’s Sandman

Coming up next week… new systems to streamline the workflow from Greenhouse to Mahalo, a brand new program to help Part Time Guides, training videos… and more Part Time Guides building more amazing home-grown, hand-made search results pages!

THE WINNERS!

After a multitude of entries from an array of talented individuals, we’re ready to announce the three winners of the iPhone contest. There were many quality entries, making the task of choosing the winners extremely difficult. Thanks to the efforts of all those who entered!

After much deliberation, we’re ready to announce the winners, who will all receive a brand new iPhone shortly!

In third place, is Jeff Hoard’s entry: Edward O. Wilson

In second place, is Ricardo J. Tohmé’s entry: Voyager 2

And in first place, is Sean Percival’s entry: Time Travel

Do you like free food, drink, and video games? You do! Well in that case, why don’t you come to the first ever Joystiq reader meetup tomorrow, which Mahalo happens to be hosting?

If you’d like to come, leave a comment here or on Joystiq’s blog entry. Once you’ve done that, all you have to do is get yourself to Mahalo HQ at 6PM tomorrow, at 902 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica, 90401 (Google Maps link).

You’ll have a chance to meet the Joystiq team, Ryan and Peter from Engadget, and some of the Mahalo team. Come along!

As we rolled rapidly toward celebrating the one-month anniversary of the Mahalo Greenhouse, the milestones and landmarks flew past!

• Monday, we accepted the 100th search results page from the Greenhouse into Mahalo. It took twenty five days to hit that mark. Then…
• …about thirty five hours later, we accepted search result page number 200. Greenhouse: Exponential, indeed.
• More than twice the part time guides as last week: 368, and counting. Care to join us?
• More than 400 search results pages in progress.

Our full time guides have selected a few favorites among the 175 approved into Mahalo this last week. Take a look at…

• Hurricanes by Marianne.
• David Attenborough by Jeff.
• Ted Leo and The Pharmacists by Keith.
• Rubik’s Cube by Amber.
• U.S. Coast Guard by Nicholas.

As Community Manager for the Greenhouse, I’ve been particularly impressed by how quickly many new part time guides navigate the learning curve to create top-notch search results pages after such a short time… and how willingly everyone shares their experience and knowledge. We’re even seeing contributions and ideas from the Greenhouse impact the way full time guides work at Mahalo! I’m very proud of the part time guides, the Greenhouse staff, and the full time guides of Mahalo.

It’s really been an amazing week!

You’ve got just over 48 hours left to enter Mahalo’s iPhone contest! You can find out how to enter and see a list of current entries at the links below. What are you waiting for?

For instructions, visit http://Mahalo.com/iPhone_Contest

For a list of current entries, visit http://Mahalo.com/iPhone_Contest_Entries

The third week in the Mahalo Greenhouse was one of rapid growth! We expedited processing of applicants and added about 140 new Part Time Guides (PTG) to the roster! There’s room for more, too!

• 172 Part Time Guides from all over the world
• 149 search results pages in progress
• 41 search results pages accepted into Mahalo to date. Some of our favorites:
• Ulysses S. Grant
• Colorado
• Benjamin Franklin

The Greenhouse has been changing rapidly. What will next week bring? More PTGs, more search results pages accepted to Mahalo.com, further refinement of our methods and protocols… and more incredible, inspiring growth in a team that is geographically diffuse, but unified and focused in their passion for the best human-powered search results pages on the Internet.

As you may have heard already, we got our hands on a few Apple iPhones on Friday. If you weren’t able to wait in line, or don’t feel like throwing down six hundred big ones, we’re here to help!

Starting today, we’ll be running a contest to give away three shiny new iPhones: 8 gigs baby! All you have to do is create a brilliant search result. We will be choosing the top three entries on July 13th at midnight.

For all the details, see Mahalo.com/iPhone_Contest