Are Wikipedia, Mahalo Changing Search?

Google search is still my preferred search engine, and I use many of their online services including Google Dos & Spreadsheets, iGoogle, Gmail, Calender, Blogger etc. However, for the first time in years I’m noticing my search habits changing, slightly.

The first thing I’ve noticed is when I’m looking for an explanation or history of something, the first result is a Wikipedia entry. Very often, it’s exactly what I’m looking for. So, maybe I should just go their directly. Wikipedia has it’s share of problems, but it’s invaluable when you are in a dispute with someone about, oh lets say, the fact that basketball was invented by a Canadian (any American will throw up their hands and scream no way) but I simply direct you here and introduce you to James Naismith, the Canadian who invented basketball. My point is that for many things, Wikipedia is the first place I go to get information.

Secondly, the problem of spam links, ad links disguised as legitimate web sites, porn and malicious malware sites are often mixed in with Google search results. Jason Calacanis hopes to change this with Mahalo, his new search start-up. It’s a Human Powered search engine with a team of editors that rank relevant links. Google results are included at the bottom, so you don’t feel like you’re missing anything. I’ve used it and had no problem finding what I’m looking for.

Nothing in the near future will replace Google as a primary search engine. They have football fields of server farms combing and caching the web and nobody has that kind of infrastructure or speed. Microsoft and Yahoo are still trying to catch up.

But for the first time in years, I’m not always searching Google first. And that is a big deal.