Mamma: Are You A Mamma's Boy? Are You $100,000 In Debt?
Written: Sep 28, 2005 (Updated Sep 28, 2005)
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Mothers are the wisest, friendliest, most loving and most caring people alive. I love my mom. She’s brilliant. She’s attractive. She’s sharp as a wip. And no matter what question I ask, she’ll have an answer.
As you can see, I inherited all her good qualities. (Insert cockiness here)
I any case, I ran across Mamma.com today. This was the first time I strayed away from my beloved Google and tried something new for a change. As we all know, change can sometimes be a good thing; it’s nice to explore and see what is available. However, change can also be bad…
Like Google, Mamma.com is a search engine. In fact, it is referred to as a “Metasearch,” whatever the heck that’s supposed to mean. Its modo is: The Mother of All Search Engines. Cute. But in reality, it’s not.
Layout
Like Google, Mamma has a very simple and straight-forward simplicity to it. You can choose to explore: the Web, News, Images, Yellow Pages and White Pages. Unlike Google, there is no “groups” section, but I have always found that section to be pointless, so I’m not really missing it. However, I am missing the Froogle feature which allows you to locate and buy products.
All categories can be accessed on the Home page, and there is a large scroll bar to type in your search. There is also a “Power Search,” which gives you the option of using certain sources over others, highlighting specific words or phrases, etc. Basically, this function should be used when looking for a very specific piece of information.
On the Home page, you can also select: About, Services & Tools, Mamma Media Solutions, Advertise, Partner, Make Mamma Your Home Page (I personally adore such a feature), Mamma.com Store, and Mamma en français. I’m still stunned as to the fact that they don’t have “Mamma en español.” Over ten per cent of the U.S speaks Spanish already and that number is quickly inclining.
Another poor quality about Mamma is that there is no spell check. For example, if I type in “Chrisler” but mean “Chrysler,” I will get results for “Chrisler.” There is no cool little feature that asks me if I meant something else.
Features
The Web section is decent. I can type in any category and get related results, including the main page for that very category at the top of the list. This is standard procedure for search engines anyway. I am, however, very disappointed in the amount of sites that I am given to view. For example, if I type in Chrysler on Mamma, I am given 99 results. However, if I type in Chrysler on Google, I am given over 25 million results (literally).
The News section is useless. It is the most poorly designed part of this site. For example, there is no date displayed to tell me how recent the article is. I know a lot about Chrysler, and many things have been occurring recently. However, when typing it into the News search bar, not all current events popped up first. In fact, a piece of information from two years ago came up too! The News category shouldn’t even be called that. “News from years ago” is a more suitable titling.
While the News section is certainly lacking, I am actually somewhat satisfied with the Images area. I found many pictures pertaining to the related topic, and I am also able to access the site at which the picture is posted. However, I do not like that I cannot enlarge the picture and must click on the actual webpage to see it in a larger format (that is, of course, if it is larger on the actual website).
I like the Yellow Pages section of the site. I can type in the business name or business type, the location and the state, and press “Go Mamma.” My search for a barber shop in Massapequa gave me 15 barbers, 61 beauty salons, and over 100 results in related categories. From there, I can choose exactly which topic I want to view. Once clicking on the topic, I can view the address of each barber shop, the website, and the name. Believe it or not, the Yellow Pages section on Mamma is more organized and user-friendly than Google’s Local feature.
The White Pages feature is a bit freaky. While it does find whoever you may be looking for (as long as he or she participates in the White Pages listings), I think a little bit too much info is being given out. For example: age. Since when is age a determining factor in whether or not you call someone? And why should that type of information be given publicly to anyone? Also, there’s a feature that allows you to do a background check (for a fee). I am totally and completely against such a feature…what business does someone have knowing about my background unless that someone is working for the IRS?
My Thoughts
Mamma seems to be somewhat of a Google knockoff. The layouts of the sites seem to be pretty much identical. I do like Mamma’s Yellow Pages…it certainly is a useful tool and very is easy to use. The images seem to be decent too; I just wish that I could enlarge them without having to open the actual web site that they are coming from.
Nevertheless, the Web section does not give me nearly as many results as I could be given on other sites. The News section also needs some work -- two year old data, and no labeling of dates is inconvenient. I’m also very against the type of information that is being given out in their White Pages. I’m actually so disturbed to the point that I am going to contact them and complain about it…no one has any business knowing my age or my background (even if it is for a fee).
Overall, would I recommend Mamma? Not unless you’re using their Yellow Pages feature. Everything else can be much more easily viewed on Google.
Recommended:
No
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About the Author
Location: New York
Reviews written: 483
Trusted by: 271 members
About Me: If the opposite of pro is con, then what is the opposite of progress?
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