Yes, I have a Mahalo profile, too. It’s not very “useful” though, because it’s hard for me to find people I know to add them as friends. Also, the search results don’t seem to be affected by who I have as friends and/or followers on Mahalo. What’s the benefit of adding friends on Mahalo? What makes this a useful social feature?

Tim:

I took a quick look at YouGottaCall.com. It’s a rehash of what Judy’s Book used to be (local word-of-mouth recommendations based on trust), plus network/affiliate marketing added in. IMHO, that’s a dead model, which is probably why the Judy’s Book site relaunched as a simple coupon/deal site.

Maybe you’ll do something different, but as it stands now, your site’s model has already been tried in the marketplace and hasn’t done well for anyone else. You should focus on how you can do things differently and bring attention to those aspects front-and-center so folks know about it.

Good luck!

What if we could use our social network to connect with local professionals and service providers who’ve already earned the trust of our friends and neighbors.

What if these businesses could reward their network of satisfied clients who referred them new business?

What if Web 2.0 could cut out the inefficient and expensive media which fails to adequately differentiate quality businesses?

This is what YouGottaCall is striving to achieve. We’re the world’s first connection engine – “Connect-gine” – with a revolutionary, patented approach.

We’re social, viral, affiliate, incentivized and monetized.

I’d like to know what you think. When we roll out to your city we’d like to keep you apprised.

Thanks, Dossy.

– - Tim

http://www.mahalo.com/member/jasoncalacanis

also, check the home page where you will see the social network building pages in real time!

best j