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Q: What is a metasearch engine?
A:Every time you type in a query at a metasearch engine, they search a
series of other search sites at the same time, compile their results, and
display them either by search engine employed or by integrating them in a
uniform manner, eliminating duplicates, and resorting them according to
relevance. It's like using multiple search engines, all at the same time. ↑
Q: How is metasearch better?
A: Metasearch results are more comprehensive — "regular" search engines
catalogue anywhere from 0.5% to 30% of Web pages available online; by
combining results from multiple sources the pool of web pages is greatly
increased. In addition, metasearch engines are less prone to spammy
results, since most spammers target one particular search site only, in
their aim to achieve top ranking on it. They can't, however, target all
search engines, and so spam tends to get pushed down in the results of a
metasearch engine.
Mamma also allows users to use advanced operators and is capable of
turning our search partners on or off, depending on whether or not they
support the operator in use. This is why we call it a smart metasearch tool.
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Q: How do I submit my site?
A: As a metasearch engine, Mamma does not have its own database of sites,
but rather pulls its results from a series of outside databases (those
of our source engines). We do not, therefore, have a general database
to which you may submit your site for free. We do, however, have a
pay-per-click program that may interest you, called Mamma Classifieds. Mamma
Classifieds allows clients to have their site appear above Mamma's regular
search results in a separate section. Advertisers are charged on a
cost-per-click (CPC) basis. Please click
here for more information. ↑
Q: How do I update
my site listing on Mamma.com?
A: As a metasearch engine, Mamma.com queries a series of other
search sites and then combines their top results for you. Though we have
permission to retrieve and display results from our search partners, we
have no editorial privileges over the sites served to us, and so cannot
modify them. We cannot, therefore, update site information. In order to
do this, you (as the site owner or your webmaster) must request the update
of your site information at the source — that is, the engine from
which we retrieved your link. You can determine the source by checking
your current listing on Mamma.com — it'll be marked in square brackets
next to the URL. ↑
Q: What is Mamma.com's policy
on pop up/under windows?
A: If you're concerned about pop up/under windows, or have seen
pop ups/unders on Mamma.com, we would like to assure you that Mamma does
not allow pop ups or unders to be served on our site.
That being the case, there are still circumstances that might cause you
to experience them. More often than not, the pops you're experiencing
are being served by adware or spyware installed on your computer. These
are programs that either come bundled with other software that you download
free off of the Internet, or are installed on your computer without your
consent via an automatic download. Their purpose is usually one of two
things: to spy on your behavior (see where you search, what you search
for, and what sites you visit) and/or to serve advertisements to you,
usually in the form of pop up windows. Here are a few useful links where
you can learn more about these programs, and how to identify and remove
them:
You can read about spyware at:
http://www.spychecker.com/spyware.html
You can get a list of spyware programs at:
http://www.spywareguide.com/
You can find software to remove spyware and adware programs at:
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/adaware.html
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Q: I need help searching, do
you have any tips for me?
A: Mamma has put together an entire section on better searching. Just
visit our Help page to find search tips, and an
explanation of some of the most common types of search engines.
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Q: Where do I report misleading
or adult links?
A: Oftentimes, sites will change addresses, close down, or have their
URLs get bought up by other sites who will redirect you to another, often
wholly unrelated location (unfortunately this is very common with adult
sites). As Mamma.com is a metasearch engine that gathers it's results
from multiple outside databases, we have no editorial control to correct/update/remove
these links, as they originate in our sources proprietary databases'.
The best way to resolve this issue, then, is to contact the source directly
(normally through the "Help" section or the "FAQ"), and to inform them
of the dead link, or that the content of the site no longer matches its
search listing, and to request that they remove it from their database.
Once the update has been made at the source, it will automatically be
reflected in Mamma.com's results.
Tip: In order to determine the source of a search result, just check
the square brackets next to the sites' URL. ↑
Q: How do I turn off
the history in the search box?
A: This is not a feature of Mamma.com, but rather of Internet Explorer.
You can turn off their AutoComplete function by clicking on the
following:
Tools > Internet Options > Content Tab > AutoComplete button.
Uncheck the Forms box for text input areas (like search boxes),
and/or the Web addresses box for your address bar (where URLs are
displayed). ↑
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