Human-edited web directory Mahalo.com increased its human presence in 2007 by hiring Veronica Belmont (previously of CNET.com) to produce a daily podcast. Essentially a guide to the random topics Mahalo.com specializes in covering, Belmont’s personable approach to esoteric subjects made anything from roller coaster maintenance to how to propose properly relevant to general audiences.
When Belmont announced that she would be leaving Mahalo to host Revision3’s Tekzilla, Mahalo producers turned to an old media format to hire a new host. “Mahalo Idol” ran for five weeks, using audience voting to narrow down a pool of 20 finalists to select Leah D’Emilio as the new host (with interim host Lon Harris continuing co-hosting duties). D’Emillo’s final “Idol” entry, a viral video spoof of Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body,” might indicate a shift to more comedy-focused shorts. Hopefully, though, we’ll still be able to learn about important topics like how to plan a cheap date.
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