Typed a question into the Google search engine and saw links to Quora pop up? The next thought that ran through your head must’ve been, “why should I care about answers on Quora?” Well, the question of competency is the one we’ll answer below. Additionally, we’ll tell you whether the platform is safe for children and teenagers. The platform can also serve as a way to build a reputation or gain a section in your resume. It can also have monetary value and be used for marketing. If that piqued your interest, let’s get straight into what is Quora.
Definition of Quora
Quora is a Q&A (questions and answers) online platform run by volunteer Internet users. The owners and employees only maintain the website, the users like me and you do the rest. It has a rank of 371 on Alexa.com (Alexa recently discontinued their service), the global website index. The users get to ask the question, give an answer or expand upon an existing one, or track and follow questions for new answers.
As a user, you can also join so-called Quora Spaces, which are communities built around a common topic, interest, or niche. In short, it is a pretty good Google alternative if you are looking for answers generated by actual users.
Furthermore, you can get detailed analytics of every inquiry or reply you make. The answers are usually well-researched and filled to the brim with content. Plus, you can see who the person that answered is, and what their qualifications are. At one point in time, video answers were also allowed alongside the text, but this was very short-lived.
Quick info about Quora
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Quora |
| Website | www.quora.com |
| Founded | June 2009 |
| Founders | Adam D’Angelo, Charlie Cheever |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California, USA |
| Type | Question-and-Answer Platform |
| Purpose | Connect people through knowledge sharing |
| User Base | Over 300 million monthly active users |
| Content | User-generated questions and answers |
| Monetization | Advertising, Quora Partner Program |
| Features | Upvoting, Downvoting, Following, Spaces |
| Mobile App | Available for iOS and Android devices |
| Languages | Available in multiple languages |
| Notable Users | Many experts and influencers participate |
| Privacy | Offers various privacy settings |
| Community Guidelines | Enforced to maintain quality content |
| Competitors | Reddit, Stack Exchange, Yahoo Answers, |
Features of Quora
- User-generated content: Anyone can ask a question or answer an existing one.
- Credible sourcing: Expert individuals are often responding to questions in their field.
- Upvoting system: Useful answers can be upvoted by users for better visibility.
- Topics and tags: Users can follow specific topics of interest.
- Personalized feeds: Information displayed is based on user interests and activity.
- Networking: Users can follow other users or experts in various fields.
- Anonymity option: Users have the option to ask or answer questions anonymously.
- Notifications: You can receive alerts about updates on their questions, answers, or topics of interest.
- Blogging platform: You will be able to write detailed posts on topics they are knowledgeable in.
- Spaces: Communities where people can share and converse about common interests.
- Direct messaging: Privately message each other.
- Search functionality: Can search for specific questions or topics.
How can I contribute to Quora?
Quora is free and only requires you to set up a user account and edit your profile to match your interests and qualifications. From that point on, you can start asking questions or giving answers you have an interest and knowledge in.
In short, you volunteer to help the world by sparking debate or inciting research into the topic. On the other hand, you can share your knowledge out of the goodness of your heart, for free, to those who need it.
Unpopular use of Quora
“Quora is like a treasure chest of knowledge, where curiosity leads to wisdom.”
Tech Quintal
Marketing
There’s a murky territory that isn’t its primary purpose, but people use Quora for it nonetheless. That is free advertising – the platform has hundreds of millions of unique monthly visitors. Quora allows you to add a link to your website if the answer is in line with the question, and enhances the point. This is often abused, unfortunately.
Companies and entrepreneurs are driven to “hustle” for profit. For that reason, they seek and find posts tied to their niche, no matter how small the connection is. Then, they add links to their websites, services, or products.
Making money on the platform
A user with lots of answers and answer views, usually above 10K, can become eligible for monetization through the Quora Partner Program. The issue is that to earn money, you must start asking questions you know will get a lot of answers views. Or, you must ask tens of questions per day. The platform loses its purpose, and asking questions turns into a sport. Also, instead of things you’re genuinely curious about, you must come up with short, high-engagement, often clickbait titles.
Is there quality control on Quora?
The main issue with an online community focused on inquiries and replies such as Quora is spam. Next in line are low-quality answers for advertising, and answers that don’t provide any value. For that reason, Quora does have an automatic system and a team of moderators that keep the platform running. Quora is rated for kids aged 13 and older, so there shouldn’t be any explicit material or adult topics.
User moderation
Users keep the platform afloat too. They can upvote, downvote, and flag for spam on questions and answers. This reduces redundancy, and brings up-to-date or high-quality answers to the top of the page, making them easy to spot.
Vetting users
The reality is, you can’t verify if the people are who they say they are. The same goes for whether they possess the resume and achievements they do. Those who join the Quora Partner Program get vetted by the platform, however.
That’s because ads are placed in between their questions or answers. Other users are free to edit their profile and profess whatever they want. The only way to gauge their competency is by reading what they wrote. Unfortunately, for that, you need to possess knowledge of the topic already.
How to Use Quora For Your Own Benefits?
You are already aware by now of how big Quora is, but you may have not realized that it can be far more beneficial for you than you think. While it is true that Quora is not for everyone, and not everyone can find their own way to get engagement and the right answers on the platform. But, if you are determined enough, you will be one happy Quora user. Let us have a look at some of the ways you can use Quora to improve yourself.
Follow Interesting Topics
One of the best things about Quora is that it has a place for every idea, and you will always find people sharing similar interests to support those ideas and discuss them with you. If you have something in your mind that you would like to share or you have a topic you would like to learn more about, then Quora can be a perfect place.
Never hesitate to put your question out there because it might already have an answer on the platform. Remember, Quora is a platform designed for people who love using the word “Why?”.
Crowdsource Ideas
Imagine a stranger behind the phone screen giving you the best advice and information, and sharing a lesson that can help you improve your life exponentially. How would that make you feel? Do not be surprised if you come to learn about such stories while using the platform because Quora is full of people with life experiences, knowledge, and Ideas.
Use the platform to get product feedback, surveys, competitor analysis, etc. And if you think it is not a great idea to keep an eye on your competitor on such a big platform, then you will be happy to learn you can even ask the questions anonymously.
Improve Your Knowledge
While it is true that the quality of answers on the platform can be mixed, you will be able to learn how to find good solutions as you use the platform more. Imagine a celebrity or an expert giving you a full detailed answer to a simple question. That is like tapping into the minds of experts and learning from the best.
Follow any topic and ask any question, you will end up finding something more as compared to what is available on the Internet. You can also bookmark the answers you found interesting and helpful. And once you share your interest on the platform, the algorithm will automatically show you similar types of questions that you like reading.
Here is an interesting video about getting some traffic from Quora –
Conclusion
To truly appreciate how good Quora is, you need to spend some time on it. It may not be able to gain your appreciation when you are in a hurry and open it from the Search Engine Ranking Page, it will not disappoint you if you start scrolling the answers a bit. There are indeed pros and cons of this platform, but they depend upon the user who is using the platform. It is great for learning valuable things, following topics, sharing your knowledge, etc., but it may not be able to impress you when you are in a hurry to find something. It takes patience to grow on Quora, but it is all worth it in the end.