Update on April 1, 2011: Malanie Jordan has just written a helpful post that explains more about quora. See “Quora: 7 Reasons Why It’s My New Best Marketing Friend.”
The more places online where you can convince people you’re an expert, the more attention you’ll receive and the more traffic you can pull to your website and blog.
Add Quora to the list of online Q&A sites where you can really flaunt your expertise. It’s a cross between LinkedIn’s Q&A feature and Wikipedia. As soon as I created my Quora account last week, my email inbox was inundated with messages saying people are following me on Quora. That says something about the popularity of the site.
Quora is a continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited and organized by everyone who uses it. Quora wants each question page to become the best possible resource for someone who wants to know about the question.
Here are six reasons you should consider joining:
1. The site is gaining considerable traction, traffic and attention.
This morning, the question “What are some new blogs a start-up should send press releases to?” had 31 answers, many from experienced journalists and bloggers. I answered the questions, too, even though I haven’t created my profile yet. I’ll do that this afternoon. Profiles, by the way, can link to your website.
2. Unlike Wikipedia, everything on Quora is tied back to a person.
Each question and answer has a revision history associated with it, and each change in the log is associated with the person who made it. People use their real names and pictures on Quora and have a short bio describing who they are.
3. People can follow individual questions too.
That creates a waiting audience for anyone who wants to write an answer to the question.
4. It’s easy to find questions on similar topics.
When you answer a question, Quora lets you know how many other questions have been asked on similar topics.
For example, when I answered the question this morning on press releases, I learned Quora has 63 open questions for public relations, 375 open questions on social media, and several other Quora accounts I should be foll0wing. I can follow them just by clicking on the “Follow” button.
5. It will make you smarter.
What topic are you curious about? Search for it, and you’ll probably find questions that others already have asked, and plenty of helpful answers.
6. Many journalists are using this site.
They’re using it not only to look for sources, but to also answer questions.
Before you dive in, read 5 Questions to Ask Before Jumping into Quora. Quora might not be right for you, but if you want to be an expert in your field, it’s worth experimenting with it.
If you use Quora, what have you discovered about the site? Has it helped you connect with others in your target market, or with journalists? Has it made you smarter? What else should we know about this site before asking or answering questions?
Thanks for the Quora rundown, Joan! I like how you emphasized how the site is different from Wikipedia, allowing visitors to actually see the identities of all contributing “experts.”
I’m eager to see if journalists will use Quora as often as they now use Twitter to scout answers and leads. We shall see…
If journalists see Quora as a resource where they can find helpful information fast, and access to terrific sources, they’ll use it. They’ve been scouring sites like Twitter and LinkedIn, and I see no reason why they wouldn’t do the same at Quora.
Hey Joan. I’ve tried Quora out for some techie stuff and it was “somewhat” helpful. I also asked a WordPress plugin question but no one has stepped up to provide an answer yet, not sure why though 🙁
My other interests are related to fashion and shopping, do you think there’s any place for that kind of conversation over at Quora?
Thanks for the links.
I wouldn’t expect to see conversations about fashion and shopping on Quora any more than I’d expect to see them on LinkedIn. But I could be wrong.
I’d be curious to know how others who are familiar with Quora would answer your question, Ileane.
Ileane, people are asking lots of non-business questions on Quora. So it looks like anything goes.
There are all kinds of questions over at Quora. What do you need to know about WordPress? Perhaps I can help.
I just joined Quora about 1 week ago. My goal is to give back and to continue my personal branding efforts. As a Market Researcher, social media metrics will soon be a hot topic for many companies who are exploring this new medium. The company will say, “We spent $5,000, did we get a return on our investment?”
Just took a look based on your recommendation, Joan. I’m not yet blown away. A number of the questions seemed self-serving: One guy asking “when is the deadline” for an event he’s in charge of. That kind of thing stinks up the place.
But I see the potential so I’m going to hang out and see if more substantive questions and answers start showing up. It could be really cool … or not.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Judy
The more time goes by, the better Quora gets. For example, there are some super questions related to social media and some really helpful answers.
Several dozen questions are related to Facebook, alone, and lots of people have stepped up to the plate to answer them.
Hi Joan,
This article inspired me to try out Quora and I’ve found it to be very valuable–thanks! In fact, I just recently did a blog post of my own about it called “Quora: 7 Reasons Why It’s My New Best Marketing Friend” http://melaniejor.typepad.com/whatyouknowisworthmore/2011/04/quora-7-reasons-why-its-my-new-best-marketing-friend.html and I also mentioned your Quora blog post and this informative blog. It’s also a podcast episode at http://infopreneur.podbean.com/2011/04/01/7-reasons-why-quora-is-my-new-best-marketing-friend-what-you-know-is-worth-more-66/
Hope you enjoy it!
Joan, I would like to start using Quora, but their website says that you have to be invited to join. I am an intercultural communication trainer specializing in conflict resolution. Do you have any suggestions as to how I might get myself invited? Thanks in advance!
I just sent you an invitation, Julie.
Thanks so much, Joan! 🙂