People ask a lot of random questions.
How long do sea turtles live? How many kilometers are in a mile? Who is the king of Sweden?
Nowadays, when a question pops into your head, the internet is the first place you go. There are a bunch of Q&A platforms you can refer to when looking for any information, one of them being Quora.
Quora is a question-and-answer website where people go to find information. Every piece of content on the site is generated by users, meaning it is created, edited, and organized by the same people that use the website.
After hearing that description of Quora, you might be thinking, “Well, why don’t I just use an everyday search engine?”
I’ll tell you why. Quora has some qualities that other research tools don’t.
Let’s go over the basics of Quora and what you need to know before you start using it.
Quora aims to create a community of individuals who share and learn from each other. It is super easy to use the platform and connect with people worldwide.
When you first visit Quora, you will be asked to either sign in or create an account on this colorful screen:
From that screen, click Sign Up With Email. After you fill out that page, you can complete the other typical account creation requirements, like adding a photo to your profile and connecting with your friends on the site.
You can then start to follow things that interest you. Quora is the perfect mix between a search engine and social media. You follow things on the website, but there is a greater emphasis on topics, like the ones shown below, rather than people. Either way, whatever you choose to follow will make up the content in your feed.
After you’ve created an account and chosen topics to follow, you can start using Quora. This includes asking questions on the site.
To ask a question on Quora, hit the red Add Question or Link option in the top right corner. A box that looks like the one below should pop up:
Enter your question and then hit Add Question. Quora will ask you to select and verify the topics that are relevant to this question. After that, you simply wait for people to respond.
On the other end of Quora is the ability to answer other users' questions.
Before we go into how you can answer questions on Quora, let’s touch on why you should.
You should be answering someone’s question on Quora only if you have a high-quality, honest, and accurate answer. Don’t respond to users’ questions with nonsense. The only way a website like Quora can thrive is if all users respect the requests and answers of others.
That being said, answering questions on Quora is simple. Your feed will consist of questions related to the different topics you follow. Click on one of those questions you have a solid answer for, and hit the Answer button.
Go ahead and submit answers on Quora to your heart's content, and make sure it is all accurate and helpful to the user who asked the question.
Another feature on Quora that is helpful to users is the upvote and downvote options. If you see a response on Quora that you think perfectly answers the question presented, you can upvote it. On the other hand, if you see an inaccurate and uninformative answer, you can downvote it.
The number of upvotes and downvotes on a particular response will affect its visibility. If a response has a lot of upvotes, it is seen as valid, and Quora will push it to the top of the response list. If an answer has more downvotes, users see it as invalid, and Quora will not prioritize it for others to see.
Here’s what the screen looks like beneath the section for an answer on Quora. The upvote button is labeled to the left. The downvote button is not labeled, but it is the one pointing straight down on the right, circled in the picture below for reference.
The FAQs below cover a range of topics providing information on different aspects of Quora. If you are new to the Q&A platform, it'll help you better understand the community culture, how it works, and how you can get the best out of it.
Quora Digest is the newsletter the platform sends to registered users. The email consists of a list of personalized questions based on the user's interest and history and the best answers picked by Quora's algorithm. It also includes a call to action (CTA) to check out the complete answer, which takes you to the website.
To unsubscribe from Quora Digest, go to the settings in your profile. In the emails and notifications tab, uncheck the box next to Quora Digest to opt out of receiving the emails.
As a platform, Quora is safe to use. Although any information obtained from the website should be verified before referencing.
As mentioned before, the Quora community generates all the platform content. When a user posts a question, other users with expertise or interest in the subject can reply. Users then upvote and downvote answers to surface the most informative and relevant response.
Quora attracts a variety of professionals for different purposes. Business personnel use Quora to promote their services, stay up-to-date with developments in their domain, and establish themselves as experts by answering questions related to their field. Content writers use it to find inspiration and information for their articles. Researchers and academics use it to connect with others in their space and gather information on the desired subject.
In a world full of search engine options, find the one that best fits your personal preference. Quora is a great tool for anyone looking to find and share information, especially if you enjoy a more social and conversational experience when researching. If you liked what you read above, you might want to consider creating a Quora account.
Want to learn more about establishing yourself as an expert? Discover how content marketing promotes thought leadership and provides value to your audience.
This article was originally published in 2019. The content has been updated with new information.
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