Quora: the knowledge platform


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Category: News & Magazines	Offer by: Quora, Inc.

Quora: the knowledge platform is a question-and-answer website and mobile application designed to crowdsource information and insights from a large global community of experts and knowledgeable users. Its core function is to connect people seeking answers or perspectives with individuals implicitly recognized as having relevant experience or deep understanding in various subjects. It primarily serves individuals curious about the world, learners at any stage, professionals looking to deepen their expertise, and researchers needing diverse viewpoints on topics ranging from everyday issues to highly specialized subjects.

The chief appeal of Quora lies in its potential for discovering high-caliber information sourced from vetted contributors, fostering a global exchange of ideas, and learning from people’s lived experiences and professional backgrounds. It allows users to engage with complex topics by accessing discussions curated based on interest tags they choose, providing a powerful tool for learning, research, and gaining informed opinions from diverse fields and locales.

App Features

Community Q&A: Pose questions about almost any subject and receive detailed answers from people who often share relevant expertise or genuinely insightful knowledge. For instance, asking about sustainable business practices might attract responses from entrepreneurs actively engaged in green initiatives, offering practical strategies and lessons learned, giving users valuable exposure to real-world applications of theoretical concepts.
Topics and Following: Organize questions and discussions by broad areas of interest like Technology, Politics, Science, or Arts. Users select topics they’re interested in to tailor their feed with relevant questions and answers, improving the efficiency of finding valuable information, rapidly customizing the experience to match their evolving interests and professional or personal goals.
Profile-based Authorship: Each answer is clearly attributed to the user who wrote it, along with indicators of their credibility based on factors like their history of engagement, topic expertise, and community reputation. This transparency builds trust, empowering users to prioritize information from active, knowledgeable contributors, which is crucial when navigating vast amounts of content online.
Content Discovery Engine: The platform learns from your viewing habits and which questions you engage with to gradually personalize your feed, surfacing more content relevant to your interests. This saves users from manual searching, ensuring users find niche information and engage with communities and topics they hadn’t previously considered, keeping their learning journey dynamic and less effortful.
Multimedia Answers: Contributors can enrich their answers with various media, including embedded links, formatted citations, custom images, videos, and structured lists. This flexibility allows for richer explanations and demonstrations, accommodating different learning styles and maintaining user engagement with complex information presented in easily digestible formats.
Question Voting and Following: Users can indicate the quality and helpfulness of questions and answers by “Upvoting” or “Downvoting”. Furthermore, users can “Follow” specific questions they are interested in, ensuring they get updates if the discussion evolves later. This feature streamlines information consumption by prioritizing content that resonates with the user and maintains a dynamic sense of ongoing dialogue on topics.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Access to diverse global knowledge
Answers often written by subject matter experts
Broad range of topics available
In-depth exploration of complex subject matter

Cons:

Quality of answers varies significantly between users
May feel overwhelming due to sheer volume of content
Dependence on frequency of active contributions
Occasional difficulty verifying source material’s accuracy

Similar Apps

App Name	Highlights
Yahoo! Answers	This app offers widespread topic coverage and an established Q&A model. Known for its longevity and user reach and fundamental simplicity.
Reddit	Structured into diverse communities (subreddits) focused on nearly every interest. Includes robust discussion features and upvote/downvote mechanisms.
Minds.com	An alternative platform promoting creator-fan interaction. Features include user profiles focused on showcasing knowledge, similar “following” mechanics to Quora.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Quora: the knowledge platform free to use on mobile and web?
A: Yes, Quora is primarily a free platform. Users can access the website and download the mobile applications without cost, benefiting from a large repository of content created by contributors worldwide. There are, however, optional paid plans available for a subscription fee.

Q: Can I ask questions in Quora about highly specialized or niche subjects?
A: Absolutely! Quora thrives on a wide variety of topics. While mainstream subjects get the most attention, it also covers highly specialized niche subjects and questions knowledgable contributors are comfortable addressing, leveraging the platform’s diverse global community to connect askers with relevant experts.

Q: How does Quora contribute to transparency or accountability alongside social media’s influence?
A: Quora focuses on connecting questions directly with information potentially originating from perceived subject experts, adding a layer of implicit accountability. Users review answers based on their perceived quality and relevance before endorsing them via upvotes, encouraging thoughtful contributions. This represents a move away from viral content towards substantiated answers compared to many social media platforms.

Q: Can I still use Quora if I have a disability that affects web navigation?
A: Quora app for Android and iOS is generally designed with accessibility features. Users can access core functionalities with screen readers and other assistive technologies. However, the effectiveness can depend on the specific device and operating system integration. We recommend checking the specific accessibility settings within the platform itself for the best experience.

Q: Is Quora replacing traditional search engines for finding information?
A: Quora complements traditional search engines but isn’t intended to replace them directly. Search engines find factual information across the web using algorithms, whereas Quora provides direct answers and perspectives from human contributors, often acting as a hub for curated responses to specific questions. It offers context and insight that might not be readily available in simple search results.