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Is Quora going to make it?


Is Quora going to make it? They have got a good chance. Many Silicon Valley executives think they will. Is Quora going to contribute to the body of global knowledge? I am doubtful.

Like Wikipedia, Quora is a crowd sourcing platform that leverages users to do the work. Unlike Wikipedia, Quora is for profit. Its users work, not for the benefit of human knowledge but for the benefit of Benchmark Capital. It has a smart business model. Users answer questions to promote their online reputation as experts on a topic (guilty as charged, I do it too). Users also write questions because it is an easier way to show online presence than answering, it only takes a sentence or two.

People write questions to join the online clatter; usually they are not looking for answers. Also, in other search and answer websites like Answer.com or ehow.com the questions are simple, like “What is the best way to get from Philadelphia to NY?” Google “How”, “Philadelphia”, “NY”, and “travel” and you are likely to find this question. Questions on Quora are much longer and therefore the likelihood of finding a specific question by googling is much smaller. Quora will prove itself useful only when many of its users will actually use it to seek information.

Much of the same happens on Twitter, where every Tech-Crunch post on startup investments, acquisitions or ousting of a CEO immediately gets re-twitted thousands of times making an hyperbolic could of chatter. We get it, you are on top of things, and you have a RSS reader. At least Twitter has found a way to provide real value: Clover food trucks update their whereabouts on Twitter; Sarah Palin uses it to create new words in English; and Egyptians use it to stir a revolution. Time will tell if amid all the noise, Quora will provide value as well.

Finally, some related links:

Who decides what is true on Quora? http://chinacensorshipwatch.org/tag/quora

Some take it humorously http://www.quora.com/Whats-the-best-way-to-deal-with-guys-who-flirt-with-your-girlfriend-on-Quora

Me on Quora http://www.quora.com/Avi-Latner

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