Take a Q&A platform like WikiAnswers, dress it up in social-media drag, add a zest of exclusivity, and you will get Quora – now considered by many as the coolest kid in the Q&A block.

Quora was created by Adam D’Angelo, and Charlie Cheever, fresh out of Facebook, and launched, in beta version, in early 2010. It was only accessible to a carefully selected group of people, made up of fellow tech wizards and bloggers, as well as the occasional celebrity.
The platform opened up to the general public in June of 2010 and has been gaining popularity ever since. Kissmetrics estimates that in its first year of existence, the number of registered Quora users grew by 37,000 percent - from 1,470 in January 2010 to 547,777 in January 2011.
Like all Q&A platforms, Quora allows users to post questions and answers. To give it added value, Cheever and D’Angelo decided to lend it a professional dimension.

Besides the user roll restriction they first used, they also introduced a system of evaluation, managed both by administrators and users.

Quora users are asked to register their personal details, areas of expertise and topics of interest before being allowed to post new questions or answer an open question.

Based on the quality of their answers, their degree of expertise is “voted” either up or down by other Quora users. (This voting process can be compared to Facebook’s “Like” option). 
Users also grade the questions, thus creating a “hit list” of questions for every topic.

The more votes writers receive, the more likely they are to see their number of followers increase. This enables them to interact with other Quora members, either through the discussions that arise around each question, or directly, through private messages.

The quality level of the questions and answers is maintained through a strict moderation of the website. Questions and answers are reviewed, sometimes edited, and all have to abide by a strict set of rules.

Good for business

By first opening the platform only to professionals, Quora was able to boast the expert opinion of figures such as Steve Case, co-founder and former chief executive of AOL, or Netscape founder and Vice-President Marc Andreessen. 

To reinforce its professional aspect, Quora recently introduced new medical and legal disclaimers protecting doctors and lawyers from legal action when providing professional advice.

For companies, this is a valuable marketing opportunity. Corporations however cannot sign up - they can only be present in Quora through their representatives, who answer the questions of interested parties.
Nowadays, users can also find advice online on how to leave their mark on the Quora community and how to make it work for their company.

The platform is also relevant for journalists and bloggers who can use it to gather followers by positioning themselves as professionals with valuable insight.

Published: April 22, 2011