Clients and colleagues are always asking “What’s the next ‘hot’ thing we should be doing?” Our latest answer? Quora. According to its administrators, “Quora is a collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it. The main goal is to be the best possible resource for someone who wants to know about each question.” According to Peter Baskerville, Quora reviewer, entrepreneur, educational resource developer and vocational teacher, Quora is:

-An online collaborative information sharing and learning platform.
-An online engineering platform that connects the information needs of real people with information solutions provided by real people.
-An expanding, continuously improving, democratically ranked resource library that contains ‘bite’ sized nodules of highly contextualized learning.
-The mobile university. What articles are to desktops, Quora’s answers are to mobile devices – the ‘1 minute’ solution to the many daily questions we all have.
-‘Just-in-time’ learning. i.e. providing the specific answer that a person wants, when they want it and in the form and quantity they need.
-Is an online platform that is harnessing the power of technological innovation to usher in a paradigm shift in learning.
-Is a lead player in the global learning revolution.

Should you care to get a better understanding of what Quora is, follow the question on Quora.com: What is Quora? We warn you now, Quora is addicting for the information sponges out there. Browse with care.

Now that you know what the site is, here are the top 5 reasons you should be on Quora.

1.     Consult your Peers. Quora is the perfect tool for when you want or need the input of peers that could objectively answer a question or give input on a product, problem, or fact request.  While typing a question, you may find that someone else asked the same thing, meaning you don’t have to wait for an answer. A possible negative to asking a question on Quora is that it may not get answered immediately or at all.

2.     Establish Yourself as a Thought Leader. Quora is a wonderful place to position yourself as a thought leader or expert. If you have valuable answers to provide to peers’ questions, go for it. We’ve seen journalists looking for sources as well as meeting organizers seeking subject matter experts for presentations on this site. Of course it will take time to build credibility, but the end-result will be worth it!

3.     Research the Competition. Users can look up and track questions concerning any topic. This is especially useful when researching what is being said about a competitor. Bulx.com’s Matt Russo explained “I used Quora to find information on a competitor’s web-based company. The answer was provided by someone who had obviously worked with the company in the past, as illustrated by the in-depth information he shared.” Not only may you find basic information and opinions of your competitors, but the user-generated content may be valuable “insider” information!

4.     Grow Your Network. Unlike most wiki sites, you can actually connect and communicate with people who have commented on your questions or answered questions you are following. This is another way to connect with a community of users with common interests. No more 140 character conversations here. Quora offers the opportunity to connect with people who share similar interests using good, old-fashioned long-hand typing.

5.     Receive Inspiration. Quora users can easily track trending questions or hot topics. The savvy Quora user will be able to identify trends and themes behind questions receiving the most activity and attention. These may be the source of ideas for blog posts, program ideas, or even a PR or marketing program. Any source that is the result of intelligent conversation and thought sharing has the potential to be a font of ideas and inspiration.

Quora is becoming a deeper and deeper well of information every day. Sign up and lurk around the site for a few visits before taking the plunge and asking or answering questions. We’re sure you’ll find Quora to be the amazing source of information and professional development that we do. We’re really excited to see how powerful it becomes over the next few years.

If you’re new to Quora or trying it for the first time after reading this post, please take a moment and give us your first impressions. We’re always interested to hear feedback.

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