Quora is a surprisingly useful place to find interesting answers to all sorts of questions. Questions are organized in categories, so you can learn stuff about architecture or astrophysics, zoology or Zorro.
Or pose your own questions. Readers upvote the most valuable answers, which float to the top. Respondents typically share their credentials, which helps in assessing answersâ credibility.Â
Whatâs unique about Quora?Â
What I like most about Quora is that answers to questions about specific companies or scientific topics are often answered by people with relevant expertise. For example, Steve Case, the founder of America Online, explained how much AOL spent in the 1990s to mail millions of CD-ROMs to acquire customers. Other AOL alums added details.Â
What to use Quora for
Ask. Pose a scientific, historical or cultural curiosity question thatâs been on your mind and get a diverse range of free answers. Ask about anything: newsletters, BTS, unusual fruit or anything else you can think of. Itâs like Wikipedia in question form.
Search. Type in the name of a company, politician, author, animal or anything else to find a page full of interesting â and sometimes odd â questions and answers. Example: the Angela Merkel page features a mix of input from amateurs, historians and specialists.Â
Answer. Sharing your expertise on Quora is easy â once youâve created a free account, answer any question of interest. You generally wonât earn anything, though in 2021 Quora+ launched to enable subscriptions for premium answers. Some revenue flows back to select answerers. Whether or not you earn anything, you can help curious students or clear up a questionerâs confusion.Â
Learn. Pick a subject youâve always been curious about, from ornithology to knitting, yoga to darts. Subject pages like these are rabbit holes with occasionally intriguing questions and answers. Itâs fruitful for serendipitous discovery; if youâre looking for something very specific, Wikipedia is a more direct path.
Laugh. In addition to serious questions, people ask ridiculous things, spotlight amusing Amazon reviews and otherwise share things that are funny, either intentionally or unintentionally.Â
3 Quora questions with interesting answers
What are some of the biggest marketing blunders? Answers explain how Tropicana tried disastrous new packaging, Heinz used a QR code with a lapsed URL that led to porn, and Pepsi advertised in China with a baffling message.Â
What are the most surreal places to visit? Scroll through for unique places, gorgeous photos, and strange destinations.Â
What are some of the most epic photos ever taken? Check out an eclectic visual mix, from historic news photos to an odd photo of the Beatles reading and answering fan mail.Â
Caveats
Occasional junk. Like any platform with user-generated content, Quora has junk alongside thoughtful answers to interesting questions. On some questions, the junk dominates â more moderation would be useful.
Marketers sometimes jump in to promote their own products, ideas or expertise. Avoiding them adds friction to the experience of using Quora. The site is largely community-run and features are rarely updated.
Uneven coverage. Some topics are well-covered; others are empty. After a decade, some of the siteâs pages are aging, like untended gardens.
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