Quora: The Most Intriguing and Fun Site on the Web

In my opinion, it’s easy to get addicted to Facebook.  It’s like brain candy; it’s such a guilty pleasure to get constant updates of what people are doing and what they think.  Plus, how else would you keep track of everyone’s birthday!?  Unfortunately, there’s generally very little sustenance to what’s posted on there.

Breaking Bad (TV Series) topic page

On the other hand, there’s a great site that’s just as addicting and is loaded with an incredible amount of knowledge.  The site is called Quora and is essentially a question and answer site, but with a twist.  Anyone can ask questions and anyone can answer them; however, the twist is users vote on answers, which causes them to “bubble” to the top.  Plus, you can “follow” specific questions, users, and topics that interest you. When you follow a question, you get notified of any new answers that are written.  When you follow users and topics, they’re used to curate what you see when you log into Quora.

It may not seem all that clear from my description, but I think if you give it a try, you’ll get sucked in!

I really enjoy the site because the huge range of questions and topics that are addressed.  Plus, there is such a large (and growing) set of users that are answering questions, there ends up being an abundant amount of unique perspectives.  These particular questions come to mind when considering unique perspectives:

• What’s it like to fly on Air Force One?
• What is George W Bush really like in one on one conversation?
• What is Bill Clinton like in person?
• What are some great stories about Steve Jobs?
• Did Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin have instructions of what to do if they couldn’t take off from the moon?

It’s really hard to list some of my favorites because there have been so many, but here’s a shot at it.

Favorite Questions:

• Who is the most persistent person who has ever lived?
• What are some well timed photos?
• What are the best photos taken from an airplane?
• Which questions on Quora have the most followers?
• What answers on Quora have the most upvotes?

A Question I Asked That Got Popular:

• How many times can a bath towel be used after showers before it needs to be washed?

Favorite Answers:

• Whats it like to be a drug dealer?
• What does it feel like to murder someone? (horrible topic, but incredibly insightful answer)
• What qualities would the glass in Cinderellas slippers need to have in order for her to walk and dance comfortably and hold her weight?

My Best Answers:

• Who is the most persistent person who has ever lived?
• What are the first 5 and 10 fundamental things to teach a kid learning soccer?
• What are some fruits and vegetables that are surprisingly unhealthy?
• What is a food I’m probably not eating but should?

Sample Topics:

• Breaking Bad (TV series)
• Soccer (Football)
• Philosophy

Favorite People:

• Jason Hurley (shameless plug!)
• Jonas Luster
• Marc Bodnick
• Will Wister
• Robert Scoble
• Craig Newmark

Or maybe I should have saved all this time and just shared this link:

• What great answers should you show when introducing someone to Quora

I’ll look forward to you joining Quora (it’s free, of course) and following me, so I can follow you back.  Feel free to comment here with any questions!