Navigating the Challenges of Quora: A Guide to Effective Question Posting and Answering

As a seasoned SEO professional, it is essential to stay updated with the latest trends and challenges on platforms like Quora. Over the years, Quora has made several policy changes that have significantly impacted how questions are structured and answered. One of the most notable changes is the removal of detailed question sections, which has led to various challenges for both answer writers and question creators. In this article, we will explore the implications of this change and provide strategies to improve the effectiveness of your questions and answers on Quora.

The Removal of Detailed Question Sections

Recently, Quora removed the detailed question sections that allowed users to provide more context and context-specific details. While this change was likely made to streamline the content and make it more concise, it has led to several issues that affect the quality and comprehensiveness of the answers provided.

For example, a question asking about a 'small and brown animal' may have remained unanswered without the proper context. This highlights the value of providing detailed information, which can make a significant difference in the accuracy and relevance of the answers received.

Understanding the Reasons Behind the Change

It is crucial to understand why Quora made these changes. The platform has implemented a policy that favors questions with less uncertainty and more specific answer requirements. To achieve this, Quora now prefers questions that allow for more comprehensive answers, even if they require additional details to be fully understood.

For instance, if a question involves multiple scenarios (e.g., if A then X, if B then Y), Quora prefers answers that cover each scenario comprehensively. Such answers often begin with 'it depends,' but they aim to provide a thorough and detailed response. This policy change has led to increased hostility among answer writers, who may feel their efforts are undervalued when details are omitted.

Strategies for Addressing the Lack of Details

To address the challenges posed by the lack of detailed question sections, users can employ several strategies:

Alternative Methods for Providing Details

Users can explore different methods to provide additional details and context:

Question Comments: While question comments cannot be changed by others, they are not very visible and do not survive merging. Users can still place "See Comments" in the question and revert edits by the Quora Content Review (QCR) to ensure at least some users see the added details. Question Source: This method displays details to non-users but is changeable by others. Users can write their details in a Quora blog or an external source and insert the URL in the question's source. It’s important to refer to "See Link" and fight QCR if necessary. Answer to Your Own Question: This method is not changeable by others and survives merging, making it a reliable option. However, users risk their questions being lost among other answers or facing downvotes, reports, or collapses. To prevent breaking Quora’s rule about not answering the question, users should provide at least one answer before adding their details.

Users should also ensure that they clearly identify themselves as the original poster (OP) in any of these methods.

Conclusion

The removal of detailed question sections on Quora has introduced a range of challenges, but it also presents an opportunity to improve the quality and relevance of questions and answers. By understanding the reasons behind the change and employing the strategies outlined in this article, users can navigate the platform more effectively and ensure that their questions are answered comprehensively and accurately.

As a final thought, it raises the question whether Quora should continue to function as a QA platform if it makes it so difficult to ask the questions users truly want to ask. If you're interested in exploring this idea further, you can refer to the article here.