The question about Quora

Like many things in social media, there needs to be a certain preponderance of buzz for a platform or application to catch on with the social media mainstream. And I use the term "social media mainstream" purposefully because it is actually far from the actual mainstream. After all, Twitter and Foursquare would be considered part of the social media mainstream. Yet, recent research has shown that only 8% of online Americans actually use Twitter and 4% of online Americans use location-based services like Foursquare (which means usage of just Foursquare is probably actually lower than 4%). Facebook, on the other hand, is now the most popular site on the Internet with over 500 million users. Now that's mainstream. Although, anecdotally, I knew Facebook was mainstream once I received a "friend" request from my 78 year-old mother.

 
These numbers are important because the latest buzz in social media seems to be Quora—a question and answer site that adds the trappings of social media. It has received a lot of press in the last few weeks, with many people declaring it one of the break-through technologies of 2010. Robert Scoble has also given it his seal of approval (which had to help its popularity). Mashable has already declared Quora will never be as big as Twitter (and again, I ask, is Twitter really that big? See above).

So why all the buzz? Initially, even before it went public last summer, Quora benefited from its pedigree with ex-Facebookers, ex-Googlers and an ex-Twitterer on the payroll. But pedigree only lasts so long, especially once a product goes live. Then it's all about function.

In terms of its function, it's easy to like Quora. For me, at least, Quora has an addictive quality like StumbleUpon. From social media campaigns to starting tomato seeds, there doesn't seem to be a question that doesn't have an answer. But Quora's most appealing feature, and the feature that makes it more than just a Q&A site like Yahoo Answers, is the ability to follow not only people (à la Twitter), but also to follow topics. It reminds me a bit of what Google Wave was trying to achieve, but without the complexity or commitment. Speaking of Google, and as William Fenton at PCMag.com also points out, Quora makes a fine search engine as well.

Certainly the UI needs work. I did not find it particularly intuitive when I first started using it. Typing a question is easy enough, but there is some functionality that I'm still trying to figure out. Also, from a purely design aesthetic POV, the site is not very inviting.
I think Quora is also benefitting from the "latest and greatest" addiction we, in social media, suffer from. There is so much happening (and happening so fast) that if social media beacons, like Robert Scoble, point toward a certain product, people will flock to it for fear of being woefully out of touch.

So the question remains, is Quora here for the long haul? Is all this buzz right now just the bright light of a temporary flare that will quickly burn out? And in terms of the social media mainstream, what number does Quora have to maintain to be considered a success?

No one knows the answer right now. Then again, give me a second and let me add it to Quora.

What do you think about Quora? Do you use it? Do you find it useful?

Kevin Duffy is the Creative Director for The Duffy Agency's Boston Office.

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