Quora vs. StackExchange: Why, Joel, Why?
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Quora vs. StackExchange: Why, Joel, Why?
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Re: Quora vs. StackExchange: Why, Joel, Why?
#2The point he is making is that stackoverflow is important because
1. It is useful at work
2. It is useful for getting work
He dimisses the possibility that people asking questions about photography might not be photographers doing it for a living ( and a hodgepodge of sites focused on photography, mathematics, Apple, video games, board games, role-playing games, and science fiction. Interesting? Sure. Important? Hell, no. )
Besides who can be more obsesses about scores than gamers?
Re: Quora vs. StackExchange: Why, Joel, Why?
#3I never understood this 'There can be only one' attitude. I'm fine with thousands of these sites existing. There doesn't have to be 1 that's better than all the rest, and I don't have to spend every waking moment finding it, or making sure I'm already using it.
Sites also don't have to be 'important' for them to matter to people.
Re: Quora vs. StackExchange: Why, Joel, Why?
#4The issue of "reputation" is really interesting and my guess is that will be more and more important in the future. It is already important in specialized communities where it makes sense to be an expert or a master or a ninja or you name it or gain karma points.
But I am not sure how important can it be in communities with many many users and without a well defined focus. He refers to a few metrics for the social component but it is not clear yet what a good and appealing "reputation metric" could be.
Re: Quora vs. StackExchange: Why, Joel, Why?
#5let people log in with Twitter and Facebook, to make StackExchange reputations easily exportable to other platforms.
StackOverflow should change absolutely nothing about their login process. It is perfect. I anonymously answered one question, and all of a sudden I have a profile. No confirmation e-mail, no Facebook or Twitter crap. Just use the site and bam! you're registered. It remembers me every time I come back and it makes absolutely no fucking attempt to worm its way into my social graph.
Re: Quora vs. StackExchange: Why, Joel, Why?
#6The strategy StackExchange is following is textbook. In fact, here it is: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crossing-Chasm-Disruptive-Mainstream...
The network effect and the quality of contributors is everything. Start in an entirely new field and you'll end up with the blind leading the blind, and the quality and reputation of the site will plummet. Just take a look at That Other Q&A Site.
For a new field, the site needs enthusiastic and highly competent contributors; otherwise it will fail.
Re: Quora vs. StackExchange: Why, Joel, Why?
#7I briefly liked Quora (partly because its the first site I've seen that serves up minified HTML). Now I find it boring, insular, and full of group think. Much like this article. And the valley. The concept that some non-valley site, that doesn't have all the cool kids behind it, might actually be successful is just not allowed within the techcrunch world-view.
Re: Quora vs. StackExchange: Why, Joel, Why?
#8I never understood this 'There can be only one' attitude. I'm fine with thousands of these sites existing. There doesn't have to be 1 that's better than all the rest, and I don't have to spend every waking moment finding it, or making sure I'm already using it. Sites also don't have to be 'important' for them to matter to people.
My guess is that we're seeing the results of the tech blogger echo chamber. These self proclaimed experts need methods to legitimize their existence and quantify their awesomeness. What better way than a big fat number on the one end-all-be-all site? See also: Scoble was biggest contributor on Quora.
Of course, it's all ridiculous (for now). Most people in the real world have better things to do than troll around on Q&A sites hoping for karma. Until someone figures out how to convert karma into a competitive paycheck, this is all nonsense.
Re: Quora vs. StackExchange: Why, Joel, Why?
#9Actually, I think StackExchange is doing just fine.
Going for the vertical communities (which have some overlap, no doubt) is a very clever strategy - it works.
Pray tell exactly what Quora is achieving with its strategy. Right now it looks like an over-hyped version of Stack Exchange - Startups.
Re: Quora vs. StackExchange: Why, Joel, Why?
#10I think online reputations work and matter a lot in Silicon Valley and the startup world, but anywhere else, not that much.
Also, the attack on the "other" SE sites is lame. I regularly visit and am active on the Physics SE, and Quora's got nothing on it.