For me Quora is useful in finding alternative sites/software. For example, If I am looking for a web chat software, I can find most of the available solutions there. Of course, the information is biased because it is posted by the respective founders/CTOs. Still I can use that as a starting point for my research. I do hate that I have to login to read content but share=1 comes to the rescue.
Quora in the next YC batch
161–170 of 188 posts
Re: Quora in the next YC batch
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
Direction probably. Quora has floundered for nearly 5 years, burned millions of dollars and still has a questionable product. Meanwhile Stack Exchange has been around only a year longer, a fraction of the funding, and pretty well owns the entire question-answer niche.
stack exchange = tell me a fact quora = tell me a story
stack exchange = solve my problem
quora = help me procrastinate
Re: Quora in the next YC batch
#163Funny thing, I visited Quora today, for the first time in a while. Years, maybe: Googled something, Quora near top results, clicked link, "signup" nag screen, results blurred out, left page. I guess I still don't get it. Curious to see what this will be about.
To remove that & avoid logging in / registering, just add "?share=1" to the end of the URL.
I do this all the time, even though I actually have an account. I don't like the process where I search google and then have to login to see the result I searched for.
Re: Quora in the next YC batch
#164Hard to imagine what's in it for Quora. - Network connections? Their CEO is the former CTO of Facebook. - Help with fundraising? They raised $80mm at $900mm valuation not more than a month ago. I strongly suspect Quora is planning a huge pivot which they feel is ambitious but doable in 3 months, and YC believes in the value of this pivot; that is the only plausible explanation I can think of.
YC is run by some of the smartest people in the valley. Quora obviously see their ability to help with the direction and strategy of their business valuable.
Re: Quora in the next YC batch
#165I'd love to hear more about why. It makes sense for YC (and is probably being treated as a normal investment rather than "Adam filled out a YC application and did a 10 minute interview"), however I feel like it makes Quora seem weak.
Right! Quora is before product market fit - it has no revenue, and its core product seems to have stalled (given the valuation its investors need).
YC seems ideal for this. Just because they've spent millions, doesn't mean they aren't stuck, and need that magic juju sauce help to do the perfect pivot, which YC can perhaps help with.
Re: Quora in the next YC batch
#166Earlier quoted context omitted.
Quora would have to be having an extremely difficult time hiring for it to be a recruiting move. A Venn diagram of engineers or designers for whom Quora is more interesting when affiliated with Y Combinator, whom Quora would also want to hire, but who could not already join most other Y Combinator startups does not overlap.
Ya, I tend to agree with you, but without some sort of recruiting angle I'm left with nothing. Still scratching my head.
Help pivoting.
Re: Quora in the next YC batch
#167I was a frequent Quora user with a relatively well-regarded reputation.
During an Ask to Answer session a user took offence to being proved wrong about some fact or other and threatened a retribution.
Over next few days emails began arriving in my personal inbox which the User had incorrectly identified as the email of my business clients.
The emails were pure vitriol accusing me of fraud etc telling the "clients" to jettison me.
I immediately contacted Quora as the information he had access to could only have come from an Administrator (which I had previously clashed with on the thread). Quora denied all knowledge but the Administrator refused to engage with me personally.
At that point I realised it just was not worth the exposure.
Re: Quora in the next YC batch
#168Hope JesusChristSiliconValley has something to say about this. http://jesuschristsiliconvalley.tumblr.com/post/48962035819/...
Haven't heard a thing from him since http://jesuschristsiliconvalley.tumblr.com/post/50931471868/... ..
But yes; that post is all I can think of when I hear Quora.
Re: Quora in the next YC batch
#169Funny thing, I visited Quora today, for the first time in a while. Years, maybe: Googled something, Quora near top results, clicked link, "signup" nag screen, results blurred out, left page. I guess I still don't get it. Curious to see what this will be about.
Technically they are spamming the hell out of googles results, but google seems to be fine with it