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Why Not to Use Quora

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Re: Why Not to Use Quora

#21

Post by praneshp »

fourstar wrote: post #20
rkho wrote: post #13

I used to be a power user on Quora. It's how I learned about the coding bootcamp that eventually became the catalyst for a huge career change in my life. I'd spend countless hours answering questions about my experiences and the school I attended, with the intention of just helping give back to the community. Over the years, Quora became an relentless flood of "ask to answer" questions that were already on the site,…

What more did you expect from sharing your experience from attending a coding bootcamp? Get off your high horse.

I wish you had phrased your answer better, but this is exactly what I thought of the OP's comment (and the vast majority of former power users' complaints, as someone that used to hang out there since the early days).

Re: Why Not to Use Quora

#22

Post by fourstar »

praneshp wrote: post #21
fourstar wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What more did you expect from sharing your experience from attending a coding bootcamp? Get off your high horse.

I wish you had phrased your answer better, but this is exactly what I thought of the OP's comment (and the vast majority of former power users' complaints, as someone that used to hang out there since the early days).

Sometimes the truth is hard to swallow.

EDIT: (as you can tell by the amount of downvotes both of my comments have already received). Hive-mind in effect.

Re: Why Not to Use Quora

#23

Post by NoPicklez »

One part of the article that I really disagree with is the part about the Wayback machine. As much as I believe it's important we retain the information we put on the internet, I fully support that if I put something on the internet and I am the creator of such content, I should be allowed to remove that content I created if I wish.

This is closely aligned with the GDPR's "Right to be forgotten", yes this is in relation to different information but I'm simply describing its intent. But eventually, this level of control should be given to all of us who share content on the internet. That we the curators of such content can ask of the provider to take reasonable steps to remove such content. And that if a provider wishes to restrict how widely dispersed its creators content travels then that's fine. Just because something has been posted online, doesn't mean it needs to travel far and wide.

Now yes, if I post something on the internet and I never touch it again I'm happy for it to hit the Wayback machine. However, I believe it to be important that if I did ever want that information I created to be removed, I'd have the ability to do so. Now if the Wayback machine does not allow this replication, then I understand why Quora do not allow them to use it.

If anything its a battle on both sides, a battle to provide control to the content creators around the content they create. And a battle with trying to archive everything that exists on the internet and making it publicly available regardless of the content creators current wishes.

Don't get me wrong, if you post something online expect it to be on the largest most accessible encyclopedia of information of all time. But times are changing, and we are starting to implement controls to protect our digital identity and the information we create online. My argument, is that if a content provider wishes to restrict how far and wide the information I curate on its service is spread, then there's nothing wrong with that. We should not be shaming content providers who wish to provide as much power to the curator as possible.

Re: Why Not to Use Quora

#25

Post by ceejayoz »

AYBABTME wrote: post #7
vtesucks wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did, once. But after that one entirely new sessions, they automatically "click" the sign in to google button behind the scenes and log me in with the token. Very creepy

I don't like Quora, but... that's just how OAuth is meant to work.

I will say I appreciate Facebook's approach to this - after 60-90 days, you have to affirmatively reconfirm your initial authorization when they send you through the OAuth flow.

Re: Why Not to Use Quora

#26

Post by zenexer »

anonytrary wrote: post #17
zenexer wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never found the quality to be anywhere near as good as Stack Exchange, even when Quora first launched. Why anyone would knowingly use Quora over Stack Exchange is a mystery to me; I suspect that most Quora users simply aren't aware that Stack Exchange exists, since SE traditionally catered primarily to a technical audience. Edit: One of my biggest gripes with the platform is that it's always solicited a large numbe…

SE is much more difficult to start using than Quora, which is also probably why it has higher quality content. Quora has absolutely no quality control.

That's definitely true, though I find that the less technical platforms are laxer. However, that level of quality control is exactly what keeps me coming back. If you ask a stupid question, SO is going point it out rather bluntly. Quora will give you a best-effort answer so someone can plug their latest product.

Ask a vague question on Quora, and you'll get a vague answer.

Ask a vague question on Stack Overflow, and you'll get downvoted along with comments to the order of, "You haven't provided enough information for us to give you an answer."

Re: Why Not to Use Quora

#27

Post by ryanmccullagh »

I used to enjoy browsing Quora about 4 years ago. Then It started showing up in Google search results for any obscure thing I would search. Most of the time I view a question, there is some type of product placement in the answers. It's not of high value to me anymore. Stack Exchange is much, much better, and even reddit.

How do these guys honestly have a real business? I know the founder was Zuck's friend.

Re: Why Not to Use Quora

#28

Post by minhaz23 »

rkho wrote: post #13

I used to be a power user on Quora. It's how I learned about the coding bootcamp that eventually became the catalyst for a huge career change in my life. I'd spend countless hours answering questions about my experiences and the school I attended, with the intention of just helping give back to the community. Over the years, Quora became an relentless flood of "ask to answer" questions that were already on the site,…

Id like to learn more about your bootcamp experiences. Do you still recommend it?

Re: Why Not to Use Quora

#29

Post by Barrin92 »

NoPicklez wrote: post #23

One part of the article that I really disagree with is the part about the Wayback machine. As much as I believe it's important we retain the information we put on the internet, I fully support that if I put something on the internet and I am the creator of such content, I should be allowed to remove that content I created if I wish. This is closely aligned with the GDPR's "Right to be forgotten", yes this is in relat…

I agree. It also aligns with the 'right to one's own image' for example, which is important in jurisdictions like Germany and gains increasing relevance with the prevalence of facial recognition and finding oneself on social media without having given consent.

There is a real danger of the internet becoming a macabre and voyeuristic zoo where people lose control over their own data in the name of ever more transparency or public interest.

It has always been particularly interesting to me that this is an especially big issue in the US, where you would expect the opposite given how it handles these matters of privacy and non-interference in the analog world.

Re: Why Not to Use Quora

#30

Post by ta3216 »

NoPicklez wrote: post #23

One part of the article that I really disagree with is the part about the Wayback machine. As much as I believe it's important we retain the information we put on the internet, I fully support that if I put something on the internet and I am the creator of such content, I should be allowed to remove that content I created if I wish. This is closely aligned with the GDPR's "Right to be forgotten", yes this is in relat…

I completely agree. I’m the copyright holder of text I published on my own website years ago; the fact they hold on to my written copyrighted work without my permission, ignoring my explicit request to remove it from their internal database is infuriating.
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