How to Use Quora to Grow Your Network and Gain Expert Credibility

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Quora.com is a social media site that is based on asking and answering questions on basically any topic you can think of. I find myself describing it as a mashup of Yahoo questions, but with the professionalism of LinkedIn. Quora is growing in popularity thanks to a mention earlier this year by Robert Scoble.

Quora can be used for research, but for the purposes of this article we are going to focus on using it to grow your network and establish your credibility in your niche or topic.

There are several other question and answer websites out there, but one of the things that makes Quora more appealing is the caliber of the community and therefore the answers you'll find there. The site is frequented by many, high-powered Silicon Valley types as well as journalists, entrepreneurs and small business people. So, while you are going about establishing yourself you can also network with fellow experts who are willing to share their knowledge.

I am not going to cover how to use the site. You can sign up using either your Facebook or Twitter account. As soon as you join you will be brought to your first question, which is, "How do I get started using Quora?" Go through that and follow the prompts and you will see how easy it is to get started.

As you will learn in the initial tutorials, you can follow topics, people and questions. You will want to take the time to learn about how to make the best use of the site by reading good answers, good questions and watching how the people in specific fields and topics use Quora.
  • How to establish credibility as a topic expert on Quora:
One cool feature of Quora is that is policed by users and administrators. New users must take a short quiz before they can post anything on the site, and other users of the site can recommend edits to your answers. Your fellow members on the site scour it daily to keep it clean, civil and accurate. So, if you are thinking that it would be a good place for blatant self-promotion, think again. Users can down vote your answers and even edit them. Taking the time to provide thoughtful questions and answers that add value will reflect better on you than simply trying to promote yourself and your business directly.

Get in there and create your profile and bio for the topics that you are expert in and then take the time to form relationships. Follow people that you know and admire, read and comment on their stuff and then start answering questions and contributing value.
  • How to grow your network using Quora:
Make sure that your profile is filled out completely first. If you joined Quora by linking with your Twitter or Facebook account, your friends on those social media sites who are already on Quora will be notified that you are now on Quora too and they will most likely follow you back.

As you share your knowledge and expertise on Quora, people will start following you and commenting on your stuff. Be sure to read the community guidelines and follow them to avoid potential embarrassment later. You can create and share content, but don't spam your links.

Think of Quora as a platform for building your brand, meeting colleagues and potential customers and expanding your network. Go first, provide value and your network and popularity will grow organically.

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