I'm going to sound like a broken record here, but Quora users are the product, not the customer. Quora wants to make money and they can make more of it by showing everyone who is looking at what. If they can go to advertisers and say, "See, we know every single question people are interested in, so you can get better value out of your clicks! We show this information to everyone, so we have no problem letting you tailor your placements to exact criteria."
Then they can charge more. It's simple as that.
Quora was a darling. It was started from the inside. We didn't expect this one did we?
Why oh why do we keep creating content/value for random people we don't know when we could create a blog on our own website? When we could create a product that has value to us and others and benefits us in a direct and measurable way?
Creating that content is work. Answering those questions is work. It takes time. It takes energy. It takes concentration and value away from work that benefits YOU.
It's more than just creating content, it's communication. Quora's end of the bargain was to maintain a quality platform for the exchange of ideas.
I never got pass the real name policy.
I think a mistake is that these services are either built without a clear development strategy, or the development strategy doesn't jive with what the users expect from the early growth phase.
I think the pressure becomes overwhelming when you are playing with other people's money; that is, when you get investors. There is only one question to ask: how can we make more money? It's usually phrased differently, but that's ultimately the question.
We see this repeatedly with "free" products. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...
I think it must also benefit you, otherwise you wouldn't be doing it, basic human needs are tapped by the quota model (and here on hn too), recognition, self expression, philanthropy etc. Thanks to the subtle game mechanics employed by quora (and hn) these needs are exploited to create a symbiosis, you help them create content that that they can use for their purpose and in return you get those needs met, and create habits around them thanks to the dopamine reward cycle.
Then they can charge more. It's simple as that.
Quora was a darling. It was started from the inside. We didn't expect this one did we?
Why oh why do we keep creating content/value for random people we don't know when we could create a blog on our own website? When we could create a product that has value to us and others and benefits us in a direct and measurable way?
Creating that content is work. Answering those questions is work. It takes time. It takes energy. It takes concentration and value away from work that benefits YOU.
OMG, I'm doing it right now!