Quora, beloved source of information both practical and profound, has added a new feature that should boost users’ chances of getting answers to their most pressing questions. It’s already possible to ping recommended experts, using Ask to Answer. But starting today, you’ll be able to see which of those brains are currently online and therefore more likely to respond in a timely fashion.
The usefulness for us ink-stained wretches is pretty obvious. But for those of you who don’t live on deadline, Quora provides a couple of use cases. Perhaps you are trying to decide whether Skyfall is worth your American dollars, but you don’t trust Rotten Tomatoes. Or, more urgently: What do you do if you smell gas outside your home?
Today we are pleased to announce an exciting new feature — Online Now, a significant improvement to Quora’s Ask to Answer experience. In Ask to Answer suggestions, Online Now shows you when people with knowledge about your question are online and available to answer, and shows others when you are available to answer.
For those of you who’d prefer to browse the site’s extensive catalog of human experiences in peace, however, you can fiddle with your settings to remain invisible. But really, where’s the fun in that?