As Odyssey writers, we tend to pull our content from the most random places. For myself, being one of the very few straight male writers in the entire Odyssey community, it's vital that I write different content than everyone else because a failure to innovate and change in the media industry means you're dead in the water. So what rabbit have I pulled out of the hat this week? Quora.
Yes, Quora. The question and answer website where literally every question that you could possibly ask and think of, there are answers for them on this website. However, it's not like a Yahoo answers type of website because the difference is the answers are actually quite intelligent.
I was taught as a little kid that reading is the key to keeping your mind sharp and intelligent. Obviously, books aren't my thing, but in the last couple of years, I have turned to Quora to fill in this gap. So many different things you can read up on. Anything from conspiracy theories, to cars, to love and relationships, and even financial advice, someone on Quora has answers for you, and surprisingly, they are pretty solid answers on there. However, it's not all rainbows and unicorns, there is a dark side to Quora.
Gee, who would have guessed that an internet website that has open access has a dark and creepy side, it would have never crossed my mind (sarcasm).
The dark side of Quora comes with its anonymous users, as they have the ability to tell stories on the website if the question fits the category. I remember someone asked how did you get away with murder, and someone anonymous wrote the most graphic, yet interesting story of how he killed a couple of hitchhikers and that the cops still have no idea who he is. Is it creepy? Maybe just a little bit, but then again, the ability to go anonymous has its perks for some people. You also have to consider the anonymous answers could be made up too, but that's only about 10% of the comments.
I use Quora to educate myself on topics I may not be sharp on. When I was debating on whether or not to apply to graduate school, I actually spent a good amount of time educating myself on the pros and cons, and I came to the conclusion from Quora to apply (still haven't heard back yet, but that's for another article). The best question thread I have seen so far is simple college recipes you can cook in a dorm, even for a cooking noob like me, I could even make them if I tried slightly.
On the real note though, give Quora a quick read, you might just get a little addicted to it because honestly, the answers to your questions could be on there, you just have to give it a look.