I'm teaching an online college course titled "Journalism in the Age of Social Media." Why should (or shouldn't) my students join Quora? What are the benefits?

clearly identifies some of the pros and cons of Quora in general, but its use in a teaching environment might require other considerations. There is no shortage of information and no shortage of opportunities for social media journalism students to engage on Quora. There is a , a topic and an topic for students to follow (among other relevant groups and topics). Editors and publishers from major media outlets are active on Quora, giving students amazing insights into the way these people think and how they have managed their careers, insights not readily available on Twitter or Facebook for example. If the course is sufficiently advanced, and the intent is to teach writing, research and critical thinking, Quora is an excellent tool for that. However, if the intent is to have students learn social media tools for journalism, Quora's complex user interface, specialized nature and unique etiquette may present too steep a learning curve in an academic setting, particularly in a broadly focused survey class or for undergraduate students. Students might spend too long learning how to use the site, and how to participate in conversations, and may have difficulty applying Quora in a broader journalism context. I think Quora might also be an interesting in-depth project for a student or group of students who have time outside the classroom to learn the ins and outs of the site and think about applications in the field of journalism.