Would you be interested in "ask an expert" sessions/ events hosted on AM?

I wouldn't be expecting the expert to be here at a specific time. What I'm envisioning right now is a general window of time. For example, and I don't have dates actually set to this is total randomness, we might have "Ask an Expert" run from February 6-10. I'd probably let you guys know a week or two in advance what kind of expert is coming and then starting on February 6, I'd open up a special group dedicated to that profession, and you guys could pop in and ask your questions whenever it suited you. And, the professional could pop in whenever it suited them during that timeframe- ideally a few times- and answer the questions they wanted to. If we run it over the course of a few days, I'll probably shut off new questions a day or so before the event ends, to allow the person a chance to get to everything. Once the expert's time with us is done, I'll basically lock down the group, so it's clear we don't have an expert in that field answering anymore, but the Q&A will still be available to view.

If we happen to have someone in the same or a similar field come in for a later "Ask the Expert" session, I would reuse the same group... which I think could get really interesting, especially if the experts have different opinions on things. New questions can still be added, but they'll also be able to respond to previous ones if they want.

At any rate, having it stretch out over a period of days should allow people in any part of the world a chance to interact with the experts, even if they're on at a time when Americans aren't. Also, I hope to have all kinds of experts once we get going with it, which means those experts could be anywhere. The first group will probably be American, just because it's easier for me to find people in my general area, but it'll hopefully become more global over time.

It's always worth giving it a shot. Your thoughts will make sure anyone can take part As it's over a period of time. It will be interesting seeing how it runs. I'll be looking inside should it happen. We will see from there. Thank you foe elaborating on your thoughts. :-)

Yes and no. It won't be a live session, although that may be something to consider later. You'd know in advance what kind of expert was scheduled and could add questions when the event opens. If you're wondering if there's a way to create a holding spot for questions and have them post that day, even if you create them earlier, probably not- at least not at first. You'd have to make notes on your own and then manually add questions during the event. 

Thanks for the feedback. :)

If you want. You're an expert in several fields. If you're serious, let's talk via email and hammer down which one you want to cover. :)

I don't recall that. Who was the 'expert'... you?

AB did a series of questions posed by staff and answered by 'experts' who professionally 'researched' them. It was annoying and a waste of space. I think JA has a little something different in mind though. 

Oh yeah now I remember.  That was kind of a joke.

Yes it was. It was horrible. :)

Yes, the "Professionally researched" answers on AB were extracted from other Demand Media properties.

They were "professionally researched" insofar DM paid the people who did the research and wrote the articles. However, if those people had particular expertise in the subject it was a coincidence, not a deliberate feature.

They also asked a lot of duplicate questions. It got to where when I did answer one, I always gave an off topic answer. It became a game with a few of us. 

(Laughs out loud)

"Re: Was the expert you" This post was edited by ProblemCh1ld at January 8, 2017 12:57 AM MST

You could be an expert on the art of sarcasm, Professor.

Karen mostly answered this. I think their primary thing was "professionally researched answers," though they might have had experts, too. The researched ones, like Karen said, were questions asked by staff, which were then answered by paid content writers. I could be wrong, but I suspect their goal with this was to make the site like more of an index, so more people would find them when searching for answers on Google. Their content also often linked to Demand Media's other sites, which helped the other sites look more authoritative to Google and boosted them in the rankings. 

The goal of this program isn't to create canned content for search engines. It's to give people the opportunity to interact with people who really are experts in a chosen field. It's member-generated questions- questions that real people actually want to know the answers to.

Also, for the experts, I'm more or less promoting this as an opportunity for them to gain exposure and improve their online footprint. They aren't getting paid to come. So, I suspect their interactions will be fairly substantive because they want to be known for being knowledgeable in their area of expertise. The big differences here come down to the core goals of each site. AB wanted to be a directory of knowledge. We're here to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, from person to person. Their focus was data. Our focus is people. This post was edited by Just Asking at January 7, 2017 3:44 PM MST

Thanks. :) I hope you're right.

Fair enough. You may feel inspired when you see the activity flowing though. :)