Using Qassia: An Intelligent Decision?
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Welcome to the second part of our two-part review of Qassia, a search engine dedicated to getting content from its users and building links to their web sites. Last time I introduced you to the concept behind Qassia, showed you how to register, and gave you a look at the dashboard. This time we’ll take a closer look at user-added content.
As I mentioned last time, content added by registered users to the site is referred to as "intel." Intel is intelligence, a snippet of information; it doesn't need to be a formal research paper or anything really complicated. This differentiates Qassia's approach to knowledge from Google's; take a look at Google Knol. From the example "knol" Google gave when it introduced them, the search engine seems to expect something scholarly. As you'll see, that's not the case with Qassia.
While Qassia doesn't really put restrictions on your content, it does give you some advice in its user manual. You might think that, if your goal in Qassia is to promote your site, you should add intel about your product - but that's the first thing you shouldn't do. You won't get banned; an advertisement is a form of information, so Qassia allows it, "but it won't help you much," the company notes. "People do not like to read a sales pitch and they won't come looking for that type of information either." Likewise, Qassia recommends that you avoid poetry, short stories, jokes, or other creative writing.
So what should you add if you're trying to promote your site? Qassia recommends that you start with information you know well, better than most people do. Add original and previously unpublished material; you are allowed to add any material, even recycled stuff, as long as you legally have the right to do so - so no copying from someone else, although your own old blog entries are okay if you own the copyright. Even mundane, seemingly boring information may be good, because someone will come looking for it sooner or later.
Now I'm going to explain what I meant when I said that Qassia doesn't expect scholarly work from you. One of its recommendations is that you write your intel quickly, without spending too much time on each one. The information should already be in your head, so you won't have to look anything up. "If you have a hard time putting it in writing," Qassia advises, "just pretend that Qassia is your best friend and you're sitting down at the kitchen table over a cup of coffee, spilling the beans." Qassia is not Google Knol or Wikipedia (no one can edit your stuff but you), so let's take a closer look at what it is and how to use it.
Next: Adding Intel >>
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