Which One is better and why, a Q&A website or a Forum?

[Mackie]

Please give your opinion on which is better and why, a Q&A website or a Forum?
I'm thinking about building a Q&A website but I think forum can be better, is it right?

 

[ron13315]

for me, of course forum is the best choice.

 

[web-project]

For SEO and for specific target are will be better FB, as for general SEO, I think the best option is forums.

 

[MightWeb]

For what purpose? A forum is great for..- Well, a forum - a community portal. A Q&A website is good for..- Well, a Q&A website! What's your target with the website, and its goal?

 

[Carl0251]

Forums all the way. With a Q&A website you are much more limited.

 

[Hyuga]

WIth forums you have alot more choices, so I suggest you a forum

 

[Noticemenot]

Forums are much much better than Q&A websites.

 

[metafser]

Forum is better everyone knows about it. But Also Q&A site is important. Depend on your topic. I suggest you to make a larger Q & A site. You have lots of opportunity. Just think, how many forums is leading in this world?

 

[ypson]

They are 2 different tools and should be used in tandem rather than a choice, if your setup calls for such.

The Q&A pertains to customer service while a Forum is a community.

EDIT: You might refer to those websites where a question is asked and many people provide answers, in which case it depends, something like stackoverflow would not work as well in a forum form. My answer above assumed you are referring to those knowledge base sections vs a forum.

 

[professorrosado]

I grappled with this just recently. To me the question is, do you want to build a community or do you want to provide what your market wants - answers? I have seen great drops in "communities" as it seems that people are on "Fast Forward" mode on the Internet these days.

I believe that if your topic is more technology oriented, people may find a refined and moderated Q&A site more exacting to their needs. More general topics and public interchange would be best suited for the forum environment.

If you could restrict roles on a forum to closely mimic a Q&A / expert site, then you may find a comfort zone for many betwixt the two.

 

[Noticemenot]

Forums is better choice than Question answering sites.

 

[irichard]

Forum is better. Website are limited and you have a lot more choices.

 

[vinaya]

I think forum is better, On forum there is an interesting discussion. Someone will start a thread, another person replies to the thread, then another person jumps in and the discussion continues. On the other hand on question and asnwer site, you should syat with the question and answer the question in the best possible way. There can be many answers, comments, replies. However, there is no discussion, just answers to the question.

 

[neiltarquin]

It's best to ask an actual person rather than FAQ's. There is always a question that is not entirely answered by FAQ's.

 

[David Beroff]

There can be many answers, comments, replies. However, there is no discussion, just answers to the question.

I don't think this is true at this time because nowadays more Q&A platforms improved and allowing users to share their thoughts or discussing with others on questions. Not Q&A websites are just for answers, they can discuss with others if wanted.

WIth forums you have alot more choices, so I suggest you a forum

I have to agree with this opinion, because forum platforms always have more choices and functions over Q&A cms.

It's best to ask an actual person rather than FAQ's. There is always a question that is not entirely answered by FAQ's.

Obviously and it is why Q&A appeared because it is a replacement for FAQ pages.

 

[shilpa]

Forums are better, in my opinion. They are much more interactive, and so are not mundane like a FAQ or a QnA website. Also, with a forum, it becomes quite manageable to have things in right places. For example, a question concerning a particular topic could be posted under a relevant head. And also redundant questions could be avoided. It saves time both for the one answering or those who are looking for answers.

 

[johnlerry]

Forum is much better than Q&A sites, it is friendlier and more flexible.You can answer or ask questions without a limit, you can share or discuss any topic you want.You can buy and sell in forum or promote anything.Q&A sites are limited way of sharing, unlike forums many people share and just share their thoughts and knowledge.

 

[pandooh]

If I were you I would go for a forum because it has a generalized scope of topic wherein people of different cultures and beliefs could take part in. As such, Q & A, for me is a boring thing. You can learn more in a forum even if you are only a spectator or a silent reader.

 

[Gen.fudd]

I would say forum is much better. It let's your client to be free to say what's on their mind. In a Q and A they have limited choices in your question. It may also not give the specific answer that they want.