just tristan.: Favorite Companies to Watch in 2011

I think these companies will have a real breakout year and at the end of 2011 we will say these companies did something really important for their industries. Warning: it’s a very short list. These are companies I observed pretty early on and loved from day 1 using the service.

quora: (1. Quora has assembled one of the best teams in tech and it shows. Just an impressive technical feat and they deserve the highest accolades. 2. Quora is quite possibly the only site I go to, spend 1-2 hours reading the great content and contributing and then wonder why the hell I just spent so much time on the site! …and then I do it again, every day. I’ve been lucky to hang out with members of the team there since their office is down the street from my apartment and I remember telling Charlie, co founder, and Rebekah, designer, on number occasions why I use the service and evangelize it as much as I do. It does a great job separating the experts from the cheerleaders/troll haters. There is something delightfully egalitarian about the service as well. Everyone is given the chance to show his expertise. This is the year brands and celebs start figuring this thing out and I think quora will be just fine. I have a few ideas about what brands should be doing on the service today, but that’s for another post)

I admit I have become very keen on Quora these past few weeks. A surprising amount of utility there. And I am impressed that I came to be a fan of the platform thanks to member evangelizing. These days I feel companies can be all about press and buzz as opposed to a satisfied and excited community. Quora is clearly on the right side of community engagement.