A number of Question & Answer services and sites have popped up in recent years. Pinterest apparently seems ready to hit the bandwagon with a new feature of its own which will allow users to ask questions and share answers.
Hints of the feature have been found in Pinterest analytics by Tom Waddington, a developer who has a knack of finding hints to upcoming features. Waddington spotted a ‘Questions’ tab at back-end Pinterest analytics and then decided to dig through the code. It was here that he found numerous references to a Q&A feature.
Pinterest, meanwhile, has confirmed Waddington’s discovery. According to a spokesperson of the company, “We’re always gathering feedback from Pinners to make Pins more useful. We’re currently testing the ability to ask and answer questions in a more structured way on Pins, with a small group of Pinners. We don’t have any additional details to share at this time, but we’ll keep you posted.”
Apparently, users will be able to ask questions about the pins they are viewing, as a result of this feature. The person who has put up the Pin being viewed will be notified and allowed to respond with an answer. It isn’t exactly a Q&A format along the lines of what Quora or Jelly are offering. Rather, Pinterest is integrating the feature into its regular world of Pins and Boards and that may just make it successful.
Many web giants, including Facebook and Google, have tried their hands at Q&A features of sorts in the past years. But their attempts have failed and their features shuttered. Pinterest is entering risky waters by making the bold decision of trying its hands at a similar feature. But given its visual-centric look, its brand-conscious audience and the loyal user base, our bet is that Pinterest will be able to pull off the feature rather well.
Source: Tom Waddington/TechCrunch
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