Which factor carries more weight in Quora's algorithm: the number of followers an answerer has or the quality of their past answers?
The quality of past answers carries significantly more weight than the number of followers an answerer has. While a large following can provide an initial boost in visibility, Quora's algorithm primarily prioritizes surfacing answers that are deemed helpful, informative, and well-written by the community. This assessment is based on factors like upvotes, shares, comments, and overall engagement. An answerer with a small following but a consistent track record of providing high-quality answers will generally rank higher than an answerer with a large following who provides mediocre or irrelevant answers. Quora prioritizes surfacing helpful information, not popularity.