Introduction
The Question & Answers Tool is a place for all participants in a program to come together to exchange information and knowledge. Participants can ask questions and others can provide answers.
Why it matters: The Questions and Answers Tool serves a very unique, niche purpose and typically works best for associations, such as an association of lawyers.
For example, if someone had a very specific scenario and would like to solicit advice on how others handled a similar scenario, this tool could be very beneficial for a program. From a different perspective, you can envision this tool working similarly to how Quora or Yahoo Answers functions: a user asks a question and anyone can provide a response.
While the possibilities are limitless, if the tool is available in a program that's more geared towards private situations, it likely would not see much usage and thus inadvertently act as a deterrent to program participation by giving the impression that the program's community is inactive or uninvolved.
Overview
Using the Tool
Users (including administrators!) can either ask or answer a question in the tool, or follow a question to see what responses others provide. The tool can be accessed through the left navigation menu.
To post a new question:
Click the Ask a Question button (
) in the upper right corner of the page. This will open a dialog box, as shown below:
Enter the question in the provided text field under Your question, then provide additional context related to your inquiry under the text box labeled Add details.
When ready, click the Post Question button (
) to post the question.
Note that you will follow your posted question automatically:
To read or answer a question posted by others:
Click on the particular question to view details. The question and details will be displayed along with any answers provided by the other members:
To provide an answer, click the Answer this question button (
), which will open the following dialog box:
Type in the answer in the provided text box, then click the Post Answer button (
) to submit your response.
To be notified when new answers are given to a particular question:
Click the Follow Topic button (
) to subscribe. You will be notified via email when other participants answer the question.
FAQs
Can users add images, videos, or formatting to their questions or answers?
Only plain text can be used in this tool—no images, videos, or formatting can be added.
Can the tool be restricted to only specific users in a track?
Once enabled, the tool will be visible to everyone in the track, and anyone can use it. It cannot be enabled only for a specific set of users.
Are responses visible to anyone in the track, even if they aren't in a connection?
So long as a user is Active in the program, they will be able to see the questions and answers in the tool.
I don't see Questions & Answers in the left navigation menu even though the tool has been enabled. Where is it?
If you have both the Articles tool and the Questions & Answers tool enabled, both tools will be found under the Advice section in the left menu: