Sprouter debuts Answers site connecting entrepreneurs with expert advice

Last week we hinted at a big new feature launch based on feedback we’ve gathered from the Sprouter community over the past months. Today we’re happy to announce the new updates to the Sprouter homepage and community, including notifications to help you stay engaged in the community.

We’re also thrilled to announce the launch of the Sprouter Answers feature, Ask.Sprouter.com. As an entrepreneur when you have a question about running your business it can be difficult to know where to get knowledgeable answers, and our new Answers site allows entrepreneurs to tap into expert knowledge and get real-time answers to those burning questions.

Watch a quick video tour to learn more about our new features, and read on for more info about the changes!

Homepage

The new homepage gives a clearer picture of what Sprouter is and what we have to offer entrepreneurs. The dynamic questions/answers show how entrepreneurs can connect with other startup founders through the Sprouter community, and it showcases our features and initiatives, including our Sprouter Weekly publication and the new Answers site. New members can now sign up for a free account quickly and easily using Twitter and Facebook connect.

Redesigned Sprouter homepage

Community

We’ve kept the features you’ve come to love in the Sprouter community, including Topics, Events, and Filters. But we’ve redesigned your logged-in view to make it easier for you to engage in the community. Your navigation bar is different, with your home page, the Answers section, Events and Topics along the top left. You can see a clear snapshot of your following/follower counts, and access your account settings through the Gear icon. The icons on the top right of your page help you stay on top of all your activity – your private messages, new followers and the questions you’ve had answered in the Answers section.

New logged-in view

New Notifications

Sprouter Answers

We want to make sure that as an entrepreneur you get knowledgeable insight on your burning questions. That’s why we built Sprouter Answers – to connect you with the expertise you need to succeed in your business.

Ask.Sprouter.com hosts a panel of carefully selected entrepreneurship experts who are available on a regular basis to answer questions. Experts are available for live Q&A sessions, and entrepreneurs can also leave them questions when they’re offline. It’s easy to submit your question – either submit it on the Answers homepage and we’ll direct it to the appropriate person, or select a specific entrepreneur from the Experts homepage and ask the question on their profile page. All questions are anonymous, and users are notified when an expert has answered their question.

Since we want to make the site accessible to all entrepreneurs you don’t need to be a Sprouter member to ask a question – simply enter your e-mail address and we’ll notify you when your question has been answered. Existing members can click on the “Answers” tab on their homepage to visit the new Q&A site, and non-members can simply visit Ask.Sprouter.com.

The site is launching with an exciting panel of entrepreneurship experts including renowned entrepreneur and investor Dan Martell, lean product development expert and founder of Flowtown.com; and Ryan Holmes, founder of popular Twitter client Hootsuite.com. See a full list of experts at Ask.Sprouter.com/Experts.

New Sprouter Answers site

Example of an Expert Profile

Q&A Examples

We’re really excited to debut these additions to the Sprouter community, and to connect entrepreneurs everywhere to the expertise and knowledge they need to succeed.

As always we want to hear your feedback on the new features – either leave us a comment on our Get Satisfaction page or e-mail us at support@sprouter.com. Look forward to hearing from you!

The Sprouter Team

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