# Building a plugin to add Stack Exchange features
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/building-a-plugin-to-add-stack-exchange-features/31402
**Category:** Feature
**Tags:** completed
**Created:** [July 24, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/building-a-plugin-to-add-stack-exchange-features/31402 "2015-07-24T18:31:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@BIBI](https://meta.discourse.org/u/BIBI)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/building-a-plugin-to-add-stack-exchange-features/31402/1 "2015-07-24T18:31:33Z")
I currently run both a forum and Q&A website (stack exchange clone). Both our forum and Q&A have questions on that are answers by a team of moderators. We considering rebuilding and consolidating the software we use, so i am looking into Discourse as a possible alternative, given its strong credentials.
I have read the existing topics on comparison between SE and discourse so appreciate that discourse is different and that its not trying to be a SE clone. See below.
I am therefore looking for help scoping out the plugin and how it would allow us a more structure Q&A topics within discourse. Suggestions please!
Here’s my top features to start with:-
- Topic types or new post type/category, so discussion is distinguished from a Q&A.
- Allow users/admin to sort replies by votes.
- Control how/when users can reply to certain topics or questions (e.g. question topics can only be answer by users with x trust points (or some other algorithm)
Here are the previous topics on this subject if you haven’t already read them:
> [@Why would Discourse's business model work when Stack Exchange v1's failed?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-would-discourses-business-model-work-when-stack-exchange-v1s-failed/2678):
>
> Stack Exchange v1’s business model was “build your own community, we’ll give you the software on a subscription basis”. That model failed because communities require critical mass, and achieving that is really hard. All but one community created at that time ([Math Overflow](http://mathoverflow.net/)) got any significant traction, if I recall correctly. SE eventually decided to shut down the SaaS model and to launch instead their own communities via [Area 51](http://area51.stackexchange.com/). Discourse compares itself to the [Blog Tool, Publishing Platform…](http://Wordress.org/Wordpress.com)
[https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-are-discourses-main-competitors-and-what-are-their-relative-pros-and-cons/2888](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-are-discourses-main-competitors-and-what-are-their-relative-pros-and-cons/2888)
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### Author:  [@erlend\_sh](https://meta.discourse.org/u/erlend_sh)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2015, 7:37am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/building-a-plugin-to-add-stack-exchange-features/31402/2 "2015-07-25T07:37:30Z")
> [@BIBI](#):
>
> I am therefore looking for help scoping out the plugin and how it would allow us a more structure Q&A topics within discourse.
After you’ve scoped out the plugin, will you be developing it yourselves, or will you attempt to hire a developer to do it for you?
[quote=“BIBI, post:1, topic:31402”]
(…) so appreciate that discourse is different and that its try to be a SE clone.
[/quote]I’d like to suggest a spelling correction to avoid confusion:
“so I can appreciate that Discourse is different and that it _doesn’t_ try to be a SE clone.”
You also have a duplicate link in your topic: 2x “What are Discourse’s main competitors…”
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### Author:  [@BIBI](https://meta.discourse.org/u/BIBI)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/building-a-plugin-to-add-stack-exchange-features/31402/3 "2015-07-25T14:42:32Z")
Erlend. Thanks for pointing this out. they are now corrected.
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2023, 10:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/building-a-plugin-to-add-stack-exchange-features/31402/4 "2023-09-06T22:44:45Z")
I think we have all of this covered now per improvements to Discourse and:
> [@Discourse Post Voting](https://meta.discourse.org/t/discourse-post-voting/227808):
>
> discourse2Summary Discourse Post Voting allows the creation of topics with votable posts.open_bookInstall Guide This plugin is bundled with Discourse core. There is no need to install the plugin separately. Features To create a new topic with votable posts open the menu in the top left of the composer and select ‘Toggle Post Voting’: With the topic in Post Voting mode, there’s a filter to sort answers by votes or by activity. Here’s an example …
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2023, 10:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/building-a-plugin-to-add-stack-exchange-features/31402/5 "2023-09-06T22:44:58Z")