A web-based platform for user-interactive question-answering

Liu Wenyin, Tianyong Hao, Wei Chen, Min Feng

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A user-interactive question-answering (QA) platform named BuyAns (at www. buyans.com) is presented. The platform is a special kind of online community and mainly features a rewarding scheme for answering questions among all users, a pattern-based user interface (UI) for questioning and answering, and a pattern-based representation and storage scheme for accumulated question-answer pairs. The system actually proposes and promotes a C2C business model for exchanging and commercializing knowledge from ordinary people. It can also be used as an incentive and collaborative approach to knowledge acquisition. Driven by the business model, prompt and quality answers are quickly accumulated. Due to the patterns used, accurate answers can be provided automatically for repeated questions. Facilitating features and technologies, including user modeling, reputation management, and answer clustering and fusion, are also developed and briefly described. Preliminary user studies show the potential attraction of the system to its users as well as reasonable usability and user-satisfaction. We anticipate hot applications of such a system in the Web 2.0 era. © Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2008.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)107-124
JournalWorld Wide Web
Volume12
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2009

Research Keywords

  • C2C business model
  • Knowledge acquisition
  • Question answering
  • User-interactive QA system
  • Web 2.0
  • Web community

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