Using public social media to find answers to questions

Abstract

On some social media platforms, such as Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest, and tumblr, much of the content generated by users is publicly accessible and communication can be easily initiated between strangers who have never previously communicated before. The communities that have risen up around these platforms, particularly on Twitter, can also be inclusive and supportive of interactions between strangers. The public and open nature of these communities creates an opportunity to create a new kind of question answering system, where potential answerers are determined based on their published content and questions are sent through the mechanisms of the social media platform.