Abstract: A disclosed method recommends a social contact in an online community for a business entity. The method is performed by one or more servers. A first posting is received at a website for the online community. The first posting is from a first user and poses a first question. The first posting is categorized as pertaining to a first subject matter area. A second posting is received at the website. The second posting is from a subject matter expert for the first subject matter area and is responsive to the first question. A third posting is identified that was previously received at the website from a second user. The third posting is categorized in the first subject matter area and has a responsive fourth posting provided by the subject matter expert. The method recommends that the first user contact the second user regarding the first subject matter area.

Abstract: A disclosed method identifies a subject matter expert in an online community for a business entity. The method is performed at a server having one or more processors and memory. The method identifies a plurality of subject matter areas for postings on a website for an online community, and each posting is assigned to one or more of the subject matter areas. For a first subject matter area a set of users is identified, each of whom has authored a plurality of postings assigned to the first subject matter area. A first user of the set of users is identified as a subject matter expert for the first subject matter area based on a determination that the first user's postings assigned to the first subject matter area have consistently been highly relevant to the first subject matter area over a predefined period of time.