Abstract: Some embodiments provide a system that facilitates use of a question-and-answer system. During operation, the system determines a community value of a question submitted by a first user to the question-and-answer system. Next, the system prioritizes answering of the question by a second user in the question-and-answer system based on the community value.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a system that facilitates use of a question-and-answer system. During operation, the system determines a community value of a question submitted by a first user to the question-and-answer system. Next, the system prioritizes answering of the question by a second user in the question-and-answer system based on the community value.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a system that facilitates use of a question-and-answer system. During operation, the system determines a business value of a question submitted by a first user to the question-and-answer system. Next, the system prioritizes answering of the question by a second user in the question-and-answer system based on the business value.

Abstract: A method for training a ranking application. The method includes ranking the help postings to create an initial ranking using initial parameter values, and storing user interactions with the help postings to obtain stored interactions. Simulations are performed using the stored interactions to generate revised parameter values for the ranking application. Performing the simulations includes calculating relevance values from the stored interactions, creating a test posting, assigning, to the test posting, an initial score and a relevance value randomly selected from the relevance values to generate a test ranking, and simulating user interactions with the test ranking to generate simulated rankings. The simulated rankings are analyzed to obtain revised parameter values. The method further includes ranking, using the revised parameter values, the help postings to generate a revised ranking, and displaying the help postings in the forum according to the revised ranking.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates use of an application. During operation, the system obtains an activity history of interaction between the user and the application during use of the application by the user. Next, the system applies a predictive model to the activity history to predict a probability of a user action in the application. Finally, the system facilitates subsequent real-time use of the application by the user based on the probability of the user action.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a system that monitors use of an application. During operation, the system uses the application to track a set of interactions between a set of users and the application without impacting the performance of the application. Next, the system stores the interactions as the interactions are detected by the application. Finally, for each user from the set of users, the system periodically processes a subset of the stored interactions associated with the user to obtain an activity history for the user, wherein the activity history is used to facilitate subsequent real-time use of the application by the user.

Abstract: A method for training a ranking application. The method includes ranking the help postings to create an initial ranking using initial parameter values, and storing user interactions with the help postings to obtain stored interactions. Simulations are performed using the stored interactions to generate revised parameter values for the ranking application. Performing the simulations includes calculating relevance values from the stored interactions, creating a test posting, assigning, to the test posting, an initial score and a relevance value randomly selected from the relevance values to generate a test ranking, and simulating user interactions with the test ranking to generate simulated rankings. The simulated rankings are analyzed to obtain revised parameter values. The method further includes ranking, using the revised parameter values, the help postings to generate a revised ranking, and displaying the help postings in the forum according to the revised ranking.

Abstract: A method for classifying a previously unclassified posting that includes extracting a plurality of terms from the previously unclassified posting on an application forum, calculating a term answer probability and a term comment probability for each term of the plurality of terms. The term answer probability defines a probability that the term is in an answer posting assigned to an answer class, and the term comment probability defines a probability that the term is in a comment posting assigned to a comment class. The method further includes performing a Bayesian analysis using the term answer probability and the term comment probability for each term of the plurality of terms to select a posting class for the previously unclassified posting. The posting class is either the answer class or the comment class. The posting class is assigned to the previously unclassified posting.

Abstract: A system and method for displaying contextual, user-contributed help information in a software application are disclosed. The software application may display a series of user interface screens that guide a user through a process. For each of at least a subset of the screens, the software application may be operable to display contextual help information for the screen, where the contextual help information includes information that has been contributed by other users of the software application. The software application may also enable the user to contribute new help information related to various ones of the screens, e.g., so that the new help information is subsequently viewable by other users of the software application.

Abstract: A method for detecting errors includes obtaining input data, applying a knowledge base to the input data, identifying diagnostics associated with errors in the input data, encapsulating data snippets corresponding to errors with associated diagnostic codes to obtain encapsulated data snippets, and outputting encapsulated data snippets.