Question and Answer Forum Techniques

One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

• generating labels for answers in unlabeled question and answer (QA) threads, the labels based on answer length;
• ranking a set of answerers based on the labels;
• selecting a set of experts from the ranked set of answerers;
• setting update labels based on the labels and the set of experts;
• training a model based on the update labels;
• obtaining next-iteration labels based on the trained model applied to the unlabeled QA threads;
• repeating the ranking, selecting, setting, training and obtaining until a difference between successive next-iteration labels is less than a threshold;
• and
• outputting answers as indicated by the next-iteration labels.

A method for managing a question and answer forum, comprising:

• under control of one or more processors configured with executable instructions:
• labeling question and answer (QA) threads to indicate that a longest answer is a best answer in each QA thread;
• ranking a set of answerers based on labels of the labeled QA threads;
• selecting a set of experts from the ranked set of answerers;
• selecting a set of poor answerers from the ranked set of answerers;
• updating labels of the QA threads based on the labels of the QA threads and the set of experts and the set of poor answerers;
• training a model based on the updated labels;
• applying the model to the unlabeled QA threads to obtain a next-iteration of labels;
• repeating the ranking, selecting the set of experts, selecting the set of poor answerers, updating, training and applying while a difference between successive next-iteration labels is greater than a threshold;
• and
• outputting answers as indicated by the next-iteration labels.