| 摘要 |
Disclosed are apparatus and methods for facilitating online user polling over a computer network. In general, a particular web property is a web service or site that is related to a particular type of subject matter or service. A user of a particular web property can select a polling feature and initiate a query regarding a particular subject matter that is related to such particular web property. A set of online users-to-be-polled may then be determined so that these users-to-be-polled are likely to have knowledge (or have access to knowledge) regarding such subject matter about which a query has been initiated. At least some of the determined users-to-be-polled are not currently accessing the particular web property or subject matter, e.g., may be accessing a different web property. Since the users-to-be-polled can include both users who are and are not accessing the particular web property of the originating query, the determined users-to-be-polled can form a diverse set of online users who can provide helpful information regarding the particular query. This determined set of online users is then polled with the query initiated by the querying user, and the one or more answers provided by such polled users are then provided to the querying user.
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