1. What Do People Ask Their Social Networks, and Why?
Exploring the Complementary Roles of Social Networks and Search Engines
Meredith Ringel Morris

3. 10/25/2017 9:14 AM
The Web has become an important information repository; often, it is the first source a person turns to with an information need. One common way to search the Web is with a search engine. However, it is not always easy for people to find what they are looking for with keyword search, and at times the desired information may not be readily available online.
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

4. 10/25/2017 9:14 AM
An alternative, facilitated by the rise of social media, is to pose a question to one’s online social network.  In this talk, I will discuss recent projects at Microsoft Research that have explored the differences in the types of questions that people choose to explore via asking their networks versus using search engines, and comparing the speed, quality, and quantity of answers discovered using these two methods. I will conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for next-generation information-seeking technologies that integrate the benefits of using both search engines and social networks.
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

5. Questions About Questions
10/25/2017 9:14 AM
Questions About Questions
What questions do people ask?
What are the question types and topics?
Why do people ask instead of searching?
How are the questions phrased?
Which questions get answered?
How is answer speed and utility perceived?
What are people’s motivations for answering?
What factors influence response quality, quantity, and speed?
Going to talk about 3 studies – a survey, a lab experiment, and an online experiment
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

6. Related Work: Q&A Sites
10/25/2017 9:14 AM
Related Work: Q&A Sites
Response times
9 hours (Java Developer Forum) [Zhang et al., 2007]
3 hours (Live QnA) [Hsieh and Counts, 2009]
Response rates
20% of questions unanswered (Live QnA)
Response motivations
Intrinsic [Ackerman & Palen, 1996; Beenan et al., 2004]
Payment (?) [Hsieh and Counts, 2009; Harper et al., 2008]
There are several factors that differentiate the experience of asking a question on a Q&A site versus on a social networking site. First, questions on Q&A sites can be posted anonymously (or under a pseudonym), whereas on a social networking site, the asker‟s true identity is known to the readers of the question. Second, the audience of potential answerers is much smaller on a social networking site than on a Q&A site, since it consists of only the direct contacts of the asker rather than an entire community or the internet at large. And finally, social networking sites typically impose a limit of only a few hundred characters on message length, whereas many Q&A sites allow much longer, more detailed questions to be posted. In light of these differences, it is valuable to study question asking behavior on social networks, since they provide quite a different audience and experience than Q&A sites.
Mention also: quora, aardvark
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

7. Survey on Status Message ?s
10/25/2017 9:14 AM
Survey on Status Message ?s
Used a status message to ask a question?
Frequency of asking, question types, responses received, why?
Provide example
Answered a status message question?
Why or why not?
Demographics:
624 participants (represents about a 20% response rate)
- Actively recruited interns – represented 27% of study population
26% female
40% years old.
98.1% have FB accounts. 71% have Twitter. Thus analysis focuses on these systems.
have 209 fb friends on avg, 25 Twitter followers
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

8. Questions: Phrasing Questions short (75 characters, 1 sentence)
10/25/2017 9:14 AM
Questions: Phrasing
Questions short (75 characters, 1 sentence)
18.5% phrased as a statement
I need a recommendation on a good all purpose pair of sandals.
Often scoped
1 out of 5 directed to “anyone”
Anyone know of a good Windows 6 mobile phone that won’t break the bank?
Network subset
Hey Seattle tweeps: Feel like karaoke on the Eastside tonight?
30% had two sentences
For comparison with respect to length, the title of the paper associated with this talk is longer (characters and sentences).
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

9. Questions: Types Type % Example Recommendation 29%
Building a new playlist – any ideas for good running songs?
Opinion
22%
I am wondering if I should buy the Kitchen-Aid ice cream maker?
Factual
17%
Anyone know a way to put Excel charts into LaTeX?
Rhetorical
14%
Why are men so stupid?
Invitation 9%
Who wants to go to Navya Lounge this evening?
Favor 4%
Need a babysitter in a big way tonight… anyone??
Social connection 3%
I am hiring in my team. Do you know anyone who would be interested?
Offer 1%
Could any of my friends use boys size 4 jeans?

10. Questions: Topics Topic % Example Technology 29%
Anyone know if WOW works on Windows 7?
Entertainment
17%
Was seeing Up in the theater worth the money?
Home & Family
12%
So what’s the going rate for the tooth fairy?
Professional
11%
Which university is better for Masters? Cornell or Georgia Tech?
Places 8%
Planning a trip to Whistler in the off-season. Recommendation on sites to see?
Restaurants 6%
Hanging in Ballard tonight. Dinner recs?
Current events 5%
What is your opinion on the recent proposition that was passed in California?
Shopping
What’s a good Mother’s Day gift?
Philosophy 2%
What would you do if you had a week to live?
Similar in some ways to popular search engine queries, although technology heavy.
But some topics are missing: health and pornography
Other topics people said they wouldn’t ask about: religion, politics, dating, finance

11. Questions: Who Asks What
10/25/2017 9:14 AM
Questions: Who Asks What
Type
Recommendation
Opinion
Factual
Rhetorical
Invitation
Favor
Social connection
Offer
Topic
Technology
Entertainment
Home & Family
Professional
Places
Restaurants
Current events
Shopping
Philosophy
men
Twitter
old
women
Facebook
People who updated status less than once per week were more likely to ask questions related to rare events or special occurrences, such as travel and health.
The greater incidence of health questions may be due to infrequent users having different understandings of the norms and etiquette on such systems.
young
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

12. Questions: Motivation
Topic %
Example
Trust
24.8%
I trust my friends more than I trust strangers.
Subjective
21.5%
Search engine can provide data but not an opinion.
Thinks search would fail
15.2%
I’m pretty search engine couldn’t answer a question of that nature.
Audience
14.9%
Friends with kids, first hand real experience.
Connect
12.4%
I wanted my friends to know I was asking the question.
Speed
6.6%
Quick response time, no formalities.
Context
5.4%
Friends know my tastes.
Tried search
I tried searching and didn’t get good results.
Easy
Didn’t want to look through multiple search results.
Quality
4.1%
Human-vetted responses.

13. Answers: Speed and Utility
94% of questions received an answer
Answer speed
A quarter in 30 minutes, almost all in a day
People expected faster, but satisfied with speed
Shorter questions got more useful responses
Answer utility
69% of responses helpful
Self-report. Will get to some measur
Recommendations fastest responses, then Opinion, then Factual
People who update status at least once a week get faster responses than infrequent updaters
ements in next study.

14. Answers: Motivation Motives for Not Answering - Don’t know the answer%
Example
Altruism
37.0
Just trying to be helpful.
Expertise
31.9
If I’m an expert in the area.
Question
15.4
Interest in the topic.
Relationship
13.7
If I know and like the person.
Connect
13.5
Keeps my network alive.
Free time
12.3
Boredom/procrastination.
Social capital
10.5
I will get help when I need it myself.
Obligation
5.4
A tit-for-tat.
Humor
3.7
Thinking I might have a witty response.
Ego
3.4
Wish to seem knowledgeable.
Motives for Not Answering
- Don’t know the answer
- Question impersonal
- Private topic

15. Answer Comparison: Search Engine vs. Facebook
10/25/2017 9:14 AM
Answer Comparison: Search Engine vs. Facebook
Information Need: Backsplash Re-Tiling
kitchen re-tiling tips
backsplash re-tiling
kitchen remodel DIY
“Any tips for tiling a kitchen backsplash?”
Lab study.
12 microsoft employees (8 men)
Mean age is 32
Self rated as avg or expert web searchers
Mean fb network size = 260
Most updated status a couple times a week
Chose own info need.
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

16. Task (as expressed to the social network)
Is now looking for a new phone to get… Any suggestions???
any tips for tiling a kitchen backsplash?
Anyone know how to stop an in-car nav system from constantly rebooting???? Ugggggh
Does anyone know how to train for half marathon? Links…training…diet to follow would be great!
Lauren's going away for a month, anyone know any good vegetarian recipes?
So…after getting the PMP, what else is anyone doing to keep up their development?
should I wait for ZuneHD or buy Ipod touch (to gift someone)?
is wanting to move away from Live Space for storing and sharing pictures… Any recommendations?
Can one defeat Seattle winter with a trip to New Zealand? Does anybody have the beta on bouldering there?
is looking for recommendations (restaurants and activities) in Cancun
is starting to plan my Thanksgiving trip to Disneyland…what are the must see attractions, especially for a 3-year that loves princesses? Any websites out there for planning other than disneyland.com?
Does anyone have any recommendations on a good medium to high end TV?

17. Minutes to first response Minutes searching
Task
Network size
Initial responses
Total responses
Minutes to first response
Minutes searching
Phone Shopping
466 3 20 15 38
Re-Tile Kitchen
231 7 8 29
Fix Car GPS
275 2 19 46
Half Marathon Training Tips 50
N/A 21
Vegetarian Recipes
401 1 10 36
Career Development Advice 96
1519 14
Compare Zune and iPod Touch
104 32
Photo Storage Service
206 5
184 12
Bouldering in New Zealand
240 77 31
Cancun Vacation
143 49
Disneyland Vacation
743 22
TV Shopping
169 34
Average
260.3
1.4
5.5
187.8
30.3
10/25/2017 9:14 AM
While searching, participants on average…
spent 30.3 minutes on the search task, issued 6.5 queries, visited 35.4 distinct, non-search-engine Web pages from 12.3 distinct websites
felt the search engine met their initial expectations in terms of utility
received answers very quickly, refined their query as they learned additional information, found content they considered objective and unbiased
When asking Facebook friends, participants on average…
received 1.4 responses during the time they spent searching, received 4.1 responses after 3 days had passed
received more responses if they had larger networks
received an initial response within 17 minutes, received responses more quickly if they had larger networks
found the social network less useful than they initially anticipated
considered the answers they received to be trustworthy
obtained social benefit (awareness, connections) from asking questions
received highly personalized answers, received answers not encountered through the Web search, received validation for answers discovered through the Web search
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

18. How to Ask Effectively Should I watch E.T.? Scoping Punctuation
10/25/2017 9:14 AM
How to Ask Effectively
Should I watch E.T.?
Scoping
Punctuation
Context
Time of Day
How does question phrasing impact speed, quantity, and quality of responses?
ET – since entertainment and opinions questions were most popular
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

19. Exact question wording
10/25/2017 9:14 AM
Punctuation
Context
Scoping
Exact question wording
Question
None
Should I watch E.T.?
Anyone
Does anyone think I should watch E.T.?
Movie buff
Do my movie buff friends think I should watch E.T.?
Provided
Taking it easy. Should I watch E.T.?
Taking it easy. Does anyone think I should watch E.T.?
Taking it easy. Do my movie buff friends think I should watch E.T.?
Statement
I wonder if I should watch E.T.
I wonder if anyone thinks I should watch E.T.
I wonder if my movie buff friends think I should watch E.T.
Taking it easy. I wonder if I should watch E.T.
Taking it easy. I wonder if anyone thinks I should watch E.T.
Taking it easy. I wonder if my movie buff friends think I should watch E.T.
282 people were assigned one of 12 question variants and were assigned a time of day (7-10 am or 4-7 pm) to post it. Couldn’t change status for 24 hours, and couldn’t reply to comments. After 3 days, they sent us a screenshot of their post and any responses.
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

20. Quantity Quality Speed
10/25/2017 9:14 AM
Count
Quantity
Quality
Speed
Percent with response
Number of responses
Percent answered
Percent useful
Response length
Time to first response
Overall
282
82.3%
3.207
58.9%
72.0%
55.581
1:27
Also collected demographic info via a survey. Age, gender, network size, and coded type of picture
Median network size was 215
Median age was 34
34.4% were female
We hand-coded all the responses to understand
Did they answer the question (yes/no)
“YESSS! One of my favorite movies of ALL time,”
“Soooo boring. I vote no.”
Did they provide useful information
included facts about E.T. (“Would you miss Drew Barrymore’s first time in a movie??”),
opinions (“ET Rocks!"),
suggestions of alternative films (“I'd suggest Weird Science instead!”).
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

21. Phrasing Effects Punctuation Context Scope Include “?” Skip it?
10/25/2017 9:14 AM
Phrasing Effects
Punctuation
Include “?”
Context
Skip it?
Scope
Use it!
Punctuation:
? = more responses (88.1% got responses vs. 76.3%) and they had more that were high quality
Context:
Only 43% w/ context got an answer, but 75% without did!
No context = faster response
Changed the type of answer. w/o context more likely to get yes/no answer, with context more likely to get suggestions of alternative movies to watch.
Benefit of context – less need for clarification. Only 33% of context posts received clarification requests vs 50% without context
Is it b/c it’s longer? Hides that it’s a question? Specific to the context we chose?
Scoping:
Movie buff or Anyone got more replies, more useful info, and longer replies
Time of Day effects:
Longer answers in the morning (fewer new items in news feed, so more time to devote to answering each one!)
More answers and faster answers in afternoon (since many users check FB towardsthe end of the workday)
Demographic effects:
Women received more responses and higher quality responses, but at a slightly slower speed
Younger people received more, higher quality, and faster responses (under age 35)
People with more friends, longer time on FB, and more frequent updates got better responses on every metric.
Having over 200 friends helps
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

22. Social Networks + Search Engines
10/25/2017 9:14 AM
Social Networks + Search Engines
Search Engine could federate queries to a user’s social network
Identify cases where the query is appropriate and likely to get good responses
Topic of query (restaurants, entertainment, shopping) (looking for opinions/reviews)
Is the user having trouble with their search (keeps refining query)?
Is it a search that is lasting a long time (informational vs. navigational)
Time of Day
Properties of users network (network size, frequency of updates, etc.)
Phrase question in ways that get fast, quality responses (keep it short, use a ?, scope to “anyone”)
Within Social Network
“search bot” could friend you and identify question status messages, could post answers based on search results
“expert bot” could tell you which of your friends have also asked questions or commented on this topic
Target Ads to people who are asking questions in their status messages
© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

23. References
Morris, M.R., Teevan, J. and Panovich, K. What Do People Ask Their Social Networks and Why? ACM CHI 2010.
Morris, M.R., Teevan, J. and Panovich, K. A Comparison of Information Seeking Using Search Engines and Social Networks. AAAI ICWSM 2010.
Teevan, J., Morris, M.R., and Panovich, K. How Do My Writer Friends Think I Should Title This Paper? A Study of How Social Network Questions Shape the Replies. ACM CSCW 2011 (under review).

24. merrie@microsoft.com @merrierm
@merrierm