Q&A software

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Q&A Software is online software that attempts to answer questions asked by users (Q&A stands for "question and answer"). Q&A software is frequently integrated by large and specialist corporations and tends to be implemented as a community that allows users in similar fields to discuss questions and provide answers to common and specialist questions.

There are numerous examples of Q&A Software in both Open Source and SaaS formats, including Qhub, OSQA and Stack Exchange. Standalone Q&A communities such as Quora or Yahoo! Answers aren’t traditionally in either category while operating in the Q&A market.[1]

Background

Since the Internet became increasingly popular, many Q&A sites have begun to offer a Q&A service. Some of these sites, such as Quora are provided as a community, but their software is not open to commercial use. Other examples of sites similar to this include Yahoo! Answers.

The Q&A Software industry is split into two main sectors, SaaS solutions and Open Source software. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, many of which vary depending on whether the software is SaaS or Open Source.

Q&A Software is often provided to corporate and specialist sites, so the site and its users can be asked questions and then provide experts answers to them. It is particularly suited to question regarding specific industries. Users may learn by regularly answering questions or exchanging views with other industry specialists using the website.[1]

Mechanics

Aims are similar to any forum software:

  • ask a question
  • answer a question
  • correct/punish bad answers
  • find a question you need the answer to
  • find questions you can answer

What defines a system as Q&A software is generally:

  • differentiate questions and answers (most extra features that affect answers should not affect the question)
  • differentiate answers (replies to the question) and comments (replies to an answer)
  • vote up/down answers
  • sort answers by votes or questions by answered status
  • accept an answer
  • question tagging and tag search
  • mark a question as a duplicate of another one

Comparison of Q&A software

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See also: Comparison of Q&A sites and Comparison of wiki software

Only self-hostable solutions are in scope for this table.[2]

Stable release date Free software Committers Size Multilingual Language Abuse prevention Private questions Authentication Customisation Web API Export, import Other
Answerhub No
Askbot 2015-04-22[3] Yes (GPLv3) 100+[4] 10k+ questions in several sites[5][6] Yes[7][8] Python Partial[9] (moderators,[10] premoderation recommended[11]) Partial[12][13] LDAP,[14] OpenID, OAuth[15] Skins,[16] other[17] Partial (read-only, only questions[18]) Yes (conversion from some apps,[19][20] server-side dump import/export[21]) Email Q&A,[22] autotweeting, user tags newsletter, other[23]
Atlassian Confluence Question No[24] 25k+ questions in one site[25] Unpublished migration script from OSQA exists.[26][27]
OSQA 2011? (2015 master)[28] Maybe (GPLv3; open core version of Answerhub) 30+[29] 25k question top, 5k+ in multiple sites[30] Maybe[31][32][33]
Phabricator Ponder No (prototype) Yes 0? Maybe
Pligg core "story submission"[34] 2014-08[35] Maybe (CC-BY) 5+ 2k+[36]
Qhub Yes
Question2Answer 2015-02[37] Yes, GPL 5+[38]
Shapado 2012? No[39] Yes (originally translated in dozens languages as translatewiki.net[40])

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ There are potentially more. https://meta.stackexchange.com/a/37953
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Commercial hosting at shapado.com, no repository available as of 2015, code changes up to ~2012 available at a repository archive.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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