Bootstrapping a recommender system that makes item recommendations. The bootstrapping identifying questions for use in interviewing a user, e.g., a new user to the recommender system, to obtain user information, e.g., user profile information, for use in predicting item ratings for the user, the predicted item ratings for use in identifying item recommendations for the user. The bootstrapping using a cost function to minimize error in selection of the questions for the interview. The bootstrapping comprising a static bootstrapping and an adaptive bootstrapping.