Community notification based on profile update

• US 10,320,937 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2014
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Jayaram, Vinodh, Ryu, Janet Sun, Gaffney, Caroline, Shmukler, Elliot, Moon, Avery Randolph
• Primary Examiner(s): Osman, Ramy M
• Application Number:
  US14/466,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20150052072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A notification machine may receive an update to a user profile that describes a user and indicates a group of users as being socially connected to the user by a social network. The update may reference a community (e.g., an employer or a club) of the user. The user profile may be modified by including a reference to the community within the user profile. The notification machine may identify a further user who is included in the community (e.g., employed by the employer, or part of the club). The further user may be socially unconnected to the user by the social network. The notification machine may then generate and provide a notification that the further user is employed by the employer. This notification may contain suggestions that the user initiate communication with the further user, become socially connected with the further user, or both.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request to update a member profile of a first member of a social networking service, the request being to change membership of the first member from a prior organization to an updated organization that the first member has joined and is an existing member;

in response to receiving the request to update the member profile;

accessing, from a database, the member profile, and

updating the member profile to include a reference to the updated organization that the first member has joined and is an existing member;

identifying, based on the updated organization that the first member has joined, a set of member profiles that include references to the updated organization indicating that members corresponding to the set of member profiles are existing members of the updated organization, the set of member profiles including a member profile of a second member of the social networking service that is not directly connected to the member profile of the first member;

identifying, based on the set of member profiles that include references to the updated organization, a community profile that is available to be joined by existing members of the updated organization, the community profile including information describing the updated organization and the second member having joined the community profile;

generating a notification that the second member of the social networking service is an existing member of the updated organization that the first member has joined and has joined the community profile, the notification incorporating the information from the community profile that describes the updated organization joined by the first member and a link for the first member to join the community profile, the generating of the notification being performed by a processor of a machine; and

providing the notification to a device of the first member, the notification including the information from the community profile that describes the updated organization, the link to join the community profile, and a second link to connect with the second member of the social networking service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the notification to the device of the first member occurs within a predetermined period of time after the receiving of the update.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information included in the notification provided to the device of the first member is descriptive of the updated organization according to the social networking service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information included in the notification provided to the device of the first member is descriptive of the updated organization according to a third party distinct from the updated organization and distinct from the social networking service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes a list of jobs available at the updated organization.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated organization is an employer and the update indicates that the first member has become an employee of the employer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of member profiles correspond to other employees of the employer.

8. A system comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

one or more computer-readable mediums storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, cause the system to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request to update a member profile of a first member of a social networking service, the request being to change membership of the first member from a prior organization to an updated organization that the first member has joined and is an existing member;

in response to receiving the request to update the member profile;

accessing, from a database, the member profile, and

updating the member profile to include a reference to the updated organization that the first member has joined and is an existing member;

identifying, based on the updated organization that the first member has joined, a set of member profiles that include references to the updated organization indicating that members corresponding to the set of member profiles are existing members of the updated organization, the set of member profiles including a member profile of a second member of the social networking service that is not directly connected to the member profile of the first member;

identifying, based on the set of member profiles that include references to the updated organization, a community profile that is available to be joined by existing members of the updated organization, the community profile including information describing the updated organization and the second member having joined the community profile;

generating a notification that the second member of the social networking service is an existing member of the updated organization that the first member has joined and has joined the community profile, the notification incorporating the information from the community profile that describes the updated organization joined by the first member and a link for the first member to join the community profile, the generating of the notification being performed by a processor of a machine; and

providing the notification to a device of the first member, the notification including the information from the community profile that describes the updated organization, the link to join the community profile, and a second link to connect with the second member of the social networking service.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein providing the notification to the device of the first member occurs within a predetermined period of time after the receiving of the update.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the information included in the notification provided to the device of the first member is descriptive of the updated organization according to the social networking service.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the information included in the notification provided to the device of the first member is descriptive of the updated organization according to a third party distinct from the updated organization and distinct from the social networking service.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification includes a list of jobs available at the updated organization.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the updated organization is an employer and the update indicates that the first member has become an employee of the employer.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the set of member profiles correspond to other employees of the employer.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computer processors of a notification machine, cause the notification machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to update a member profile of a first member of a social networking service, the request being to change membership of the first member from a prior organization to an updated organization that the first member has joined and is an existing member;

in response to receiving the request to update the member profile;

accessing, from a database, the member profile, and

updating the member profile to include a reference to the updated organization that the first member has joined and is an existing member;

identifying, based on the updated organization that the first member has joined, a set of member profiles that include references to the updated organization indicating that members corresponding to the set of member profiles are existing members of the updated organization, the set of member profiles including a member profile of a second member of the social networking service that is not directly connected to the member profile of the first member;

identifying, based on the set of member profiles that include references to the updated organization, a community profile that is available to be joined by existing members of the updated organization, the community profile including information describing the updated organization and the second member having joined the community profile;

generating a notification that the second member of the social networking service is an existing member of the updated organization that the first member has joined and has joined the community profile, the notification incorporating the information from the community profile that describes the updated organization joined by the first member and a link for the first member to join the community profile, the generating of the notification being performed by a processor of a machine; and

providing the notification to a device of the first member, the notification including the information from the community profile that describes the updated organization, the link to join the community profile, and a second link to connect with the second member of the social networking service.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein providing the notification to the device of the first member occurs within a predetermined period of time after the receiving of the update.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the information included in the notification provided to the device of the first member is descriptive of the updated organization according to the social networking service.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the information included in the notification provided to the device of the first member is descriptive of the updated organization according to a third party distinct from the updated organization and distinct from the social networking service.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the notification includes a list of jobs available at the updated organization.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the updated organization is an employer and the update indicates that the first member has become an employee of the employer.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the set of member profiles correspond to other employees of the employer.