METHODS FOR VIRALLY FORWARDING A SEARCH IN A SOCIAL NETWORKING SYSTEM

• US 20070250483A1
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Blue, Allen, Work, James
• Application Number:
  US11/678,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20070250483A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for executing a search in a social networking application is disclosed. In one aspect, a social networking application facilitates the initiation of a search, based on user-provided search criteria. In addition, the social networking application generates a list of persons to recommend to the searcher, for forwarding the search criteria. For example, persons in the list are identified, according to various algorithms, as being likely to know a person satisfying said search criteria. Furthermore, the social networking application facilitates the selection of one or more persons from the list, thereby enabling the user to quickly forward the search to the selected persons.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

executing a search of a social networking application according to search criteria provided by a searcher; and

forwarding the search criteria to other individuals, wherein search forwarding criteria for selecting individuals to receive said search criteria are based on user profile information that indicates a likelihood of having connections to people who match the search.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the search forwarding criteria specify whether said search criteria are to be forwarded to persons who are i) directly connected to the searcher, and ii) directly connected to a person who ranked highly in the initial search of the social networking application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the search forwarding criteria specify whether said search criteria are to be forwarded to persons who are i) connected to the searcher via a chain of person-to-person connections, and ii) directly connected to a person who ranked highly in the initial search of the social networking application.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the search forwarding criteria specify the level of connectedness, measured in degrees, that is required by those persons connected to the searcher via a chain of person-to-person connections in order to receive said forwarded search criteria.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the search forwarding criteria specify whether said search criteria are to be forwarded to persons who are i) connected to the searcher via a chain of person-to-person connections, and ii) directly connected to a person who ranked highly in the initial search of the social networking application.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the search forwarding criteria specify whether said search criteria are to be forwarded to persons who i) ranked highly in the initial search of the social networking application, and ii) are connected to the searcher via a chain of person-to-person connections.

7. A computer-implemented method comprising:

executing a search of a social networking application according to initial search criteria specified by a searcher;

generating a list of persons to recommend to the searcher for forwarding the initial search criteria;

facilitating selection of individuals from said list to whom the searcher wishes to forward the initial search criteria; and

forwarding the initial search criteria to the selected individuals.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein generating a list of persons to recommend to the searcher for forwarding the search criteria includes identifying persons who are i) directly connected to the searcher, and ii) directly connected to a person who ranked highly in the initial search of the social networking application.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein generating a list of persons to recommend to the searcher for forwarding the search criteria includes identifying persons who are i) connected to the searcher via a chain of person-to-person connections, and ii) directly connected to a person who ranked highly in the initial search of the social networking application.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein identifying persons who are i) connected to the searcher via a chain of person-to-person connections includes identifying persons connected within a user-specified number of degrees, each degree representing a link in the chain of person-to-person connections.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein generating a list of persons to recommend to the searcher for forwarding the search criteria includes identifying persons who are i) connected to the searcher via a chain of person-to-person connections, and ii) directly connected to a person who ranked highly in the initial search of the social networking application.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein generating a list of persons to recommend to the searcher for forwarding the search criteria includes identifying persons who i) ranked highly in the initial search of the social networking application, and ii) are connected to the searcher via a chain of person-to-person connections.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

including with the forwarded search criteria a mechanism enabling the recipient of the forwarded search criteria to forward the search criteria to selected individuals within the recipient'"'"'s own network.