INFORMATION COLLECTION IN MULTI-PARTICIPANT ONLINE COMMUNITIES

• US 20080091692A1
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brilig (Dentsu Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brilig (Dentsu Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Renouf, David, Highleyman, Wilbur, Keith, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US11/760,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091692A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A database of personal information is built and controlled by the individual users creating it. This database can then be used to enhance the functionality and user experience associated with multi-participant online communities. By collecting information from users themselves, and by allowing users to maintain such data, the data can have significant added value both to the users and to any commercial services that wish to use it. Appropriate precautions are taken to ensure that users maintain control over the data they choose to share. Data is owned by the user that provided it, and any application or release of such data is only performed at user direction and under user control. The users are also given incentives to provide such data, in the form of promised rewards. These mechanisms improve the amount and quality of collected data, so that comprehensive databases describing users can be built more easily and effectively.

Claims

1. A method for collecting user information in a multi-participant online community, comprising:

recording avatar behavior in the multi-participant online community;

inferring user information from the recorded avatar behavior;

determining affinities among users from the inferred user information; and

storing the determined affinities and the user information.