METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR IMPLEMENTING COMMUNITY MESSAGING SERVICES

• US 20080189378A1
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boutboul, Irwin, Ramirez, Jessica Wu
• Granted Patent: US 8,495,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for implementing community messaging services is provided. The method includes calculating a receiver pool for receiving a broadcast message, the receiver pool being a subset of a messaging community. The method also includes transmitting the broadcast message to the receiver pool and tracking any feedback from the receiver pool to determine if a satisfactory response has been received. A satisfactory response results when a response is received that addresses or resolves an issue or question presented in the broadcast message. The method further includes re-calculating the receiver pool to receive the broadcast message if the satisfactory response has not been reached after a specified period of time, the re-calculated receiver pool being a subset of the messaging community that has not yet received the message.

Claims

1. A method for implementing community messaging services, comprising:

calculating a receiver pool for receiving a broadcast message, the receiver pool being a subset of a messaging community of subscribers;

transmitting the broadcast message to the receiver pool and tracking any feedback from the receiver pool to determine if a satisfactory response has been received, the satisfactory response resulting when a response is received that addresses or resolves an issue or question presented in the broadcast message; and

re-calculating the receiver pool to receive the broadcast message if the satisfactory response has not been received after a specified period of time, the re-calculated receiver pool being a subset of the messaging community who have not yet received the broadcast message;

tracking feedback from the re-calculated receiver pool to determine if the satisfactory response has been received; and

repeating the re-calculating until at least one of the satisfactory response is received and the entire messaging community has received the broadcast message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiver pool is calculated by determining a percentage of the messaging community.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiver pool is calculated by determining at least one of a number or percentage of the community of subscribers who are online at the time of the transmitting the broadcast message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiver pool is calculated by determining at least one of a number or percentage of the messaging community who have demonstrated knowledge of a subject matter of the broadcast message, the determining performed by comparing key words in the broadcast message to content of past responses to broadcast messages and identifying members of the messaging community who responded to the broadcast messages having content matching the key words.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcast message contains at least one of a request for information and a survey.

6. A system for implementing community messaging services, comprising:

a computer processing device in communication with a messaging community via user systems over a network; and

a community messaging application executing on the computer processing device, the community messaging application performing;

calculating a receiver pool for receiving a broadcast message, the receiver pool being a subset of the messaging community;

transmitting the broadcast message to the receiver pool and tracking any feedback from the receiver pool to determine if a satisfactory response has been received, the satisfactory response resulting when a response is received that addresses or resolves an issue or question presented in the broadcast message

re-calculating the receiver pool to receive the broadcast message if the satisfactory response has not been received after a specified period of time, the re-calculated receiver pool being a subset of the messaging community who have not yet received the broadcast message;

tracking feedback from the re-calculated receiver pool to determine if the satisfactory response has been received; and

repeating the re-calculating until at least one of the satisfactory response is received and the entire messaging community has received the broadcast message.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the receiver pool is calculated by determining a percentage of the messaging community.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the receiver pool is calculated by determining at least one of a number or percentage of the messaging community who are online at the time of the transmitting the broadcast message.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the receiver pool is calculated by determining at least one of a number or percentage of the messaging community who have demonstrated knowledge of a subject matter of the broadcast message, the determining performed by comparing key words in the broadcast message to content of past responses to broadcast messages and identifying members of the messaging who responded to the broadcast messages having content matching the key words.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the receiver pool is calculated by determining at least one of a number or percentage of the messaging community who have demonstrated a willingness to respond, the determining performed by searching past responses to broadcast messages and identifying members of the messaging community who responded to a number or percentage of the broadcast messages as compared to other members of the messaging community.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the broadcast message contains at least one of a request for information and a survey.

12. A computer program product for implementing community messaging services, comprising:

calculating a receiver pool for receiving a broadcast message, the receiver pool being a subset of a messaging community;

transmitting the broadcast message to the receiver pool and tracking any feedback from the receiver pool to determine if a satisfactory response has been received, the satisfactory response resulting when a response is received that addresses or resolves an issue or question presented in the broadcast message;

re-calculating the receiver pool to receive the broadcast message if the satisfactory response is not received after a specified period of time, the re-calculated receiver pool being a subset of the messaging community who have not yet received the broadcast message;

tracking feedback from the re-calculated receiver pool to determine if the satisfactory response has been received; and

repeating the re-calculating until at least one of the satisfactory response is received and the entire messaging community has received the broadcast message.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the receiver pool is calculated by determining a percentage of the messaging community.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the receiver pool is calculated by determining at least one of a number or percentage of the messaging community who are online at the time of the transmitting the broadcast message.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the receiver pool is calculated by determining at least one of a number or percentage of the messaging community who have demonstrated knowledge of a subject matter of the broadcast message, the determining performed by comparing key words in the broadcast message to content of past responses to broadcast messages and identifying members of the messaging community who responded to the broadcast messages having content matching the key words.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the receiver pool is calculated by determining at least one of a number or percentage of the messaging community who have demonstrated a willingness to respond, the determining performed by searching past responses to broadcast messages and identifying members of the messaging community who responded to a number or percentage of the broadcast messages as compared to other members of the messaging community.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the broadcast message contains at least one of a request for information and a survey.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the satisfactory response further determined by an appropriateness of the response, the appropriateness determined via a relationship of response content to the issue or question presented in the broadcast message.