SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF A SOCIAL NETWORK CONNECTION QUALITY

• US 20090024747A1
• Filed: 07/20/2007
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Moses, Veronique L., Bryant, Raquel B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,141,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method to generate a graphical representation of a social network. The computer program product includes a computer useable storage medium to store a computer readable program that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform operations related to generating a graphical representation of a social network. The operations include an operation to display a first node and a second node in a social network. The operations also include an operation to display an actual quality indicator representative of an actual level of quality of a connection between the first and second nodes of the social network. The operations also include an operation to display a target quality indicator representative of a target level of quality of the connection between the first and second nodes of the social network.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer useable storage medium to store a computer readable program that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

display a first node and a second node in a social network;

display an actual quality indicator representative of an actual level of quality of a connection between the first and second nodes of the social network; and

display a target quality indicator representative of a target level of quality of the connection between the first and second nodes of the social network.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform an operation to apply a rule to determine the actual level of quality of the connection between the first and second nodes of the social network based on a mode of communication between the first and second nodes of the social network.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform an operation to apply a role-specific rule to determine the actual level of quality of the connection between the first and nodes of the social network, the role-specific rule corresponding to a type of social relationship between the first and second nodes of the social network.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform an operation to apply a rule to determine the actual level of quality of the connection between the first and second nodes of the social network based on a frequency of communication between the first and second nodes of the social network.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the operation to display the actual quality indicator further comprises an operation to display a connector line between the first and second nodes of the social network, the connector line comprising a line characteristic unique to the actual level of quality of the connection between the first and second nodes of the social network.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the operation to display the actual quality indicator further comprises an operation to display a number located in proximity to a visual representation of the connection between the first and second nodes of the social network.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the operation to display the target quality indicator further comprises an operation to display another number located in proximity to the visual representation of the connection between the first and second nodes of the social network.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

store a plurality of rules indicative of the actual level of quality of the connection between the first and second nodes; and

determining the actual level of quality of the connection between the first and second nodes based on the plurality of rules.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform an operation to suggest a communication activity to adjust the actual level of quality of the connection between the first and second nodes based on the plurality of rules.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform an operation to identify a communication activity plan to change the actual level of quality of the connection between the first and second nodes in the social network to the target level of quality.

11. A system comprising:

an electronic memory device to store node information for a plurality of nodes in a social network;

a quality mapping engine coupled to the electronic memory device, the quality mapping engine to assign an actual level of quality to a connection between a pair of nodes of the plurality of nodes in the social network based on at least a mode of communication between the pair of nodes and a type of social relationship between the pair of nodes; and

a graphical display coupled to the quality mapping engine, the graphical display to convey a visual representation of a map of at least a portion of the social network, the map comprising;

the pair of nodes;

an actual quality indicator corresponding to the actual level of quality of the connection between the pair of nodes; and

a target quality indicator corresponding to a target level of quality of the connection between the pair of nodes.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the quality mapping engine is further configured to assign the actual level of quality to the connection additionally based on a frequency of communication between the pair of nodes.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a rules engine coupled to the quality mapping engine, the rules engine to define a plurality of rules to determine the actual level of quality of the connection between the pair of nodes, wherein the rules comprises a role-specific rule applicable to the type of social relationship between the pair of nodes.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the quality mapping engine is further configured to suggest a communication activity to adjust the actual level of quality of the connection between the pair of nodes based on the plurality of rules.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the actual quality indicator comprises a connector line between the pair of nodes, the connector line comprising a line characteristic unique to the actual level of quality of the connection between the pair of nodes.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the line characteristic comprises a line type, a line weight, a line color, a line length, or a combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the actual quality indicator comprises a number located in proximity to a visual representation of the connection between the pair of nodes.

18. A method comprising:

generating a first visual indicator representative of a first node in a social network;

generating a second visual indictor representative of a second node in the social network;

displaying an actual quality indicator representative of an actual level of quality of a connection between the first and second nodes in the social network, wherein the actual level of quality depends on at least a mode of communication between the pair of nodes and a type of social relationship between the pair of nodes; and

displaying a target quality indicator representative of a target level of quality of the connection between the first and second of nodes in the social network.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

storing a plurality of rules indicative of the actual level of quality of the connection between the first and second nodes; and

determining the actual level of quality of the connection between the first and second nodes based on the plurality of rules.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising identifying a communication activity plan to change the actual level of quality of the connection between the first and second nodes in the social network according to the plurality of rules.