ENDORSING E-MAIL MESSAGES USING SOCIAL NETWORK VERIFICATION

• US 20090265431A1
• Filed: 12/31/2007
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jania, Frank J., Lyle, Ruthie D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,471,898 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: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for e-mail message endorsement in an e-mail management system. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for e-mail message endorsement in an e-mail management system can be provided. The method can include comparing a sender and a recipient of an e-mail message in a social network to identify linking relationships between the sender and the recipient, scoring the e-mail message based upon the identified linking relationships, and visually distinguishing the e-mail message based upon the scoring. In one aspect of the embodiment, the method further can include repeating the comparing to identify new linking relationships, updating the scoring based upon the identified new linking relationships, and updating the visual distinction of the e-mail message based upon the updated scoring.

Claims

1. A method for e-mail message endorsement in an e-mail management system, the method comprising:

comparing a sender and a recipient of an e-mail message in a social network to identify linking relationships between the sender and the recipient; and

,

visually distinguishing the e-mail message based upon the identified linking relationships.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating the comparing to identify new linking relationships;

updating the visual distinction of the e-mail message to account for identified new linking relationships.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

noticing the linking relationships of the e-mail message;

receiving endorsements from individual ones of the linking relationships;

determining whether or not a threshold number of linking relationships have endorsed the e-mail message; and

,

releasing the e-mail message for viewing by the recipient only when a threshold number of linking relationships have endorsed the e-mail message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether or not a threshold number of linking relationships have endorsed the e-mail message comprises determining whether or not a threshold number of linking relationships at a higher level in the social network than the sender have endorsed the e-mail message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein visually distinguishing the e-mail message based upon the identified linking relationships, comprises listing names of the linking relationships in connection with the e-mail message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein visually distinguishing the e-mail message, comprises highlighting the e-mail message in an inbox of the recipient to indicate an endorsement.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein visually distinguishing the e-mail message, comprises listing in a view to the e-mail message the identified names of the linking relationships.

8. An e-mail management data processing system comprising:

an e-mail server executing in a host computing platform and communicatively coupled to a social networking system over a computer communications network; and

,

social network endorsement logic coupled to the e-mail server, the logic comprising program code enabled to compare a sender and a recipient of an e-mail message in a social network provided by the social networking system to identify linking relationships between the sender and the recipient, and to visually distinguish the e-mail message in the e-mail server based upon identified linking relationships.

9. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium embodying computer usable program code for e-mail message endorsement in an e-mail management system, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for comparing a sender and a recipient of an e-mail message in a social network to identify linking relationships between the sender and the recipient;

computer usable program code for visually distinguishing the e-mail message based upon the identified linking relationships.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

computer usable program code for repeating the comparing to identify new linking relationships; and

,

computer usable program code for updating the visual distinction of the e-mail message to account for identified new linking relationships.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising:

computer usable program code for noticing the linking relationships of the e-mail message;

computer usable program code for receiving endorsements from individual ones of the linking relationships;

computer usable program code for determining whether or not a threshold number of linking relationships have endorsed the e-mail message; and

,

computer usable program code for releasing the e-mail message for viewing by the recipient only when a threshold number of linking relationships have endorsed the e-mail message.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer usable program code for determining whether or not a threshold number of linking relationships have endorsed the e-mail message comprises computer usable program code for determining whether or not a threshold number of linking relationships at a higher level in the social network than the sender have endorsed the e-mail message.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer usable program code for visually distinguishing the e-mail message based upon the identified linking relationships, comprises computer usable program code for listing names of the linking relationships in connection with the e-mail message.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer usable program code for visually distinguishing the e-mail message, comprises computer usable program code for highlighting the e-mail message in an inbox of the recipient to indicate an endorsement.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the computer usable program code for visually distinguishing the e-mail message, comprises computer usable program code for listing in a view to the e-mail message the identified names of the linking relationships.