SYSTEM FOR CREATING A SOCIAL-NETWORKING ONLINE COMMUNITY

• US 20090271247A1
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viacom International Incorporated (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Social Project, Inc. (Paramount Global (f/k/a ViacomCBS Inc.))
• Inventors: Rifkin, Evan, Karelin, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 10,181,125 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/384 using social networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A system and method are provided for creating a social-networking community and enabling the social-networking community to interoperate with other social-networking communities within a network of social-networking communities. The method includes creating a core profile that links a user member'"'"'s identify to plurality of social-networking communities of the network. The system enables user identity information, content, and friend information to be shared across social-networking communities of the network. The system also enables community content to be shared and tracked across social-networking communities of the network.

Claims

12. A computer system including a processor and a memory storing control logic for causing the processor to share revenues in a network of social-networking communities, the control logic comprising:

first computer-readable program code for causing the processor to provide a plurality of webpages associated with a social-networking community;

second computer-readable program code for causing the processor to determine a first amount based on revenue generated from a first set of the plurality of webpages;

third computer-readable program code for causing the processor to pay a first portion of the first amount to a publisher member associated with the social-networking community; and

fourth computer-readable program code for causing the processor to pay a second portion of the first amount to a business unit associated with a core social-networking community of the network.

13. A method of providing a disaggregated social network, the method comprising:

generating a plurality of core user member identifiers respectively corresponding to a plurality of user members;

generating a plurality of community identifiers respectively corresponding to a plurality of social-networking communities; and

storing a plurality of core profiles respectively corresponding to the plurality of core user member identifiers, wherein each of the plurality of core profiles includes community information, friend information, and content information,

wherein the community information includes one or more of the plurality of community identifiers,

wherein the friend information includes one or more of the plurality of core user member identifiers, and

wherein the content information includes respective metadata associated with each of a plurality of content items.

1. A method for sharing revenues in a network of social-networking communities, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of webpages associated with a social-networking community;

determining a first amount based on revenue generated from a first set of the plurality of webpages;

paying a first portion of the first amount to a publisher member associated with the social-networking community; and

paying a second portion of the first amount to a business unit associated with a core social-networking community of the network.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a second amount based on revenue generated from a second set of the plurality of webpages; and

paying the second amount to the publisher member associated with the social-networking community.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a second amount based on revenue generated from a second set of the plurality of webpages;

paying a first portion of the second amount to the publisher member associated with the social-networking community; and

paying a second portion of the second amount to the business unit associated with the core social-networking community.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

hosting the first set of the plurality of webpages from a web-server associated with the core social-networking community; and

hosting a second set of the plurality of webpages from a web-server associated with the social-networking community.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

hosting the plurality of webpages from a web-server associated with the core social-networking community.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first set of the plurality of webpages includes a plurality of widgets.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first set of the plurality of webpages includes at least one of:

a landing webpage for the social-networking community, a webpage for video categories, a webpage for video-search results, a webpage for photo categories, a webpage for photo-search results, a webpage for searching or browsing user members of the network of social-networking communities, a webpage for a discussion board, a webpage for joining or signing into the social-networking community, a webpage for details associated with a content item displayed from the social-networking community, and a webpage for details associated with a content feed.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the revenue generated from the first set of the plurality of webpages is advertising revenue.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the revenue generated from the first set of the plurality of webpages is sales revenue.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the revenue generated from the first set of the plurality of webpages is based on a number of requests for one or more webpages of the first set of the plurality of webpages.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the social-networking communities of the network to utilize an application programming interface,

wherein the revenue generated from the first set of the plurality of webpages is based on a number of calls to the application programming interface.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein community information of the plurality of core profiles includes two or more of the plurality of community identifiers.

15. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a request to add community information to a core profile, the request including a core member identifier and a community identifier;

updating community information of a core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier to include the community identifier; and

storing updated community information of the core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising providing a webpage including one or more of the plurality of community identifiers of the community information of the core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the webpage includes one or more of:

one or more visual icons respectively corresponding to the one or more of the plurality of community identifiers included in the community information of the core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier, and

one or more links to one or more community landing webpages respectively corresponding to the one or more of the plurality of community identifiers included in the community information of the core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier.

18. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a core user member identifier;

retrieving content information of a core user profile corresponding to the core user member identifier;

retrieving friend information of the core user profile corresponding to the core user member identifier;

retrieving content information of one or more core user profiles corresponding to one or more of the plurality of core user member identifiers included in the friend information of the core user profile corresponding to the core user member identifier; and

outputting the content information of the core user profile corresponding to the core user member identifier and the content information of the one or more core user profiles corresponding to the one or more of the plurality of core user member identifiers included in the friend information of the core user profile corresponding to the core user member identifier.

19. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

storing a plurality of messages in correspondence with a core user member identifier,

wherein a first message of the plurality of messages includes a first sender identifier of a first user member of a first social-networking community of the network, and

wherein a second message of the plurality of messages includes a second sender identifier of a second user member of a second social-networking community of the network, the second social-networking community being different than the first social-networking community.

20. A method according to claim 13,

wherein friend information of at least one of the plurality of core profiles includes at least two core user member identifiers, including a first core user member identifier associated with a first community identifier and a second core user member identifier associated with a second community identifier different from the first community identifier.

21. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

electronically mailing, within the network of social-networking communities, a content item from a first user member of a first social-networking community of the network to a second user member of a second social-networking community of the network, wherein the first social-networking community is different than the second social-networking community; and

providing a webpage including the content item, wherein the webpage is associated with the second social-networking community.

22. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of votes associated with a content item, wherein the plurality of votes are received from two or more of;

a registered user member of a first social-networking community, a registered user member of a second social-networking community different from the first social-networking community, and an unregistered visitor to a webpage of a third social-networking community;

determining a sum of the plurality of votes; and

updating metadata associated with the content item to include the sum of the plurality of votes.

23. A method according to claim 13,

wherein metadata associated with each of the plurality of content items includes a permission indicating whether the content item can be added to content information of core profiles corresponding to other core user member identifiers.

24. A method according to claim 13, further comprising providing software tools to perform one or more tasks, the one or more tasks including one or more of:

creating of a website corresponding to one of the plurality of social-networking communities,

adding information to an existing member webpage,

deleting information from an existing member webpage,

modifying information in an existing member webpage,

controlling whether information discovered from an external website may be experienced on an existing member webpage, and

adding one or more subscriber functions to an existing member webpage.

25. A method according to claim 24, wherein the one or more subscriber functions include one or more of:

a function to search for text content within the member website,

a function to search for text content within another member website,

a function to search for video content within the member website,

a function to search for video content within another member website,

a function to search for audio content within the member website,

a function to search for audio content within another member website,

a function to search for photographic content within the member website,

a function to search for photographic content within another member website,

a function to search for feed content within the member website,

a function to search for feed content within another member website,

a function to search for a subscriber profile of a subscriber to the member website,

a function to search for a subscriber profile of a subscriber to another member website,

a function to enable a discussion between subscribers to the member website,

a function to moderate a discussion between subscribers to the member website,

a function to organize information presented on the member website,

a function to organize video categories presented on the member website,

a function to organize audio categories presented on the member website,

a function to organize photographic categories presented on the member website,

a function to organize feed categories presented on the member website,

a function to enable a visitor to become a subscriber to the member website,

a function to enable a subscriber to the member website to create or modify a subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber,

a function to enable a subscriber to the member website to browse subscriber profiles of other subscribers to the member website,

a function to enable a subscriber to the member website to designate one or more friends on a subscriber profile corresponding to the subscriber,

a function to enable a subscriber to the member website to add content to the member website, such that the content may be experienced by another subscriber to the member website,

a function to enable messages to be sent between subscribers to the member website,

a function to enable messages to be sent between a subscriber to the member website and a subscriber to another member website, and

a function to enable a subscriber to the member website to experience content from the member website, the content including any combination of;

text content, video content, audio content, photographic content, and feed content.

26. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

receiving an authorization request, the authorization request including core user member information;

retrieving a core user member identifier corresponding to the core user member information; and

providing an authentication cookie, wherein the authentication cookie includes the core user member identifier.

27. A method according to claim 13, further comprising storing one or more community specific display names respectively corresponding to one or more of the plurality of community identifiers included in community information of a core profile corresponding to a core user member identifier.

28. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

storing a plurality of community profiles respectively corresponding to the plurality of community identifiers,

wherein each of the plurality of community profiles includes at least one of;

a webpage view report, a user activity report, a revenue report, and a most popular content report for one of the plurality of social-networking communities.

29. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a request to add content item information to a core profile, the request including a core member identifier and content item information associated with a content item;

updating content information of a core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier to include the content item information of the request; and

storing updated content information of the core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier.

30. A method according to claim 24, further comprising:

determining whether the content item is suitable for being experienced by a class of user members;

updating the content information of the core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier to include the content item information of the request, if the content item is determined to be suitable for being experienced by the class of user members; and

storing updated content information of the core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier, if the content item is determined to be suitable for being experienced by the class of user members.

31. A method according to claim 25, wherein the content item information of the request is excluded from the content information of the core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier, if the content item is determined not to be suitable for being experienced by the class of user members.

32. A method according to claim 24, wherein the content item is one of:

a text content item, a video content item, an audio content item, and a photographic content item.

33. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a request to organize content information, the request including a core user member identifier, and an instruction to specify a visual layout associated with at least one of the plurality of content items;

updating content information of a core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier based on the request; and

storing the updated content information of the core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier based on the request.

34. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a request to update content information, the request including a core user member identifier, and an instruction to update metadata associated with at least one of the plurality of content items;

updating content information of a core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier based on the request; and

storing the updated content information of the core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier based on the request.

35. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

storing a plurality of community profiles respectively corresponding to the plurality of community identifiers, wherein each of the plurality of community profiles includes content information,

wherein the content information includes metadata associated with each of a plurality of content items;

receiving a request to add content item information to a community profile, the request including a community identifier and content item information associated with a content item;

updating content information of the community profile corresponding to the community identifier to include the content item information; and

storing updated content information of the community profile corresponding to the community identifier.

36. A method according to claim 35, further comprising:

determining whether the content item is suitable for being experienced by a class of user members;

updating the content information of the community profile corresponding to the community identifier to include the content item information, if the content item is determined to be suitable for being experienced by the class of user members; and

storing updated content information of the community profile corresponding to the community identifier, if the content item is determined to be suitable for being experienced by the class of user members.

37. A method according to claim 36, wherein the content item information is excluded from the content information of the core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier, if the content item is determined not to be suitable for being experienced by the class of user members.

38. A method according to claim 35, further comprising:

receiving a request to organize content information, the request including a community member identifier, and an instruction to specify a visual layout associated with at least one of the plurality of content items;

updating content information of a community profile corresponding to the community identifier based on the request; and

storing the updated content information of the community profile corresponding to the community identifier based on the request.

39. A method according to claim 35, further comprising:

receiving a request to organize content information, the request including a community member identifier, and an instruction to update content information associated with at least one content item;

updating content information of a community profile corresponding to the community identifier based on the request; and

storing the updated content information of the community profile corresponding to the community identifier based on the request

40. A method according to claim 35,

wherein the community profile corresponding to the community identifier includes a permission indicating whether content information can be organized by user members, and

wherein the updating of content information occurs if the permission indicates that content information can be organized by user members.

41. A method according to claim 35,

wherein the community profile corresponding to the community identifier includes a permission indicating whether content information can be updated by user members, and

wherein the updating of content information occurs if the permission indicates that content information can be updated by user members.

42. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

enabling a user member logged into a first social-networking community of the network to communicate with another user member of a second social-networking community of the network.

43. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

retrieving content information of a core profile corresponding to a core user member identifier, wherein community information of the core profile includes a first community identifier corresponding to a first social-networking community of the network;

retrieving a content item corresponding to the content information;

providing a webpage including the content item, wherein the webpage is associated with a second social-networking community different than the first social-networking community.

44. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

storing a plurality of community profiles respectively corresponding to the plurality of community identifiers, wherein each of the plurality of community profiles includes content information,

wherein content information of a community profile corresponding to a first community identifier of a first social-networking community of the network includes content item information associated with a content item;

retrieving the content item associated with the content item information;

providing a webpage including the content item, wherein the webpage is associated with a second social-networking community different than the first social-networking community.

15-1. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a request for community information, the request including a core member identifier;

retrieving community information of a core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier; and

providing one or more of the plurality of community identifiers of the community information of the core profile corresponding to the core user member identifier.

45. A computer system including a processor and a memory storing control logic for causing the processor to provide a disaggregated social network, the control logic comprising:

first computer-readable program code for causing the processor to generate a plurality of core user member identifiers respectively corresponding to a plurality of user members;

second computer-readable program code for causing the processor to generate a plurality of community identifiers respectively corresponding to a plurality of social-networking communities; and

third computer-readable program code for causing the processor to store a plurality of core profiles respectively corresponding to the plurality of core user member identifiers, wherein each of the plurality of core profiles includes community information, friend information, and content information,

wherein the community information includes one or more of the plurality of community identifiers,

wherein the friend information includes one or more of the plurality of core user member identifiers, and

wherein the content information includes respective metadata associated with each of a plurality of content items.

46. A method of creating a feed of content items to be shared within a network of social-networking communities, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a request to create a feed, the request being received from a registered member of a social-networking community;

receiving, at the server, information for representing the feed, wherein the information includes at least one of;

a title, a visual icon, a description, and a flag;

storing, in a database accessible by the server, the information for representing the feed;

receiving, at the server, a plurality of requests to add a content item to the feed, wherein the plurality of requests include any combination of one or more of;

a text content item, a video content item, an audio content item, and a photographic content item;

storing each content item included in the plurality of requests in the database in association with the feed and in association with the registered member, wherein each content item is useable by the server to produce a desired content for a visitor to the social-networking community to experience; and

providing a webpage including a feed representation showing for each content item at least one of;

a title, a visual icon, a description, and the flag.

47. A method according to claim 46,

wherein the feed is a community feed, and

wherein the request to create the community feed is received from a registered publisher member of the social-networking community.

48. A method according to claim 46,

wherein the feed is a user member feed, and

wherein the request to create the user member feed is received from a registered user member of the social-networking community.

49. A method according to claim 46, wherein at least one content item is a link to an external server that produces desired content for the visitor to experience, a thumbnail image associated with a friend user member, a display name associated with a friend user member, a play list, a photo album, or a music album.

50. A method according to claim 47, further comprising:

storing in the database information for representing a plurality of community feeds corresponding to the social-networking community.

51. A method according to claim 46, further comprising:

for each content item of the feed, storing in the database a flag used to determine whether a visitor belonging to a designated category is allowed to experience the content item.

52. A method according to claim 46, further comprising:

for each content item of the feed, storing in the database a flag used to determine whether registered members are allowed to share the content item.

53. A method according to claim 46, the method further comprising:

providing a multimedia renderer in the webpage, the multimedia renderer being configured to process a content item of the feed so that a user may experience the content item.

54. A method according to claim 46, the method further comprising:

transmitting information from the feed to an external multimedia renderer when a title, a visual icon, or a description of a content item of the feed is selected.

55. A method according to claim 46, the method further comprising:

updating a content item stored in the database by replacing the content item with an updated version of the content item.

56. A method according to claim 46, further comprising providing a bookmarklet that causes one of the plurality of requests to add a content item to be received at the server.

57. A method according to claim 47, wherein the webpage corresponds to a community landing webpage of the social-networking community.

58. A method according to claim 47, wherein the webpage corresponds to a community feed webpage of the social-networking community.

59. A method according to claim 48, wherein the webpage corresponds to a user member profile webpage of the registered user member of the social-networking community.

60. A method according to claim 46, further comprising:

receiving a request to organize a content item of the feed, the request including an instruction to delete the content item or an instruction to specify a visual layout associated with the content item;

updating the feed based on the request; and

storing the updated feed.

61. A computer system including a processor and a memory storing control logic for causing the processor to create a feed of content items to be shared within a network of social-networking communities, the control logic comprising

first computer-readable program code for causing the processor to receive, at a server, a request to create a feed, the request being received from a registered member of a social-networking community;

second computer-readable program code for causing the processor to receive, at the server, information for representing the feed, wherein the information includes at least one of;

a title, a visual icon, a description, and a flag;

third computer-readable program code for causing the processor to store, in a database accessible by the server, the information for representing the feed;

fourth computer-readable program code for causing the processor receive, at the server, a plurality of requests to add a content item to the feed, wherein the plurality of requests include any combination of one or more of;

a text content item, a video content item, an audio content item, and a photographic content item;

fifth computer-readable program code for causing the processor to store each content item included in the plurality of requests in the database in association with the feed and in association with the registered member, wherein each content item is useable by the server to produce a desired content for a visitor to the social-networking community to experience; and

sixth computer-readable program code for causing the processor provide a webpage including a feed representation showing for each content item at least one of;

a title, a visual icon, a description, and the flag.