TRACKING USER PROFILE INFLUENCE IN A DIGITAL MEDIA SYSTEM

• US 20100268574A1
• Filed: 04/17/2009
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Butcher, Thomas C., Zahn, Jessica
• Application Number:
  US12/425,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268574A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

Methods and systems for tracking user profile influence in a digital media system are provided. One exemplary method includes computing connection weights of connections between a plurality of user nodes, each user node representing a user profile of the digital media system, to thereby generate an influence network. The connection weights may be based on implicit activity notifications received at a media server via a plurality of media clients associated with the user nodes. The method may further include calculating a dynamic influence score for each of the user nodes based on the connection weights between the user nodes in the influence network. The method may further include comparing the dynamic influence scores to an influence score threshold to determine one or more lead user nodes, and sending an influence reward to the media clients associated with the one or more lead user nodes.

Claims

1. A method for tracking user profile influence in a digital media system, the method comprising:

computing connection weights of connections between a plurality of user nodes, each user node representing a user profile of the digital media system, to thereby generate an influence network, the connection weights being based on implicit activity notifications received at a media server via a plurality of media clients associated with the user nodes;

calculating a dynamic influence score for each of the user nodes based on the connection weights between the user nodes in the influence network;

comparing the dynamic influence scores to an influence score threshold to determine one or more lead user nodes; and

sending an influence reward to the media clients associated with the one or more lead user nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein implicit activity notifications are received at the media server from a first user media client associated with a first user node responsive to performance of one or more of the following implicit activities via the first user media client:

play of a second user profile-associated media item, syncing of a second user profile card, rating of a second user profile-associated media item, sending of a second user profile-associated media item, fan addition and/or friend addition of a second user profile, and fan removal and/or friend removal of a second user profile.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the connection weights are further based on recency and/or frequency of implicit activity performance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection weights are further based on explicit activity notifications received at the media server from a first user media client associated with a first user node responsive to execution of one or more of the following explicit activities via the first user media client:

a friend removal, a friend addition, a first user profile-associated media item send, and a first user profile-associated media playlist send.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the connection weights are further based on recency and/or frequency of explicit activity execution.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating a dynamic influence score for each user node is further based on connectedness factors of connections between each user node and other user nodes including one or more of connection directionalities, connection durations, connection distances, number of connections, a number of connections with active user nodes, media client operating sources associated with the user nodes, and dynamic influence scores of the other user nodes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein connection directionalities are unidirectional or bidirectional, where a unidirectional connection indicates a one-way friendship between a first user node and a second user node or a one-way fan-ship between a first user node and a second user node, and where a bidirectional connection indicates a mutual friendship between a first user node and a second user node.

8. A method for rewarding user profile influence in a digital media system, the method comprising:

receiving a reward at one of a plurality of media clients associated with a target user node from a media server when a dynamic influence score of the target user node representing a target user profile exceeds a dynamic influence score threshold, the dynamic influence score being based on connection weights of connections between the target user node and other user nodes of an influence network, where the other user nodes represent other user profiles of the digital media system, and where the connection weights are based on implicit activity notifications sent to the media server from other user media clients associated with the other user nodes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the implicit activity notifications are sent to the media server responsive to performance of one or more of the following implicit activities via the other user media clients:

play of a target user profile-associated media item, syncing of a target user profile card, rating of a target user profile-associated media item, sending of a target user profile-associated media item, fan addition and/or friend addition of a target user profile, and fan removal and/or friend removal of a target user profile.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein connection weights are further based on explicit activity notifications sent to the media server from a target user media client associated with the target user node responsive to execution of one or more of the following explicit activities via the target user media client:

a friend removal, a friend addition, sending of a target user profile-associated media item, and sending of a target user profile-associated media playlist.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the dynamic influence score for the target user node is further based on connectedness factors of connections between the target user node and the other user nodes of the influence network, including one or more of connection directionalities, connection durations, connection distances, number of connections, a number of connections with active user nodes, dynamic influence scores of the other user nodes, and media client operating sources of the target user node and the other user nodes.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein connection directionalities are unidirectional or bidirectional, where a unidirectional connection indicates a one-way friendship between the target user node and one of the other user nodes or a one-way fan-ship between the target user node and one of the other user nodes, and where a bidirectional connection indicates a mutual friendship between the target user node and one of the other user nodes.

13. A digital media system for tracking user profile influence, the system comprising:

a media server configured to receive implicit activity notifications from a plurality of media clients responsive to performance of one or more implicit activities via the media clients, said media clients representing a plurality of user nodes, and said user nodes each being associated with a user profile of the digital media system, the media server including;

a processing platform including a computation module configured to;

compute connection weights of connections between the plurality of user nodes to thereby generate an influence network, wherein the connection weights are based on the implicit activity notifications, and are further based on recency and/or frequency of implicit activity performance,

calculate a dynamic influence score for each user node based on connection weights between each user node and one or more other user nodes of the influence network, and

compare the dynamic influence scores to an influence score threshold to determine one or more lead user nodes;

wherein the media server is configured to send an influence reward to one or more media clients associated with the one or more lead user nodes.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein implicit activities performed via a first user media client associated with a first user node include one or more of a play of a second user profile-associated media item, syncing of a second user profile card, rating of a second user profile-associated media item, sending of a second user profile-associated media item, fan addition and/or friend addition of a second user profile, and fan removal and/or friend removal of a second user profile.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the connection weights are further based on explicit activity notifications received at the media server from a first user media client associated with a first user node responsive to execution of one or more of the following explicit activities via the first user media client:

a friend removal, a friend addition, sending of a first user profile-associated media item, and sending of a first user profile-associated media playlist.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the connection weights are further based on recency and/or frequency of explicit activity execution.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the dynamic influence score for each user node is further based on connectedness factors of connections between each user node and the other user nodes including one or more of connection directionalities, connection durations, connection distances, number of connections, a number of connections with active user nodes, dynamic influence scores of other user nodes, and media client operating sources associated with each user node.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein connection directionalities include unidirectional connections, where a unidirectional connection indicates a one-way friendship between a first user node and a second user node or a one-way fan-ship between a first user node and a second user node.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein connection directionalities include bidirectional connections, where a bidirectional connection indicates a mutual friendship between a first user node and a second user node.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the media client operating sources include one or more of a software-developer computing device, a third party computing device, and a network-based platform.