METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING SOCIAL NETWORKING CONTENT

• US 20100287256A1
• Filed: 05/05/2009
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Neilio, Michael Patrick
• Application Number:
  US12/435,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20100287256A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An approach for providing social networking content in a mobile environment is described. A social networking widget on a mobile device extracts content from one or more social networking services according to a bandwidth allocation of a usage plan associated with the mobile device. The social networking widget minimizes bandwidth use by setting limits on a maximum number of social networking members a user can follow, a maximum number of features or feeds a user can follow, and a maximum refresh rate for social networking content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a request, via a widget of a mobile device, for member identifiers of one or more social networking services;

receiving the requested member identifiers over a radio network;

matching the requested member identifiers with entries of a contact list of the mobile device;

initiating, for a subset of member identifiers that match, prompting of a user of the mobile device to select member identifiers from the subset to follow or to synchronize between the one or more social networking services and the contact list; and

extracting content from the one or more social networking services for the selected member identifiers.

2. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating storing of the extracted content to a database in the mobile device; and

presenting the stored content categorized according to the contact list of the mobile device.

3. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating, for a subset of member identifiers that do not match, prompting of the user to select member identifiers to add to the contact list.

4. A method of claim 23, further comprising:

determining a maximum number of member identifiers based on the bandwidth allocation of the usage plan,

wherein the extracted content is limited based on the maximum number of member identifiers.

5. A method of claim 23, further comprising:

determining a maximum number of features or feeds of the one or more social networking services based on the bandwidth allocation of the usage plan,

wherein the extracted content is limited based on the maximum number features or feeds.

6. A method of claim 23, further comprising:

determining a maximum refresh rate for the content based on the bandwidth allocation of the usage plan,

wherein the extracted content is limited based on the maximum refresh rate.

23. A method of claim 1, wherein the extracting of the content is according to a usage plan of the mobile device, the usage plan specifying a bandwidth allocation.

7. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause an apparatus to perform at least the following,

generate a request, via a widget of a mobile device, for member identifiers of one or more social networking services;

receive the requested member identifiers over a radio network;

match the requested member identifiers with entries of a contact list of the mobile device;

initiate, for a subset of member identifiers that match, prompting of a user of the mobile device to select member identifiers from the subset to follow or to synchronize between the one or more social networking services and the contact list; and

extract content from the one or more social networking services for the selected member identifiers.

8. An apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

initiate storing of the extracted content relating to the selected member identifiers to a database in the mobile device; and

present the stored content categorized according to the contact list of the mobile device.

9. An apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

initiate, for a subset of member identifiers that do not match, prompting of the user to select member identifiers to add to the contact list.

10. An apparatus of claim 24, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine a maximum number of member identifiers based on the bandwidth allocation of the usage plan,

wherein the extracted content is limited based on the maximum number of member identifiers.

11. An apparatus of claim 24, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine a maximum number of features or feeds of the one or more social networking services based on the bandwidth allocation wherein the extracted content is limited based on the maximum number of member identifiers,

wherein the extracted content is limited based on the maximum number features or feeds.

12. An apparatus of claim 24, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine a maximum refresh rate for the content based on the bandwidth allocation of the usage plan,

wherein the extracted content is limited based on the maximum refresh rate.

13. An apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is a mobile phone further comprising:

user interface circuitry and user interface software configured to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile phone through use of a display and configured to respond to user input; and

a display and display circuitry configured to display at least a portion of a user interface of the mobile phone, the display and display circuitry configured to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile phone.

14. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein the mobile phone further comprises a memory configured to store at least a portion of the content from the one or more social networking services.

24. An apparatus of claim 7, wherein the extracting of the content is according to a usage plan of the mobile device, the usage plan specifying a bandwidth allocation.

15-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A method comprising:

receiving input from a mobile device over a radio network for selecting content of one or more social networking services;

determining one or more matching entries between a contact list of a mobile device with member identifiers of the one or more social networking services; and

scaling content associated with the one or more social networking services according to the one or more matching entries.

20. A method of claim 19, further comprising:

initiating update of a contact database corresponding to the mobile device to specify information relating to the selected content and the one or more matching entries.

21. A method of claim 19, wherein the scaling of the content is further based on a usage plan of the mobile device.

22. A method of claim 21, wherein the usage plan specifies a bandwidth allocation.