PROPAGATING PROMOTIONAL INFORMATION ON A SOCIAL NETWORK

• US 20100332330A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kulkarni, Rahul, Naidu, Siddartha, Guha, Ramanathan V., Belwadi, Subramanya Srikanth, Goel, Vinay
• Granted Patent: US 9,466,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.66
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

In one implementation, a method for providing information to computer users includes receiving at a server system an indicator of an action performed on a third-party website by a first user of a social network of users. The method can also include creating by the server system first promotional information based upon the received indicator and information associated with the first user of the social network. The method can further include persistently storing by the server system the created first promotional information in a repository of promotional information, wherein the repository stores promotional information associated with a plurality of third-party websites for display to users of a plurality of social networks. The method can additionally include receiving at the server system a request for promotional information to display to a second user of the social network, the second user having an acquaintance relationship with the first user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing information to computer users, the method comprising:

receiving at a server system an indicator of an action performed on a third-party website by a first user of a social network of users, wherein the third-party website is hosted by a third-party server;

creating by the server system first promotional information based upon the received indicator from the third-party website and information associated with the first user of the social network, wherein the third-party server is in a system that is separate from the social network and the server system;

persistently storing by the server system the created first promotional information in a repository of promotional information, wherein the repository stores promotional information associated with a plurality of third-party websites for display to users of a plurality of social networks;

receiving at the server system a request for promotional information to display to a second user of the social network, the second user having an acquaintance relationship with the first user, wherein the acquaintance relationship is defined in a database having information that is available to the server system;

determining by the server system that the created first promotional information is to be displayed to the second user based upon, at least in part, the acquaintance relationship between the first user and the second user; and

transmitting by the server system the created first promotional information for display to the second user of the social network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying by the server system a promotional information template from a plurality of promotional information templates based on the received indicator to be used to create the first promotional information, wherein the promotional information template includes predetermined content and a placeholder for content associated with a user of any of a plurality of social networks.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first promotional information is created from the identified promotional information template by replacing the placeholder with information related to the first user of the social network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining with the third-party server system a length of time for which the first promotional information is to be persistently stored.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first promotional information comprises an advertisement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first promotional information contains an endorsement by the first user relating to content on the third-party website.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the endorsed content pertains to a product displayed on the third-party website.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the created first promotional information has fixed dimensions and wherein the created first promotional information is displayed to the second user in a predetermined area of the second user'"'"'s viewing pane of a social network web page, wherein the predetermined area has a fixed size.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at the server system a bid from the third-party server for an opportunity to display the first promotional information to a user of any of a plurality of social networks.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that the created first promotional information is to be displayed to the second user is additionally based upon the bid regarding the first promotional information received from the third-party server.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at the server system criteria for displaying the first promotional information to a user of a social network from the third-party server, wherein the criteria pertain to characteristics associated with a user of a social network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining that the created first promotional information is to be displayed to the second user is additionally based upon the second user satisfying the criteria specified by the third-party server.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the server system a second indicator of an action performed on the third-party website by a first user of a second social network of users;

creating by the server system second promotional information based upon the received second indicator from the third-party website and information associated with the first user of the second social network;

persistently storing by the server system the created second promotional information in the repository of promotional information;

receiving at the server system a second request for promotional information to display to a second user of the second social network, the second user of the second social network having an acquaintance relationship with the first user of the second social network;

determining by the server system that the created second promotional information is to be displayed to the second user of the second social network based upon, at least in part, the acquaintance relationship between the first user and the second user of the second social network; and

transmitting by the server system the created second promotional information for display to the second user of the second social network.

14. A system for propagating promotional information to users of a social network based upon user activity on a third-party website, the system comprising:

one or more servers;

an interface to the one or more servers to receive an indicator of an action performed on a third-party website by a first user of a social network of users, to receive a request for promotional information to display to a second user of the social network, and to transmit promotional information for display to the second user, wherein the first user and the second user have an acquaintance relationship;

a processor to access and execute a stored promotional information creation component to create first promotional information based upon the received indicator from the third-party website and information associated with the first user of the social network, wherein the created first promotional information has fixed dimensions;

a repository to persistently store the created first promotional information, wherein the repository stores promotional information associated with a plurality of third-party websites for display to users of a plurality of social networks; and

a request processing component to, in response to the received request for promotional information, determine the created first promotional information is to be displayed to the second user based upon, at least in part, the acquaintance relationship between the first user and the second user, wherein the created first promotional information is displayed to the second user in a predetermined area of the second user'"'"'s viewing pane of the social network, wherein the predetermined area has a fixed size.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a template repository to store promotional information templates received from third-party websites;

wherein the request processing component identifies a promotional information template from the template repository based on the received indicator, the identified promotional information template including predetermined content and a placeholder for content associated with a user of any of a plurality of social networks;

wherein the request processing component creates the first promotional information from the identified promotional information template by replacing the placeholder with information related to the first user of the social network.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the interface further receives a bid from the third-party server for an opportunity to display the first promotional information to a user of any of a plurality of social networks

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the request processing component determines that the created first promotional information is to be displayed to the second user additionally based upon the bid regarding the first promotional information received from the third-party server.

18. A system for propagating promotional information to users of a social network based upon user activity on a third-party website, the system comprising:

one or more servers;

an interface to the one or more servers to receive an indicator of an action performed on a third-party website by a first user of a social network of users, to receive a request for promotional information to display to a second user of the social network, and to transmit promotional information for display to the second user, wherein the first user and the second user have an acquaintance relationship;

a promotional information creation component to create first promotional information based upon the received indicator from the third-party website and information associated with the first user of the social network, wherein the created first promotional information has fixed dimensions;

a repository to persistently store the created first promotional information, wherein the repository stores promotional information associated with a plurality of third-party websites for display to users of a plurality of social networks; and

means for processing the received request for promotional information by determining that the created first promotional information is to be displayed to the second user based upon, at least in part, the acquaintance relationship between the first user and the second user, wherein the created first promotional information is displayed to the second user in a predetermined area of the second user'"'"'s viewing pane of the social network, wherein the predetermined area has a fixed size.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the interface further receives a bid from the third-party server for an opportunity to display the first promotional information to a user of any of a plurality of social networks

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the means for processing the received request determines that the created first promotional information is to be displayed to the second user additionally based upon the bid regarding the first promotional information received from the third-party server.