PROVIDING LINK TO PORTION OF MEDIA OBJECT IN REAL TIME IN SOCIAL NETWORKING UPDATE

• US 20110029512A1
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cunningham, Ryan, Kalaboukis, Chris, Folgner, Mike
• Granted Patent: US 10,282,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/726
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Techniques are described herein that are capable of providing a link to a portion of a media object (e.g., video, audio, etc.) in real time in a social networking update. For example, a user in a social networking system may generate a social networking update that references a media object while the user is consuming the media object. A determination may be made that the user is consuming the media object and that the user generates the social networking update while the user is consuming the media object. A link is inserted in the social networking update that references a portion of the media object that corresponds to a time instance at which the user generates the social networking update. For instance, the link may be automatically inserted in the social networking update.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that a user is consuming a media object;

determining that the user generates a social networking update that references the media object at a time instance while the user is consuming the media object; and

automatically inserting a link in the social networking update, the link referencing a portion of the media object that corresponds to the time instance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the user generates the social networking update that references the media object comprises:

performing a textual analysis with respect to the social networking update to determine a media indicator that is included in the social networking update; and

determining that the social networking update references the media object based on the media indicator specifying the media object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the user generates the social networking update that references the media object comprises:

performing a textual analysis with respect to the social networking update; and

determining that the social networking update has a textual format defined by the user that indicates that the social networking update references the media object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the media object corresponds to a predetermined time period that includes the time instance.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined time period has a start time that is a first predetermined amount of time prior to the time instance and an end time that is a second predetermined amount of time after the time instance.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first predetermined amount of time and the second predetermined amount of time are defined by the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

filtering the social networking update with respect to an update feed associated with the user based on a tag associated with the social networking update.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sorting the social networking update, which is associated with a tag, with respect to other social networking updates included in an update feed associated with the user based on the tag.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the user generates the social networking update that references the media object comprises:

performing a contextual analysis with respect to the social networking update; and

determining that the social networking update references the media object based on a result of the contextual analysis.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an interestingness indicator that includes a plurality of interest values corresponding to a plurality of respective time instances associated with the media object.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each interest value indicates a number of social networking updates generated with respect to the time instance that corresponds to that interest value.

12. A system comprising:

a media determination module configured to determine that a user is consuming a media object;

an update determination module configured to determine that the user generates a social networking update that references the media object at a time instance while the user is consuming the media object; and

a link insertion module configured to automatically insert a link in the social networking update, the link referencing a portion of the media object that corresponds to the time instance.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the update determination module comprises:

a textual analysis module configured to perform a textual analysis with respect to the social networking update to determine a media indicator that is included in the social networking update; and

a reference determination module configured to determine that the social networking update references the media object based on the media indicator specifying the media object.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the update determination module comprises:

a textual analysis module configured to perform a textual analysis with respect to the social networking update; and

a format determination module configured to determine that the social networking update has a textual format defined by the user that indicates that the social networking update references the media object.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the portion of the media object corresponds to a predetermined time period that includes the time instance.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the predetermined time period has a start time that is a first predetermined amount of time prior to the time instance and an end time that is a second predetermined amount of time after the time instance.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first predetermined amount of time and the second predetermined amount of time are defined by the user.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the update determination module comprises:

a contextual analysis module configured to perform a contextual analysis with respect to the social networking update; and

a reference determination module configured to determine that the social networking update references the media object based on a result of the contextual analysis.

19. A method comprising:

capturing a social networking update that is provided at a time instance by a user;

performing a textual analysis with respect to the social networking update to determine a media indicator that is included in the social networking update;

determining a media object that corresponds to the media indicator;

capturing a portion of the media object that corresponds to the time instance; and

inserting a link to the portion of the media object that corresponds to the time instance in the social networking update.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein inserting the link in the social networking update comprises:

automatically inserting the link in the social networking update.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

distributing the social networking update including the link to the portion of the media object that corresponds to the time instance to followers of the user; and

providing the portion of the media object to followers of the user who access the link.