SOCIAL NETWORK REWARDS

• US 20110184792A1
• Filed: 01/28/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Butcher, Thomas C., Zahn, Jessica E.
• Application Number:
  US12/695,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20110184792A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.13
• 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 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0218 based on score
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Social network reward techniques are described. In an implementation, a method implemented by at least one computing device includes obtaining data that describes users'"'"' interaction with a social network service and determining influence of one or more said users on other said users via the social network service from the obtained data. A reward is computed based on the determined influence for at least one said user.

Claims

1. A method implemented by at least one computing device, the method comprising:

obtaining data that describes users'"'"' interaction via a social network service;

determining influence of one or more said users on other said users via the social network service from the obtained data; and

computing a reward based on the determined influence for at least one said user.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the data describes status updates communicated via the social network service.

3. A method of claim 1, wherein the data describes content sharing that was performed via the social network service.

4. A method of claim 1, wherein the data describes one or more references to a live event communicated via the social network service.

5. A method of claim 1, wherein the reward is a nonmonetary reward.

6. A method of claim 5, wherein the nonmonetary reward includes an indicator that is viewable via the at least one user'"'"'s profile in the social network service.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein notifications of the rewards are communicated via an email or a SMS text.

8. A method of claim 1, wherein the computing of the influence is based at least in part on a number of communications involving the reward that were communicated via the social network service that were initiated by each said user, respectively, that caused subsequent communications via the social network service.

9. A method of claim 1, wherein the computing of the influence includes computing an influence graph.

10. A method of claim 1, wherein the reward is one of a plurality of said rewards that are arranged in a hierarchy according to one or more criteria that are used to perform the determination.

11. A method implemented by at least one computing device, the method comprising:

computing an effect of a reward, associated with a product or service, on communications via a social network service between users of the social network service; and

forming a communication to communicate the computation for display in a user interface to show the effect of the reward.

12. A method of claim 11, wherein the communicating also includes an indicated monetary amount that is chargeable to a provider of the product or service regarding the reward.

13. A method of claim 12, wherein the monetary amount is based at least in part on the computed effect.

14. A method of claim 11, wherein the reward is associated with user profiles of the social network service.

15. A method of claim 11, wherein the reward is a nonmonetary reward that is configured to recognize one or more of the users of the social network service that initiated communications regarding the product or service.

16. A method of claim 11, wherein the service is a live event.

17. A method of claim 11, wherein the computing of the influence is based at least in part on a number of communications involving the reward that were communicated via the social network service that were initiated by each said user, respectively, that caused subsequent communications via the social network service.

18. One or more tangible computer-readable media comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

determine influence of users of a social network service on each other;

ascertain which of the users are to receive one of a predetermined number of rewards based on the determined influence; and

communicate a notification of the rewards to the ascertained users via corresponding user accounts of the social network service.

19. One or more tangible computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the determination of the influence is based at least in part on a number of communications involving the reward that were communicated via the social network service that were initiated by each said user, respectively, that caused subsequent communications via the social network service.

20. One or more tangible computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the rewards are arranged in a hierarchy according to one or more criteria.