COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR VISUALIZING SOCIAL CONNECTIONS

• US 20130007126A1
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Ziemann, Tyler A.
• Application Number:
  US13/445,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20130007126A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, apparatus, methods and computer-readable media for updating and visualizing information stored in a database system over a network. In various implementations, first social connection data associated with a subject and an object is retrieved from a user account. In some instances, the user account is associated with a social networking system. In various implementations, second social connection data associated with the subject and the object is retrieved from shared contact data. In some instances, one or more social connections between the subject and the object are identified based on the retrieved first social connection data and the retrieved second social connection data. In some implementations, a graphical representation of the identified one or more social connections is generated, where the graphical representation is capable of being displayed at a user interface of a display device.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

retrieving, from a user account, first social connection data associated with a subject and an object, wherein the user account is associated with a social networking system;

retrieving, from shared contact data, second social connection data associated with the subject and the object;

identifying one or more social connections between the subject and the object based on the retrieved first social connection data and the retrieved second social connection data; and

generating a graphical representation of the identified one or more social connections, the graphical representation capable of being displayed at a user interface of a display device.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the shared contact data is aggregated from a plurality of entities and is stored in a first virtual portion of a database system, the first virtual portion of the database system accessible by the plurality of entities.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 further comprising:

storing the identified one or more social connections in a second virtual portion of the database system, the second virtual portion of the database system storing private contact data accessible by a user of a database service.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, wherein the database system comprises one or more multitenant databases accessible via an on-demand computing services environment.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first social connection data identifies a first one or more social actions and the second social connection data identifies a second one or more social actions, wherein each social action identifies a direct or indirect social relationship between the subject and the object.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first one or more social actions are different from the second one or more social actions.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first one or more social actions are the second one or more social actions.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein access to at least a portion of the first and second social connection data is managed by a database service provider.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identified one or more social connections indicate a strength of a relationship between the subject and the object.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the strength of the relationship between the subject and the object is proportional to a number of intermediate entities between the subject and the object.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the strength of the relationship between the subject and the object is determined based on one or more items selected from the group consisting of:

occupational title, occupational industry, social influence, and response rate.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the object is a user of an on-demand computing services environment, and wherein the subject is a business contact associated with the user.

13. A system comprising:

a database system including one or more tables configured to store social connection data capable of being displayed on a device; and

one or more servers configured to;

retrieve, from a user account, first social connection data associated with a subject and an object, wherein the user account is associated with a social networking system;

retrieve, from shared contact data, second social connection data associated with the subject and the object;

identify one or more social connections between the subject and the object based on the retrieved first social connection data and the retrieved second social connection data; and

generate a graphical representation of the identified one or more social connections, the graphical representation capable of being displayed at a user interface of a display device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the shared contact data is aggregated from a plurality of entities and is stored in a first virtual portion of the database system, the first virtual portion of the database system accessible by the plurality of entities.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more servers are further configured to:

store the identified one or more social connections in a second virtual portion of the database system, the second virtual portion of the database system storing private contact data accessible by a user of a database service.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the first social connection data identifies a first one or more social actions and the second social connection data identifies a second one or more social actions, wherein each of the first and second one or more social actions identifies a direct or indirect social relationships between the subject and the object.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein access to at least a portion of the first and second social connection data is managed by a database service provider.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the identified one or more social connections indicate a strength of a relationship between the subject and the object.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the strength of the relationship between the subject and the object is proportional to a number of intermediate entities between the subject and the object.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the strength of a relationship between the subject and the object is determined based on one or more items selected from the group consisting of:

occupational title, occupational industry, social influence, and response rate.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the object is a user of an on-demand computing services environment, and wherein the subject is a business contact associated with the user.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the database system comprises one or more multitenant databases accessible via an on-demand computing services environment.

23. One or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored therein for performing a method, the method comprising:

retrieving, from a user account, first social connection data associated with a subject and an object, wherein the user account is associated with a social networking system;

retrieving, from shared contact data, second social connection data associated with the subject and the object;

identifying one or more social connections between the subject and the object based on the retrieved first social connection data and the retrieved second social connection data; and

generating a graphical representation of the identified one or more social connections, the graphical representation capable of being displayed at a user interface of a display device.

24. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 23, wherein the shared contact data is aggregated from a plurality of entities and is stored in a first virtual portion of a database system, the first virtual portion of the database system accessible by the plurality of entities.

25. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 24 further comprising:

storing the identified one or more social connections in a second virtual portion of the database system, the second virtual portion of the database system storing private contact data accessible by a user of a database service.

26. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 23, wherein the first social connection data identifies a first one or more social actions and the second social connection data identifies a second one or more social actions, wherein each social action identifies a direct or indirect social relationship between the subject and the object.

27. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 23, wherein the identified one or more social connections indicate a strength of a relationship between the subject and the object.

28. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 23, wherein the object is a user of an on-demand computing services environment, and wherein the subject is a business contact associated with the user.