PROVIDING UNIVERSAL SOCIAL CONTEXT FOR CONCEPTS IN A SOCIAL NETWORKING SYSTEM

• US 20130124627A1
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cathcart, Robert William, Sagula, Rafael Linden, Marlow, Cameron Alexander, Chang, Jonathan, Kar, Siddharth, Sun, Eric
• Application Number:
  US13/295,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20130124627A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Equivalent concepts expressed across multiple domains are matched and associated with a metapage generated by a social networking system. User preferences expressed on multiple domains, represented as pages in a social networking system, may be organized by concept and shared with advertisers, third-party developers, and other users of the social networking system using the metapages generated for the concepts. Aggregated social information may be presented to users of the social networking system viewing a page associated with a metapage. Information presented on external websites may be used to link pages across multiple domains with a metapage generated on the social networking system. Social context information may be provided on a page associated with a metapage for a viewing user that shows expressions of interest by other users on the page and other pages associated with the metapage.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining a plurality of metapages on a social networking system, where each metapage represents a plurality of pages on the social networking system related to a unique concept;

receiving a request for social context information regarding a page on the social networking system from a viewing user of the social networking system viewing the page, the page associated with a metapage;

determining social context information for the page based on actions performed by other users of the social networking system connected to the viewing user on pages associated with the metapage; and

providing the social context information for the page to the user in response to the request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request for social context information regarding a page on the social networking system from a viewing user of the social networking system viewing the page, the page associated with a metapage further comprises:

receiving an application programming interface (API) call from a widget embedded in an external website associated with the page, the API call including the request for social context information for the viewing user regarding the page.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining social context information for the page based on actions performed by other users of the social networking system connected to the viewing user on pages associated with the metapage further comprises:

identifying actions performed by the other users of the social networking system connected to the viewing user on pages associated with the metapage;

aggregating the actions performed by the other users by action type; and

determining social context information for the page based on the aggregated actions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining social context information for the page based on actions performed by other users of the social networking system connected to the viewing user on pages associated with the metapage further comprises:

identifying actions performed by the other users of the social networking system connected to the viewing user on pages associated with the metapage;

ranking the actions performed by the other users by relevance to the page;

selecting a plurality of high-ranking actions meeting a predetermined threshold; and

determining social context information for the page based on the plurality of high-ranking actions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining social context information for the page based on actions performed by other users of the social networking system connected to the viewing user on pages associated with the metapage further comprises:

identifying actions performed by the other users of the social networking system connected to the viewing user on pages associated with the metapage;

ranking the actions performed by the other users by affinity to the user; and

determining social context information for the page based on the ranked actions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the social context information for the page to the user in response to the request further comprises:

rendering the social context information in a widget embedded in an external website.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the social context information for the page to the user in response to the request further comprises:

rendering the social context information in the page on the social networking system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the social context information for the page to the user in response to the request further comprises:

rendering the social context information in a profile page on the social networking system corresponding to the user.