COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY FOLLOWING ENTITIES IN AN ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORK

• US 20130238706A1
• Filed: 02/14/2013
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Desai, Sachin
• Granted Patent: US 9,503,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and computer readable storage media for causing an entity to automatically follow other entities in an online social network. Location information of an entity can be received, and an automatic follow rule applicable to the entity can be determined. The automatic follow rule may cause the entity to follow other entities when one or more conditions including a designated spatial proximity of the entity to the other entities is satisfied. When it is determined that one or more conditions is satisfied, data associated with the entity can be updated to indicate that the first entity follows the other entities. In some implementations, when the entity is associated with a temporal follow status and a trigger event specified by the automatic follow rule is satisfied, data associated with the entity can be updated to indicate that the entity does not follow the other entities.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for causing a first entity to automatically follow other entities in an online social network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, location information of the first entity, the first entity having a first entity profile in the online social network;

determining that an automatic follow rule is applicable to the first entity, the automatic follow rule causing the first entity to follow other entities when one or more conditions including a designated spatial proximity of the first entity to the other entities is satisfied, the first entity having access to feed items associated with the other entities when the one or more conditions are satisfied, the feed items being stored on one or more storage mediums, the feed items capable of being included in an information feed in a presentation on a display of a device associated with the first entity;

determining, in accordance with the automatic follow rule, that the one or more conditions are satisfied including that the first entity is within the designated spatial proximity to a second entity; and

updating data stored on a storage medium in association with the first entity to indicate that the first entity follows the second entity in response to the determination that the one or more conditions are satisfied.

2. The method recited in claim 1, the method further comprising:

generating a message prompting the first entity for an input indicating whether the first entity wishes to follow the second entity in response to the determination that the one or more conditions are satisfied; and

providing the message for presentation on the display of the device associated with the first entity.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the data stored on the storage medium in association with the first entity is updated without regard to user input data.

4. The method recited in claim 1, the method further comprising:

generating a notice informing the second entity that the first entity follows the second entity; and

providing the notice for presentation on a display of a device associated with the second entity.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the first entity or the second entity is one of:

a user, a group, a record, and an organization of the online social network.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the location information includes one or more of:

longitude and latitude information of a device associated with the first entity, wireless fidelity (WIFI) access point information of the device associated with the first entity, signal strength of the device associated with the first entity, magnetic field information of the device associated with the first entity, and a location identified in the first entity profile.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the automatic follow rule designates the spatial proximity as one of:

a distance between the first entity and the second entity, a geographical radius measured from a position associated with the first entity, and one or more designated geographic areas.

8. The method recited in claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining, in accordance with the automatic follow rule, one or more feed items associated with the second entity for inclusion in the information feed; and

providing the determined one or more feed items for presentation on the display of the device associated with the first entity.

9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein determining, in accordance with the automatic follow rule, the one or more feed items associated with the second entity for inclusion in the information feed includes:

determining the one or more feed items based on a type of information accessible by the first entity as specified by the automatic follow rule, wherein the type of information includes one or more of;

a record update, a post, a comment, an indication of personal preference, a status update, a link to a web page, a file type, image data, audio data, and video data.

10. The method recited in claim 8, wherein determining, in accordance with the automatic follow rule, the one or more feed items associated with the second entity for inclusion in the information feed includes:

determining the one or more feed items based on preference information of the first entity.

11. The method recited in claim 8, wherein determining, in accordance with the automatic follow rule, the one or more feed items associated with the second entity includes:

determining that the second entity is associated with a further automatic follow rule; and

selecting, based on a ranking, one of the automatic follow rules to apply to determine feed items for inclusion in the information feed.

12. The method recited in claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining that the first entity is associated with a temporal follow status indicating that the first entity will follow the second entity until a trigger event specified by the automatic follow rule is satisfied;

determining, in accordance with the automatic follow rule, that the trigger event is satisfied; and

updating the data stored in association with the first entity to indicate that the first entity does not follow the second entity in response to the determination that the trigger event is satisfied, thereby causing the first entity to not have access to the one or more feed items associated with the second entity.

13. The method recited in claim 12, wherein determining that the trigger event is satisfied includes one or more of:

determining that a location of the first entity exceeds the designated spatial proximity with respect to the second entity;

determining that a first time range specified by the automatic follow rule to follow the second entity is exceeded; and

determining that the first entity is permitted to follow the second entity when it is determined that the automatic follow rule is updated.

14. One or more computing devices for causing a first entity to automatically follow other entities in an online social network, the one or more computing devices comprising:

one or more processor operable to execute one or more instructions to;

receive location information of the first entity, the first entity having a first entity profile in the online social network, determine that an automatic follow rule is applicable to the first entity, the automatic follow rule causing the first entity to follow other entities when one or more conditions including a designated spatial proximity of the first entity to the other entities is satisfied, the first entity having access to feed items associated with the other entities when the one or more conditions is satisfied, the feed items being stored on one or more storage mediums, the feed items capable of being included in an information feed in a presentation on a display of a device associated with the first entity,

determine, in accordance with the automatic follow rule, that the one or more conditions is satisfied including that the first entity is within the designated spatial proximity to a second entity, and

update data stored on a storage medium in association with the first entity to indicate that the first entity follows the second entity in response to the determination that the one or more conditions are satisfied.

15. The one or more computing devices of claim 14, wherein the automatic follow rule designates the spatial proximity as one of:

a distance between the first entity and the second entity, a geographical radius measured from a position associated with the first entity, and one or more designated geographic areas.

16. The one or more computing devices of claim 14, wherein the one or more processor are further operable to execute one or more instructions to:

determine that the first entity is associated with a temporal follow status indicating that the first entity will follow the second entity until a trigger event specified by the automatic follow rule is satisfied,

determine, in accordance with the automatic follow rule, that the trigger event is satisfied, and

update the data stored in association with the first entity to indicate that the first entity does not follow the second entity in response to the determination that the trigger event is satisfied, thereby causing the first entity to not have access to the one or more feed items associated with the second entity.

17. The one or more computing devices of claim 16, wherein determining that the trigger event is satisfied includes one or more of:

determining that a location of the first entity exceeds the designated spatial proximity with respect to the second entity,

determining that a first time range specified by the automatic follow rule to follow the second entity is exceeded, and

determining that the first entity is permitted to follow the second entity when it is determined that the automatic follow rule is updated.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a computing device to perform a method for causing a first entity to automatically follow other entities in an online social network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, location information of the first entity, the first entity having a first entity profile in the online social network;

determining that an automatic follow rule is applicable to the first entity, the automatic follow rule causing the first entity to follow other entities when one or more conditions including a designated spatial proximity of the first entity to the other entities is satisfied, the first entity having access to feed items associated with the other entities when the one or more conditions are satisfied, the feed items being stored on one or more storage mediums, the feed items capable of being included in an information feed in a presentation on a display of a device associated with the first entity;

determining, in accordance with the automatic follow rule, that the one or more conditions are satisfied including that the first entity is within the designated spatial proximity to a second entity; and

updating data stored on a storage medium in association with the first entity to indicate that the first entity follows the second entity in response to the determination that the one or more conditions are satisfied.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim of 18, the method further comprising:

determining, in accordance with the automatic follow rule, one or more feed items associated with the second entity for inclusion in the information feed; and

providing the determined one or more feed items for presentation on the display of the device associated with the first entity.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim of 19, wherein determining, in accordance with the automatic follow rule, the one or more feed items associated with the second entity includes:

determining that the second entity is associated with a further automatic follow rule; and

selecting, based on a ranking, one of the automatic follow rules to apply to determine feed items for inclusion in the information feed.