CREATING AND MANAGING GRANULAR RELATIONSHIPS ON AN ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORK

• US 20150220587A1
• Filed: 04/17/2015
• Published: 08/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Dunn, Zachary J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,659,049 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

This disclosure provides some implementations of methods, apparatus, systems, and computer program products for creating and managing granular relationships on an online social network. In some implementations, a request to generate an information feed is associated with configuration information, which identifies a source of information updates. Each of the information updates can be of a certain type. The configuration information identifies one or more of these types. An information update can be selected from the identified information source. The selected information update has one or more of the types associated therewith. The requested information feed is generated to include the selected information update and displayed on a display device.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a database system associated with a social networking system, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a requesting user to generate an information feed of the social networking system according to configuration information customized by the requesting user, the configuration information stored as a data object in the database system and identifying an information source, the information source being a designated one of a plurality of records stored in the database system and having a plurality of associated updates, each update having an associated one or more of a plurality of update types, the configuration information including an indication that the requesting user is following the identified information source, the configuration information identifying for the identified information source a first one or more update types for inclusion in the information feed and a second one or more update types for exclusion from the information feed;

selecting, using the database system, a first one or more of the plurality of updates associated with the first one or more update types, the first one or more updates being selected from a multi-tenant database, the multi-tenant database being accessible to a plurality of entities;

excluding, using the database system, a second one or more of the plurality of updates as being associated with the second one or more update types; and

generating, using the database system, the requested information feed, the generated information feed including the first one or more updates as feed items and omitting the second one or more updates from being feed items, the generated information feed capable of being displayed on a display device.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the first one or more update types identified for inclusion in the information feed includes a comment posted in the social networking system.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the first one or more update types identified for inclusion in the information feed includes a response to a comment posted in the social networking system.

4. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the social networking system is specific to an organization.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the configuration information further includes a delivery instruction, the delivery instruction identifying one or more of a plurality of techniques for presenting the information feed.

6. The method recited in claim 5, wherein the plurality of techniques include at least one technique selected from the group consisting of:

posting the information feed to a publicly accessible wall in the social networking system, posting the information feed to a privately accessible wall in the social networking system, transmitting the information feed to a mobile computing device, and presenting the information feed within a web page.

7. The method recited in claim 5, the method further comprising:

transmitting the generated information feed to a computing device associated with a user, the generated information feed transmitted in accordance with the delivery instruction.

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

dynamically determining the configuration information based on a role filled by a user within an organization.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the configuration information modifies default information, the default information designating the first one or more update types for inclusion in the information feed.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the configuration information is capable of being modified.

11. A computing system comprising:

database system software stored on a non-transitory data storage medium for execution by at least one server of a database system associated with a social networking system, the database system software operable to cause;

processing information indicating a request from a requesting user to generate an information feed of the social networking system according to configuration information customized by the requesting user, the configuration information stored as a data object in the database system and identifying an information source, the information source being a designated one of a plurality of records stored in the database system and having a plurality of associated updates, each update having an associated one or more of a plurality of update types, the configuration information including an indication that the requesting user is following the identified information source, the configuration information identifying for the identified information source a first one or more update types for inclusion in the information feed and a second one or more update types for exclusion from the information feed;

selecting, using the database system, a first one or more of the plurality of updates associated with the first one or more update types, the first one or more updates being selected from a multi-tenant database, the multi-tenant database being accessible to a plurality of entities;

excluding, using the database system, a second one or more of the plurality of updates as being associated with the second one or more update types; and

generating, using the database system, the requested information feed, the generated information feed including the first one or more updates as feed items and omitting the second one or more updates from being feed items, the generated information feed capable of being displayed on a display device.

12. The computing system recited in claim 12, wherein the first one or more update types identified for inclusion in the information feed includes a comment posted in the social networking system.

13. The computing system recited in claim 12, wherein the first one or more update types identified for inclusion in the information feed includes a response to a comment posted in the social networking system.

15. The computing system recited in claim 12, wherein the configuration information further comprises a delivery instruction, the delivery instruction identifying one or more of a plurality of techniques for presenting the information feed.

17. The computing system recited in claim 12, the database system software further operable to cause:

dynamically determining the configuration information based on a role filled by a user within an organization.

18. The computing system recited in claim 12, wherein the configuration information modifies default information, the default information designating the first one or more update types for inclusion in the information feed.

14. The computing system recited in claim 14, wherein the social networking system is specific to an organization.

16. The computing system recited in claim 16, the database system software further operable to cause:

transmitting the generated information feed to a computing device associated with a user, the generated information feed transmitted in accordance with the delivery instruction.

19. A computer program product comprising program code to be executed by one or more processors when retrieved from a non-transitory storage medium, the program code comprising instructions configured to cause, in a database system associated with a social networking system:

processing information indicating a request from a requesting user to generate an information feed of the social networking system according to configuration information customized by the requesting user, the configuration information stored as a data object in the database system and identifying an information source, the information source being a designated one of a plurality of records stored in the database system and having a plurality of associated updates, each update having an associated one or more of a plurality of update types, the configuration information including an indication that the requesting user is following the identified information source, the configuration information identifying for the identified information source a first one or more update types for inclusion in the information feed and a second one or more update types for exclusion from the information feed;

selecting, using the database system, a first one or more of the plurality of updates associated with the first one or more update types, the first one or more updates being selected from a multi-tenant database, the multi-tenant database being accessible to a plurality of entities;

excluding, using the database system, a second one or more of the plurality of updates as being associated with the second one or more update types; and

generating, using the database system, the requested information feed, the generated information feed including the first one or more updates as feed items and omitting the second one or more updates from being feed items, the generated information feed capable of being displayed on a display device.

20. The computer program product recited in claim 20, wherein the first one or more update types identified for inclusion in the information feed comprises a comment posted in the social networking system.