INFERRING TARGET CLUSTERS BASED ON SOCIAL CONNECTIONS

• US 20160267550A1
• Filed: 05/20/2016
• Published: 09/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yan, Rong, Singla, Ankush, Garcia-Martinez, Antonio Felipe, Zigoris, Philip
• Application Number:
  US15/161,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20160267550A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A seed cluster comprising a group of users who share a particular attribute and/or affiliation is determined by a social networking system. For each user of the seed cluster, other users and/or entities connected to the user in the social networking system are retrieved. For each retrieved other user or entity, the social networking system may determine whether the other user or entity exhibits the attribute or affiliation based on a random walk algorithm. A resulting targeting cluster of users and/or entities may be used for targeting advertisements targeting to members. A social networking system may also infer an affiliation for a user based on the user'"'"'s interaction with a page, application, or entity where other users who interacted with the same page, application, or entity have the same affiliation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication that a user of an online social networking system interacted with an entity of the online social networking system;

responsive to retrieving a previously inferred association of a particular attribute for the entity of the online social networking system, determining that the user exhibits the particular attribute based on the indication that the user interacted with the entity; and

responsive to not retrieving the previously inferred association of the particular attribute for the entity;

retrieving a plurality of social connections connected to the entity, where each of the plurality of social connections are associated with the particular attribute;

determining a total number of users that have interacted with the entity;

determining a ratio comprising a number of the retrieved plurality of social connections connected to the entity that are associated with the particular attribute over the determined total number of users that have interacted with the entity;

determining, by a processor, an inference that the entity is associated with the particular attribute based on the determined ratio exceeding a predetermined threshold for making the inference;

storing the inference that the entity is associated with the particular attribute in the online social networking system, and

determining that the user exhibits the particular attribute based on the indication that the user interacted with the entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity comprises a page on the online social networking system and the indication that the user interacted with the entity comprises a user interaction with the page.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity comprises an application on the online social networking system and the indication that the user interacted with the entity comprises a user installation of the application on the online social networking system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity comprises an application on the online social networking system and the indication that the user interacted with the entity comprises a user operating the application on the online social networking system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity comprises an application on an external system connected to the online social networking system and the indication that the user interacted with the entity comprises a user operating the application on the external system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold percentage comprises at least eighty percent.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the ratio further comprises:

retrieving a listing of the plurality of social connections connected to the user who interacted with the entity from the user profile of the user who interacted with the entity; and

determining the ratio based on the retrieved listing.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the ratio further comprises:

retrieving a plurality of edge objects associated the user who interacted with the entity in the online social networking system; and

determining the plurality of social connections connected to the user who interacted with the entity based on the retrieved plurality of edge objects.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the ratio further comprises:

retrieving a plurality of content objects associated the user who interacted with the entity in the online social networking system; and

determining the plurality of social connections connected to the user who interacted with the entity based on the retrieved plurality of content objects.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the particular attribute from an advertiser selecting targeting criteria for an ad request.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by a server system, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

receiving an indication that a user of an online social networking system interacted with an entity of the online social networking system;

responsive to retrieving a previously inferred association of a particular attribute for the entity of the online social networking system, determining that the user exhibits the particular attribute based on the indication that the user interacted with the entity; and

responsive to not retrieving the previously inferred association of the particular attribute for the entity;

retrieving a plurality of social connections connected to the entity, where each of the plurality of social connections are associated with the particular attribute;

determining a total number of users that have interacted with the entity;

determining a ratio comprising a number of the retrieved plurality of social connections connected to the entity that are associated with the particular attribute over the determined total number of users that have interacted with the entity;

determining, by a processor, an inference that the entity is associated with the particular attribute based on the determined ratio exceeding a predetermined threshold for making the inference;

storing the inference that the entity is associated with the particular attribute in the online social networking system, and

determining that the user exhibits the particular attribute based on the indication that the user interacted with the entity.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the entity comprises a page on the online social networking system and the indication that the user interacted with the entity comprises a user interaction with the page.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the entity comprises an application on the online social networking system and the indication that the user interacted with the entity comprises a user installation of the application on the online social networking system.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the entity comprises an application on the online social networking system and the indication that the user interacted with the entity comprises a user operating the application on the online social networking system.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the entity comprises an application on an external system connected to the online social networking system and the indication that the user interacted with the entity comprises a user operating the application on the external system.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the predetermined threshold percentage comprises at least eighty percent.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein determining the ratio further comprises:

retrieving a listing of the plurality of social connections connected to the user who interacted with the entity from the user profile of the user who interacted with the entity; and

determining the ratio based on the retrieved listing.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein determining the ratio further comprises:

retrieving a plurality of edge objects associated the user who interacted with the entity in the online social networking system; and

determining the plurality of social connections connected to the user who interacted with the entity based on the retrieved plurality of edge objects.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein determining the ratio further comprises:

retrieving a plurality of content objects associated the user who interacted with the entity in the online social networking system; and

determining the plurality of social connections connected to the user who interacted with the entity based on the retrieved plurality of content objects.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the particular attribute from an advertiser selecting targeting criteria for an ad request.