Operating on-line communities using a computer network with an extensible information publishing architecture

• US 7,184,970 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2000
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Peerviews, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Peerviews, Inc.
• Inventors: Squillante, Neil J.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAMPAGNE, DONALD
• Application Number:
  US09/565,366
• Time in Patent Office: 2,489 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A publishing system is disclosed that can provide direct marketing advertising together with material generated by members of an on-line community, editorial content or material generated by special guests. Individualized electronic mail messages addressed to members of an on-line community can be generated. Each individualized electronic mail message includes information from one or more of advertising submitted by vendors via electronic mail, electronic mail messages received from community members and special guests, and editorial content. The information included in a particular individualized electronic mail message depends on values assigned to the messages from community members, to the advertising from vendors and to the editorial content. The assigned values are indicative of the relevance of the community member messages, the advertising and editorial content, respectively, to particular segments of the on-line community. The information included in the particular individualized electronic mail message also depends on data previously provided by a community member to whom the particular individualized electronic mail message is addressed.

Claims

1. An on-line publishing system comprising:

a computer network including a plurality of network access devices, an electronic mail server, and a database,

wherein community members can submit member-generated messages that include member-generated content by electronic mail and vendors can submit advertising by electronic mail, wherein the network is configured to pass the member-generated messages and the advertising to the electronic mail server which is configured to pass the member-generated messages and the advertising to the database for storage therein,

wherein a community manager can review and assign values to the member-generated messages and the advertising stored in the database, and can assign values to editorial content stored in the database, wherein assigned values are indicative of the relevance of the member-generated messages, the advertising and the editorial content, respectively, to particular segments of an on-line community, and

wherein the database is configured to generate individualized electronic mail text messages addressed to community members, wherein each individualized electronic mail text message includes information from one or more of the advertising, the member-generated content and the editorial content, wherein the individualized electronic mail text messages collectively include information from the advertising, the member-generated content and the editorial content, and wherein the information included in a particular individualized electronic mail text message depends on the assigned values and on data previously provided by a community member to whom the particular individualized electronic mail message is addressed.

2. The publishing system of claim 1 wherein at least some of the individualized electronic mail messages include information from the advertising as well as information from at least one of either the editorial content or the member-generated messages.

3. The publishing system of claim 1 wherein at least some of the advertising includes direct marketing advertising.

4. The publishing system of claim 1 wherein the database is configured to determine what information is included in the particular individualized electronic mail message by matching the assigned values with the data previously provided by the community member to whom the particular individualized electronic mail message is addressed.

5. The publishing system of claim 1 wherein each community member has a respective personal Web page from which that community member can control the data provided by the community member and used by the database to determine what information is to be included in the individualized electronic mail messages addressed to that community member.

6. The publishing system of claim 1 wherein the database is configured to award a predetermined number of points to a particular community member if information from an electronic mail message submitted by that community member is accepted for publication or syndication.

7. The publishing system of claim 6 wherein the network includes a transaction server and is configured to allow the community manager to offer products and services for sale to the community members, and wherein a particular community member can use previously-accumulated points toward the purchase of the products or services.

8. The publishing system of claim 6 wherein the network includes a transaction server and is configured to allow community members to initiate and complete a purchase of products or services via an electronic mail message and to apply previously-accumulated points toward the purchase of the products or services via electronic mail.

9. The publishing system of claim 1 wherein the network includes a transaction server and is configured to allow the community manager to offer products and services for sale to the community members, and wherein the database is configured to adjust a price for a particular product or service as the number of purchases by community members increases.

10. The publishing system of claim 1 wherein the database archives information included in individualized electronic mail messages previously distributed to community members, and wherein community members can subscribe and obtain access to the archived information.

11. The publishing system of claim 1 wherein information from the advertising that is included in individualized electronic mail messages appears in a format substantially the same as a format used for editorial programs to which community members can subscribe.

12. The publishing system of claim 1 wherein vendors pay a subscription price for the privilege of submitting advertising for review by the community manager.

13. The publishing system of claim 12 wherein information from at least some of the member-generated messages is syndicated.

14. The publishing system of claim 1 wherein special guests can submit special-guest messages by electronic mail, wherein the community manager can review and assign values to the special-guest messages, and wherein the database is configured to include information from the special-guest messages in specific individualized electronic mail messages based on the values assigned to the special-guest messages and based on the data previously provided by community members to whom the specific individualized electronic mail messages are addressed.

15. The publishing system of claim 14 wherein at least some of the individualized electronic mail messages include information from the advertising as well as from the special-guest messages.

16. The publishing system of claim 14 wherein the individualized electronic mail messages collectively include information from the advertising, the member-generated messages, the editorial content and the special-guest messages.

17. A method of publishing information, the method comprising:

receiving electronic mail messages from community members including member-generated content and receiving advertising submitted by vendors via electronic mail;

assigning values to the messages from the community members, the advertising and editorial content, wherein the assigned values are indicative of the relevance the messages, the advertising and editorial content, respectively, to particular segments of an on-line community;

automatically generating individualized electronic mail text messages addressed to community members, wherein each individualized electronic mail text message includes information from one or more of the advertising, the member-generated content received from community members and the editorial content, wherein the individualized electronic mail text messages collectively include information from the advertising, the member-generated content and the editorial content, and wherein the information included in a particular individualized electronic mail text message depends on the assigned values and on data previously provided by a community member to whom the particular individualized electronic mail message is addressed.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein at least some of the individualized electronic mail messages include information from the advertising as well as information from at least one of either the editorial content or the messages received from community members.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the advertising includes direct marketing advertising.

20. The method of claim 17 including matching the assigned values with the data previously provided by the community member to whom the particular individualized electronic mail message is addressed.

21. The method of claim 17 including providing each community member with a respective personal Web page from which that community member can control the data provided by the community member and used by the database to determine what information is to be included in the individualized electronic mail messages addressed to that community member.

22. The method of claim 17 including awarding a predetermined number of points to a particular community member if information from an electronic mail message submitted by that community member is accepted for publication or syndication.

23. The method of claim 22 including:

offering products and services for sale to the community members; and

permitting a community member to use previously-accumulated points toward the purchase of the products or services.

24. The method of claim 22 including:

receiving an electronic mail message from a community member to purchase offered products or services and to apply previously-accumulated points toward the purchase of the products or services.

25. The method of claim 17 including:

offering products and services for sale to the community members via electronic mail; and

automatically adjusting a price for a particular product or service as the number of purchases of the particular product or service by community members increases.

26. The method of claim 17 including:

archiving information included in individualized electronic mail messages previously distributed to community members; and

allowing community members to subscribe and obtain access to the archived information.

27. The method of claim 17 including:

receiving electronic mail messages submitted by special guests;

assigning values to the special-guest messages; and

including information from the special-guest messages in specific individualized electronic mail messages based on the values assigned to the special-guest messages and based on the data previously provided by community members to whom the specific individualized electronic mail messages are addressed.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein at least some of the individualized electronic mail messages include information from the advertising as well as from the special-guest messages.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the individualized electronic mail messages collectively include information from the advertising, the member-generated messages, the editorial content and the special-guest messages.

30. An article comprising a computer-readable medium including instructions for causing a computer system to generate individualized electronic mail text messages addressed to members of an on-line community, wherein each individualized electronic mail text message includes information from one or more of advertising submitted by vendors via electronic mail, member-generated content in electronic mail messages received from community members, and editorial content, wherein the individualized electronic mail text messages collectively include information from the advertising, the member-generated content and the editorial content, and wherein the information included in a particular individualized electronic mail text message depends on values assigned to the messages from community members, values assigned to the advertising from vendors and values assigned to the editorial content, wherein the assigned values are indicative of the relevance of the community member messages, the advertising and editorial content, respectively, to particular segments of the on-line community, and wherein the information included in the particular individualized electronic mail text message also depends on data previously provided by a community member to whom the particular individualized electronic mail text message is addressed.

31. The article of claim 30 wherein at least some of the individualized electronic mail messages include information from the advertising and at least one of either the editorial content or the community member messages.

32. The article of claim 30 wherein the advertising includes direct marketing advertising.

33. The article of claim 30 further including instructions for causing the computer system to match the assigned values with the data previously provided by the community member to whom the particular individualized electronic mail message is addressed.

34. The article of claim 30 further including instructions for causing the computer system to:

award a predetermined number of points to a particular community member if information from an electronic mail message submitted by that community member is accepted for publication or syndication, wherein the particular community member can use accumulated points toward the purchase of a product or service offered to members of the community.

35. The article of claim 30 further including instructions for causing the computer system to automatically adjust a price for a particular product or service offered for sale to community members as the number of purchases of the particular product or service by community members increases.

36. The article of claim 30 further including instructions for causing the computer system to archive information included in individualized electronic mail messages previously distributed to community members.