System and method for building social networks based on activity around shared virtual objects

• US 7,249,123 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jho, Jason Y., Rokosz, Vaughn T., Schirmer, Andrew L., Schultz, Matthew, Elder, Michael D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Yicun
• Application Number:
  US10/285,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20040088325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206, 715/501.1, 715/501, 709202-206, 709/229, 706/12, 706/1, 706/12.1, 382/209, 703/6, 705/26, 705/8, 345/733, 345/349, 364/419.01, 364/401, 364/419, 704/9, 395/349, 395/733
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A system and method for determining a social network. A metrics database stores virtual object indicia including document attributes, activities, and associated persons. A query engine responsive to a user request and the metrics database infers individual connections to the virtual object by individuals executing the activities. A visualization engine visualizes membership in the social network as including these individuals and the activities connecting them. The query engine further collects a plurality of documents having non-unique values on a first shared attribute into an aggregate, and the visualization engine further filters the social network to include only individuals having membership in the aggregate.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for building a social network for systematically leveraging information and expertise to improve organizational responsiveness, innovation, competency, and efficiency, comprising:

selecting an electronic meeting or online presence;

tracking directed and undirected activities by each of a plurality of individuals to said electronic meeting or online presence;

inferring individual first order and second order connections to said electronic meeting or online presence by said individuals from said directed and undirected activities;

a first order connection inferred between first and second individuals each having a direct activity with respect to said electronic meeting or online presence;

a second order connection inferred between said first individual and a third individual, with said third individual sharing a first order connection to a second electronic meeting or online presence with said second individual;

defining said social network to include said first, second and third individuals sharing said connections to said electronic meeting or online presence; and

at least momentarily fixing for recording and reporting purposes at a user interface a visual representation of said social network;

said visual representation being presented by;

providing to a user interface of a computer apparatus user selectable buttons for selecting at least one designated community and one metric type from a set of metric types including connection metric, people metric, and social networks metric;

with said social networks metric selected, providing at said user interface user selectable buttons for selecting first degree network, second degree network, and connections analysis components;

responsive to user selection of said social networks metric and said first degree network analysis component, presenting at said user interface a display of said first and second individuals sharing first order connections to said designated community;

responsive to user selection of said social networks metric and said second degree network analysis component, presenting at said user interface a display of said first, second, and third individuals sharing first order and second order connections to said designated community; and

responsive to user selection of said connections analysis component, presenting at said user interface a community connections listing.

2. The method of claim 1, said inferring including identifying connections to said electronic meeting or online presence by individuals who join, leave, raise hand, make public comment, make private comment, share screen or edit whiteboard with respect to an electronic meeting.

3. The method of claim 1, said inferring including identifying connections to said electronic meeting or online presence by individuals who invite to instant meeting, share screen, share application, send e-mail, or chat with respect to an online presence.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically refreshing said inferring and responsive thereto visualizing said social network as it evolves over time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

visualizing said social network including said individuals and said activities connecting said individuals.

6. A computer system for building a social network for systematically leveraging information and expertise to improve organizational responsiveness, innovation, competency, and efficiency, comprising:

means for selecting an electronic meeting or online presence;

p1 means for tracking directed and undirected activities by a plurality of individuals on said electronic meeting or online presence;

means for inferring from said undirected activities individual first order and second order connections to said electronic meeting or online presence by said individuals a first order connection existing between first and second individuals each having a direct activity with respect to said electronic meeting or online presence;

a second order connection existing between said first individual and a third individual, with said third individual sharing a first order connection to a second electronic meeting or online presence with said second individual;

means for defining said social network to include said first, second and third individuals sharing said connections to said electronic meeting or online presence;

means for fixing at least momentarily for recording and reporting purposes at a user interface a visual representation of said social network;

said means for fixing presenting said visual representation by;

providing to a user interface of a computer apparatus user selectable buttons for selecting at least one designated community and one metric type from a set of metric types including connection metric, people metric, and social networks metric;

with said social networks metric selected, providing at said user interface user selectable buttons for selecting first degree network, second degree network, and connections analysis components;

responsive to user selection of said social networks metric and said first degree network analysis component, presenting at said user interface a display of said first and second individuals sharing first order connections to said designated community;

responsive to user selection of said social networks metric and said second degree network analysis component, presenting at said user interface a display of said first, second, and third individuals sharing first order and second order connections to said designated community; and

responsive to user selection of said connections analysis component, presenting at said user interface a community connections listing.

7. A computer system for determining a social network for systematically leveraging information and expertise to improve organizational responsiveness, innovation, competency, and efficiency, comprising:

a metrics database for storing electronic meeting or online presence indicia including document attributes, directed and undirected activities, and persons associated with said directed and undirected activities;

a query engine responsive to a user request and said metrics database for inferring individual first order and second order connections to said electronic meeting or online presence by individuals executing said directed and undirected activities, a first order connection existing between first and second individuals each having a direct activity with respect to said electronic meeting or online presence, and a second order connection existing between said first individual and a third individual, with said third individual sharing a first order connection to a second electronic meeting or online presence with said second individual;

a visualization engine for at least momentarily fixing for recording and reporting purposes at a user interface a visual representation of said social network for visualizing membership in a social network as including said first, second and third individuals

said visualization engine visualizing said membership by;

providing to a user interface of a computer apparatus user selectable buttons for selecting at least one designated community and one metric type from a set of metric types including connection metric, people metric, and social networks metric;

with said social networks metric selected, providing at said user interface user selectable buttons for selecting first degree network, second degree network, and connections analysis components;

responsive to user selection of said social networks metric and said first degree network analysis component, presenting at said user interface a display of said first and second individuals sharing first order connections to said designated community;

responsive to user selection of said social networks metric and said second degree network analysis component, presenting at said user interface a display of said first, second, and third individuals sharing first order and second order connections to said designated community; and

responsive to user selection of said connections analysis component, presenting at said user interface a community connections listing.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

said query engine further for collecting a plurality of documents having non-unique values on a first shared attribute into a collection;

said visualization engine further for filtering said social network to include only individuals having membership in said collection.

9. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for defining a social network for systematically leveraging information and expertise to improve organizational responsiveness, innovation, competency, and efficiency, said method comprising:

storing electronic meeting or online presence indicia including document attributes, directed and undirected activities with respect to said document, and persons associated with said directed and undirected activities in a metrics database;

responsive to a user request and said metrics database, inferring individual first order and second order connections to said electronic meeting or online presence indicia by individuals executing said directed and undirected activities, a first order connection existing between first and second individuals each having a direct activity with respect to said electronic meeting or online presence, and a second order connection existing between said first individual and a third individual, with said third individual sharing a first order connection to a second electronic meeting or online presence with said second individual;

at least momentarily fixing for recording and reporting purposes at a user interface a visual representation of said social network for visualizing membership as including said first, second and third individuals;

said visual representation being presented by;

providing to a user interface of a computer apparatus user selectable buttons for selecting at least one designated community and one metric type from a set of metric types including connection metric, people metric, and social networks metric;

with said social networks metric selected, providing at said user interface user selectable buttons for selecting first degree network, second degree network, and connections analysis component;

responsive to user selection of said social networks metric and said first degree network analysis component, presenting at said user interface a display of said first and second individuals sharing first order connections to said designated community;

responsive to user selection of said social networks metric and said second degree network analysis component, presenting at said user interface a display of said first, second, and third individuals sharing first order and second order connections to said designated community; and

responsive to user selection of said connections analysis component, presenting at said user interface a community connections listing.

10. The program storage device of claim 9, said method further comprising

collecting a plurality of documents having non-unique values on a first shared attribute into a collection;

and filtering said social network to include only individuals having membership in said collection.

11. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for defining a social network for systematically leveraging information and expertise to improve organizational responsiveness, innovation, competency, and efficiency, said method comprising:

selecting an electronic meeting or online presence;

tracking directed and undirected activities by each of a plurality of individuals on said electronic meeting or online presence;

inferring individual first order and second order connections to said electronic meeting or online presence by said individuals from said directed and undirected activities, a first order connection existing between first and second individuals each having a direct activity with respect to said electronic meeting or online presence, and a second order connection existing between said first individual and a third individual, with said third individual sharing a first order connection to a second electronic meeting or online presence with said second individual;

defining said social network to include said first, second and third individuals inferred as having said connections to said electronic meeting or online presence;

at least momentarily fixing for recording and reporting purposes at a user interface a visual representation of said social network;

said visual representation being presented by;

providing to a user interface of a computer apparatus user selectable buttons for selecting at least one designated community and one metric type from a set of metric types including connection metric, people metric, and social networks metric;

with said social networks metric selected, providing at said user interface user selectable buttons for selecting first degree network, second degree network, and connections analysis components;

responsive to user selection of said social networks metric and said first degree network analysis component, presenting at said user interface a display of said first and second individuals sharing first order connections to said designated community;

responsive to user selection of said social networks metric and said second degree network analysis component, presenting at said user interface a display of said first, second, and third individuals sharing first order and second order connections to said designated community; and

responsive to user selection of said connections analysis component, presenting at said user interface a community connections listing.

12. A computer program product for defining a social network for systematically leveraging information and expertise to improve organizational responsiveness, innovation, competency, and efficiency, according to the method comprising:

selecting an electronic meeting or online presence;

tracking directed and undirected activities by a plurality of individuals on said electronic meeting or online presence;

inferring individual first order and second order connections to said electronic meeting or online presence by said individuals from said directed and undirected activities, a first order connection existing between first and second individuals each having a directed activity with respect to said electronic meeting or online presence, and a second order connection existing between said first individual and a third individual, with said third individual sharing a first order connection to a second electronic meeting or online presence with said second individual;

defining said social network to include said first, second and third individuals inferred as having said connections to said electronic meeting or online presence;

at least momentarily fixing for recording and reporting purposes at a user interface a visual representation of said social network;

said visual representation being presented by;

providing to a user interface of a computer apparatus user selectable buttons for selecting at least one designated community and one metric type from a set of metric types including connection metric, people metric, and social networks metric;

with said social networks metric selected, providing at said user interface user selectable buttons for selecting first degree network, second degree network, and connections analysis components;

responsive to user selection of said social networks metric and said first degree network analysis component, presenting at said user interface a display of said first and second individuals sharing first order connections to said designated community;

responsive to user selection of said social networks metric and said second degree network analysis component, presenting at said user interface a display of said first, second, and third individuals sharing first order and second order connections to said designated community;

responsive to user selection of said connections analysis component, presenting at said user interface a community connections listing.