Method for information gathering and dissemination in a social network

• US 7,958,192 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PageBites, Inc. (JOYY, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PageBites, Inc. (JOYY, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harik, Ralph, Krishnamurthy, Praveen, Harik, Georges
• Primary Examiner(s): Wasel; Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US11/740,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20070266097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• 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 method automatically and efficiently propagates information using previously established social methods of communication (e.g., email, instant messaging (IM), social network message posting, and short message services). In conjunction with the method, a system collects and disseminates information on a social network. The system includes: (a) a server for providing a user interface (e.g., a user facing web site) which allows a user to exchange information with one or more external services, wherein the information exchange includes receiving a message from the user that the user intends to disseminate through the external services; (b) a message module which prepares the message received from the user for dissemination; and (c) a communication module coupled to the user interface, the message module and the external services to mediate the information exchange between the user and the external services.

Claims

1. A system for collecting and disseminating information on a social network, comprising:

a server for providing a user interface which allows a user to exchange information with one or more external services, wherein the information exchange includes receiving a message from the user that the user intends to disseminate through the external services;

a message module which prepares the message received over the user interface from the user for dissemination;

a communication module coupled to the user interface, the message module and the external services, wherein the communication module interacts with the external services over a remote procedure call mechanism or a message passing mechanism to effectuate dissemination of the prepared message;

a message propagation module for determining parameters related to message dissemination; and

a friend module that provides a relationship graph relating potential message recipients according to a social relationship.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a user facing web site.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein the external services comprise one or more of an email service, an instant messaging service, a text message service, and a social network.

4. The system as in claim 3, wherein the external services comprise an instant messaging service and wherein the message to be disseminated is referenced in a user status displayed in connection with the instant messaging service.

5. The system as in claim 3, wherein the message is posted as a weblog or a posting on a message board.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein the message module comprises a database for storing information used in preparing the message.

7. The system as in claim 1, wherein the message module allows the user to create, delete, view, comment on a posted message and determine whether or not to help propagate posted message.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein the message propagation module limits selected messages to be disseminated only for a predetermined period of time.

9. The system as in claim 1, wherein the message module takes advantage of the social relationship to formulate message propagation paths.

10. The system as in claim 9, wherein the relationship graph comprises a friends graph.

11. The system as in claim 1, wherein the friends module keeps track of parameters indicative of predetermined relationships between the potential message recipients.

12. The system as in claim 11, wherein the parameters comprise a frequency of communication between two given potential message recipients.

13. The system as in claim 4, further comprising an economic module that optimizes the parameters related to message dissemination.

14. The system as in claim 13, wherein the message to be disseminated is assigned a level indicative of importance, and wherein the economic module selects message propagation paths based on the indicated level of importance.

15. The system as in claim 14, wherein the user assigns resources to message propagation.

16. The system as in claim 15, wherein the resources assigned is expressed as a number of credit points or an amount of money.

17. The system as in claim 13, wherein the economic module provides incentives for assisting in propagating the message.

18. The system as in claim 13, wherein the optimization is performed automatically.

19. The system as in claim 13, wherein the economic module includes a database which stores data collected for factors affecting message dissemination effectiveness.

20. The system as in claim 19, wherein the factors include one or more of:

(a) data rating the importance of the message;

(b) data provided from components of the system;

(c) data relating to the relevance of the message;

(d) data relating the closeness of the recipients;

(e) data regarding the geographical proximity of the actors;

(f) data regarding the user'"'"'s past status messages;

(g) relevant data regarding the message or the user;

(h) data regarding the intrusiveness of the medium;

(i) data regarding the duration of the posting; and

(j) data regarding whether or not the user has a record of helping message propagation.

21. The system as in claim 19, further comprising a module for applying a metric for measuring message dissemination effectiveness.

22. The system as in claim 21, wherein the metric comprises one or more of:

(a) a user satisfaction metric;

(b) a user return rate;

(c) a user stay metric;

(d) a user conversion rate;

(e) a message selection rate; and

(f) an allocation of points.

23. The system as in claim 13, wherein the economic module selects message propagation paths according to cost considerations.

24. The system as in claim 13, wherein the parameters related to message propagation comprise the recipient'"'"'s time.

25. The system as in claim 1, further comprising a widget module, the widget module providing widgets on web pages for accessing the external services.

26. The system as in claim 1, further comprising a proxy-advertising system.

27. The system as in claim 26, wherein the proxy-advertising system sends a message to be advertised in an external advertising server via an application program interface.

28. The system as in claim 26, wherein the proxy-advertising system extracts information from the message and provides the information to one or more external advertisers.

29. The system as in claim 26, wherein the proxy-advertising system determines an allocation of resources among a plurality of external advertisers.

59. The system of claim 1, wherein the message propagation module determines based on the parameters whether or not a message is to be disseminated.

30. A method for collecting and disseminating information on a social network, comprising:

providing a user interface which allows a user to exchange information with one or more external services, wherein the information exchange includes receiving a message from the user that the user intends to disseminate through the external services;

preparing the message received over the user interface from the user for dissemination;

interacting with the external services through a communication module over a remote procedure call mechanism or a message passing mechanism to effectuate dissemination of the prepared message;

determining parameters related to message dissemination in a message propagation module; and

providing a relationship graph is friend module that relates potential message recipients according to a social relationship.

31. The method as in claim 30, wherein the user interface comprises a user facing web site.

32. The method as in claim 30, wherein the external services comprise one or more of an email service, an instant messaging service, a text message service, and a social network.

33. The method as in claim 32, wherein the external services comprise an instant messaging service and wherein the message to be disseminated is referenced in a user status displayed in connection with the instant messaging service.

34. The method as in claim 32, wherein the message is posted as a weblog or a posting on a message board.

35. The method as in claim 30, wherein preparing the message comprises storing in a database information used in preparing the message.

36. The method as in claim 30, wherein the user interface allows the user to create, delete, view, comment on a posted message and determine whether or not to help propagate posted message.

37. The method as in claim 30, further comprising limiting selected messages to be disseminated only for a predetermined period of time.

38. The method as in claim 30, further comprising formulating message propagation path using the social relationship.

39. The method as in claim 38, wherein the relationship graph comprises a friends graph.

40. The method as in claim 30, further comprising keeping track of parameters indicative of predetermined relationships between the potential message recipients.

41. The method as in claim 40, wherein the parameters comprise a frequency of communication between two given potential message recipients.

42. The method as in claim 33, further comprising optimizing the parameters related to message dissemination.

43. The method as in claim 42, wherein the message to be disseminated is assigned a level indicative of importance, the method further comprising selecting message propagation paths based on the indicated level of importance.

44. The method as in claim 43, further comprising receiving from the user an assignment of resources for message propagation.

45. The method as in claim 44, wherein the resources assigned is expressed as a number of credit points or an amount of money.

46. The method as in claim 42, further comprising providing incentives for assisting in propagating the message.

47. The method as in claim 42, wherein optimizing is performed automatically.

48. The method as in claim 42, further comprising storing data collected for factors affecting message dissemination effectiveness.

49. The method as in claim 48, wherein the factors include one or more of:

(a) data rating the importance of the message;

(b) data provided from components of the system;

(c) data relating to the relevance of the message;

(d) data relating the closeness of the recipients;

(e) data regarding the geographical proximity of the actors;

(f) data regarding the user'"'"'s past status messages;

(g) relevant data regarding the message or the user;

(h) data regarding the intrusiveness of the medium;

(i) data regarding the duration of the posting; and

(j) data regarding whether or not the user has a record of helping message propagation.

50. The method as in claim 48, further comprising applying a metric for measuring message dissemination effectiveness.

51. The method as in claim 50, wherein the metric comprises one or more of:

(a) a user satisfaction metric;

(b) a user return rate;

(c) a user stay metric;

(d) a user conversion rate;

(e) a message selection rate; and

(f) an allocation of points.

52. The method as in claim 42, further comprising selecting message propagation paths according to cost considerations.

53. The method as in claim 42, wherein the parameters related to message propagation comprise the recipient'"'"'s time.

54. The method as in claim 30, further comprising providing widgets on web pages for accessing the external services.

55. The method as in claim 30, further comprising providing a proxy-advertising system.

56. The method as in claim 55, further comprising sending through the proxy-advertising system a message to be advertised in an external advertising server via an application program interface.

57. The method as in claim 55, further comprising extracting information from the message and provides the information to one or more external advertisers.

58. The method as in claim 55, further comprising determining an allocation of resources among a plurality of external advertisers.

60. The method of claim 30, further comprising determining, based on the parameters, whether or not a message is to be disseminated.