Feeding updates to landing pages of users of an online social network from external sources

• US 8,037,093 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2007
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tiu, William K. Jr., MacKinnon, Ross Ainsley, Lindstrom, Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson; Greta
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilcox; James J
• Application Number:
  US11/624,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia

Abstract

Updates to landing pages of users in an online social network are fed from external sources so that content maintained by any one user can be consolidated in a single location regardless of where the changes are made to the content. When an update event occurs, users of the online social network are notified according to various criteria that they have set. With this feature, users can browse through content of other users efficiently.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by one or more computer systems of an online social network:

accessing data for a profile page on the online social network of a first user of the online social network, the data comprising an identifier of a web site that is external to the online social network and content to be added to or updated if content is added to or updated on the web site;

determining whether content has been added to or updated on the web site;

if content has been added to or updated on the web site;

adding or updating the content on the profile page of the first user;

accessing one or more tracking preferences of one or more second users of the online social network, the tracking preferences of each of the second users;

identifying one or more users of the online social network that the second user wants to track; and

indicating one or more types of content that the second user wants to track; and

determining whether the content added to or updated on the profile page of the first user substantially matches the tracking preferences of one or more of the second users; and

for each of the second users whose tracking preferences are substantially matched by the content added to or updated on the web site, communicating to the second user that the profile page of the first user has been updated, the communication comprising an activatable link to the profile page of the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the content has been added to or updated on the web site comprises issuing a query to the web site and receiving the content as added to or updated on the web site in response to the query.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the query comprises a user identifier (ID) and password of the first user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is a photo and the web site is a photograph-sharing web site.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is a video and the web site is a video-sharing web site.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is a blog or blog post and the web site is a blogging web site.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile page of the first user comprises:

a first section for displaying the profile page of the first user as maintained by the user; and

a second section for displaying content added to or updated on the web site.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein one or more of the computer systems of the online social network maintain a user identifier (ID) and password for retrieving the content from the web site.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for the profile page of the first user from one of the second users;

generating the profile page of the first user with the content added to or updated on the web site; and

communicating the profile page of the first user for display to the one of the second users.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein adding or updating the content on the profile page of the first user comprises:

adding or updating a portion of the content on the profile page of the first user;

or

adding or updating a link to the content on the profile page of the first user.

11. A computer system of an online social network comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to;

access data for a profile page on the online social network of a first user of the online social network, the data comprising an identifier of a web site that is external to the online social network and content to be added to or updated if content is added to or updated on the web site;

determine whether content has been added to or updated on the web site;

if content has been added to or updated on the web site;

add to or update the content on the profile page of the first user;

access one or more tracking preferences of one or more second users of the online social network, the tracking preferences of each of the second users;

identify one or more users of the online social network that the second user wants to track; and

indicate one or more types of content that the second user wants to track; and

determine whether the content added to or updated on the profile page of the first user substantially matches the tracking preferences of one or more of the second users; and

for each of the second users whose tracking preferences are substantially matched by the content added to or updated on the web site, communicate to the second user that the profile page of the first user has been updated, the communication comprising an activatable link to the profile page of the first user.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein to determine whether the content has been added to or updated on the web site comprises to issue a query to the web site and to receive the content as added to or updated on the web site in response to the query.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the query comprises a user identifier (ID) and password of the first user.

14. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the content is a photo and the web site is a photograph sharing web site.

15. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the content is a video and the web site is a video-sharing web site.

16. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the content is a blog or blog post and the web site is a blogging web site.

17. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the profile page of the first user comprises:

a first section for displaying the profile page of the first user as maintained by the user; and

a second section for displaying content added to or updated on the web site.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the computer system of the online social network maintains a user identifier (ID) and password for retrieving the content from the web site.

19. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:

receive a request for the profile page of the first user from one of the second users;

generate the profile page of the first user with the content added to or updated on the web site; and

communicating the profile page of the first user for display to the one of the second users.

20. The computer system of claim 11, wherein to add or to update the content on the profile page of the first user comprises:

to add or update a portion of the content on the profile page of the first user;

or

to add or update an activatable link to the content on the profile page of the first user.