Activity history management for open overlay for social networks and online services

• US 8,185,584 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Fischer, Donald, Pennington, Havoc, Clark, Bryan, Taylor, Owen, Walters, Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Dung B
• Application Number:
  US11/443,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,183 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems that allow users to share information about their recent activities with other users. In particular, as users receive and/or share multimedia content with other users, information that indicates the locations of this content, such as a website, playlist, or file, is passively tracked and logged. This information may be formatted into a viewable form, such as a web site or web log, and cooperatively shared with other users. Users may then incorporate the multimedia content played by other users into their own library. Users may also elect to synchronize their multimedia content with other users. For convenience, multiple locations for the same multimedia content may be determined when it is logged and tracked. Users may obtain the multimedia content using one or more of their existing accounts with a provider at their own discretion.

Claims

1. A method of indicating activity across a social network, said method comprising:

logging information indicating website content currently being accessed by users belonging to a common group of the social network across a set of online services;

providing the information to the users of the social network in a common interface via an open overlay service;

detecting a selection of the information in the common interface by a user;

populating a library of the user with the website content currently being accessed by at least one of the users in response to the selection;

determining a history of selection of the information by one or more users of the group;

determining a popularity of the information based on the history of selection; and

providing the information to additional users belonging to an additional group of the open overlay service if the popularity exceeds a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the information to the users of the social network in the common interface comprises displaying information that indicates locations of the website content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the displayed information comprises a link to the website content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the information to the users of the social network in the common interface comprises displaying information in a viewable form that is cooperatively shared with the users of the social network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the information to the users of the social network in the common interface comprises displaying information in a web log.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a privacy level for the information; and

synchronizing the information within the common interface based on the privacy level of the information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a privacy level of the common group of the social network; and

synchronizing the information within the common interface based on the privacy level of the common group.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, via one of a plurality of social network services, a messaging interface accessible to the users to discuss the information in response to the users accessing the information.

9. An apparatus for indicating activity across a plurality of social network services, said apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to execute an open overlay service that manages information distribution between the plurality of social network services, wherein the open overlay service is configured to log information indicating website content currently being accessed by a first user of a first social network service, the first user belonging to a group of the open overlay service, provide the information to a second user of a second network service, the second user belonging to the group of the open overlay service, detect a selection of the information by the second user, populate a library of the second user with the website content currently being accessed by the first user in response to the selection, determine a history of selection of the information by members of the group, determine a popularity of the information based on the history of selection, and provide the information to additional users belonging to an additional group of the open overlay service if the popularity exceeds a threshold; and

a database, coupled to the processor, configured to store the information.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the open overlay service is further configured to provide, via one of the plurality of social network services, a messaging interface accessible to the users to discuss the information in response to the users accessing the information.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions for an open overlay service that manages information distribution between a plurality of social network services, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform a method comprising:

logging, by the processing device, information indicating website content currently being accessed by a plurality of users belonging to a group of the open overlay service, wherein a first user belonging to the group uses a first social network service that is different from a second social network service used by one or more additional users belonging to the group;

providing, by the computing device, the information to the first user;

detecting a selection of the information by the first user;

populating a library of the first user with the website content currently being accessed by the plurality of users in response to the selection;

determining a history of selection of the information by members of the group;

determining a popularity of the information based on the history of selection; and

providing the information to additional users belonging to an additional group of the open overlay service if the popularity exceeds a threshold.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein providing the information to the first user comprises displaying information that indicates locations of the website content.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the displayed information comprises a link to the website content.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein providing the information to the first user comprises displaying information in a viewable form that is cooperatively shared with members of the group.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein providing the information to the first user comprises displaying information in a web log.

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

determining a privacy level for the information; and

synchronizing the information with additional information of an additional user based on the privacy level of the information and an additional privacy level of the additional information.

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

determining a privacy level of the group; and

synchronizing the information with additional information of an additional user based on the privacy level of the group.