System for visualizing a community activity and a method thereof

• US 8,296,672 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Original Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Zoo Il
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Application Number:
  US11/568,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20070220128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,724 Days
• Field of Search: 345/667, 715/792, 715/802, 715/753, 715/757, 715/758, 715/772
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for visualizing a visitor'"'"'s activity in a community such as a cafe, homepage, blog, miniroom, or mini-homepage, and the like, which are established in web sites on the Internet. The method includes the steps of: a) by a visitor, accessing the community and selecting a community activity visualizing item prepared in the community; b) by the visitor, selecting one of a plurality of blocks forming an image of the community activity visualizing item; c) by the visitor, leaving a visitor log in a text input window corresponding to the selected block; and d) storing data in which the visit log is recorded and updating the community activity visualizing item. According to the present invention, by visually providing community activity visualizing items, which are contents allowing community visitors to dynamically participate in the community, a plurality of visitors can be attracted to participate in the community, the extent of participation of the visitors in the community increases, and re-visit of the visitors to the community can be promoted.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for visualizing a user'"'"'s activity in an online social network, comprising:

providing a plurality of cells to form a pattern, the pattern being formed associated with a progress of one or more users'"'"' blog activities and in response to a detection of users'"'"' selection of the cells, each of the cells corresponding to an input area of the blog activities comprising checking, visiting, posting, texting and commenting by one of more users,

wherein the pattern is a figure that is displayed as a completed figure upon reaching a reference threshold level of users'"'"' blog activities; and

displaying the cells to form a completion of the pattern according to the progress of the users'"'"' blog activities, wherein displaying the cells associated with the progress of the blog activities is visualized to user terminals via a network according to a degree of the users'"'"' participation of the blog activities.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a colored graphic image to form the pattern in a manner visible to one or more of the user terminals by changing the color of the each cells in response to detection of each progress of the users'"'"' blog activities.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each cell comprises a dot, a block and a pixel to form the pattern.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the cells to form a completion of the pattern comprises highlighting the color.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one of information associated with displaying a degree of progressing of the blog activities the information comprising a number of the cells whose color is changeable, a number of the cells whose color has been changed, and a number of available cells associated with the blog activities.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

an input interface configured to store at least one of a user identification, a visit time, record contents or any combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting whether the user wins in a prize winning event in response to detection of the users'"'"' selection of the cells associated with the progress of the users'"'"' blog activities.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a pop-up window in response to detection of a placement of a cursor over a cell whose color has been changed, wherein the pop-up window shows the message previously inputted by a user.

9. An apparatus for visualizing visitor activity in an online social network, the apparatus comprising:

a management unit configured to provide a plurality of blocks to form an image, the image being formed associated with a progress of one or more users'"'"' blog activities in response to detection of visitors'"'"' selection of the blocks and each of the blocks configured to record a visit log by one or more of visitors,

wherein the image is a figure that is displayed as a completed figure upon reaching a reference threshold level of users'"'"' blog activities; and

a database configured to store log data associated with web log activities of the visitors to update the image, and to accumulate visit log records, the log data comprising checking, visiting, posting, texting and commenting of the web log activities,

wherein each block comprises a color, and the color of the block of the entire image changes in response to detection of a progress of each visitor'"'"'s web log activities, and wherein the changed color of the blocks are displayed according to each visitor'"'"'s participation associated with the web log activities.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a pop-up window configured to display a visit log previously inputted in response to detection of a placement of a cursor over a block whose color has been changed.

11. A computer-implemented method for visualizing a user'"'"'s activity in an online social network, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of blocks to form a pattern, the pattern being formed associated with a progress of one or more of users'"'"' web log activities and in response to a detection of user'"'"'s selection of the blocks, each of the blocks corresponding to an input area of the log activities comprising checking, visiting, posting, texting and commenting by the users,

wherein the pattern is a figure that is displayed as a completed figure upon reaching a reference threshold level of users'"'"' blog activities; and

displaying the blocks to form a completion of the pattern according to the progress of the users'"'"' log activities, wherein displaying the blocks associated with the progress of the log activities is visualized to user terminals via a network according to a degree of each of the users'"'"' participation of the log activities.