Sponsored-stories-unit creation from organic activity stream

• US 8,499,040 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2012
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schoen, Kent, Li, Ning, Jin, Robert Kang Xing, Zigoris, Philip Anastasios, Gronski, Jessica, Walke, Jordan, Giovanola, Eric Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): JEAN, FRANTZ B
• Application Number:
  US13/488,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20120239750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/203, 455/3.01, 455/66.1, 455/518, 715/753, 705/7.14, 705/14.4, 705/14.5
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving sponsor specifications designating story characteristics; monitoring an organic activity stream for entries matching the story characteristics; and, in response to identifying an entry as matching the story characteristics, providing for display the entry in a predetermined area of a web page.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by one or more computing systems:

receiving sponsor specifications designating story characteristics, wherein the story characteristics comprises an entity identifier (ID);

monitoring an organic activity stream for entries matching the story characteristics;

identifying an entry as matching the story characteristics at least in part because the entry is associated with a user of a social-networking system interacting through the social-networking system with an entity corresponding to the entity ID;

calculating a score for each of one or more viewing users of the social-networking system, the score representing the viewing user'"'"'s affinity for the entity based at least in part on the viewing user'"'"'s profile on the social-networking system;

in response to identifying an entry as matching the story characteristics, providing for display the entry in a predetermined area of a web page, the entry provided for display to one or more of the viewing users selected at least in part based on the calculated scores.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the story characteristics comprise a particular application identifier (ID); and

the entry is identified as matching the story characteristics at least in part because it was published through an application with the particular application ID.

3. The method of claim 2:

wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is associated with a first user of a social-networking system; and

the method further comprises providing for display the entry identified as matching the story characteristics to one or more second users of the social-networking system connected to the first within the social-networking system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display in one or more news feeds received by the second users.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing for display the entry identified as matching the story characteristics to one or more other users of the social-networking system connected to the first user within the social-networking system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing for display the entry identified as matching the story characteristics to one or more other users of the social-networking system connected to the entity within the social-networking system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display in one or more news feeds received by one or more users of the social-networking system connected to the entity within the social-networking system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display in one or more news feeds received by one or more other users of the social-networking system that have interacted through the social-networking system with the entity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display to each of the one or more users that has a score that exceeds a predetermined threshold value and is connected through the social-networking system to the user associated with the entry.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display in a news feed comprising entries in organic activity streams associated with users of the social-network system connected to the entity within the social-networking system.

11. The method of claim 1, interacting through the social-networking system with the entity comprises:

liking the entity on the social-networking system;

posting a link on the social-networking system to a web page associated with the entity;

checking in on the social-networking system at a location associated with the entity;

or

posting a review of the entity that rates above a predetermined threshold value.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display with an indication of its social context, its social context comprising:

an identification of a user associated with the organic activity stream;

a description of an action by the user that caused the entry to be generated;

a comment entered by the user in connection with the entry;

or

an attribution to an entity that the user interacted with in connection with the entry.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display through a notification or on a third-party website.

14. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed by one or more computing devices to:

receive sponsor specifications designating story characteristics, wherein the story characteristics comprises an entity identifier (ID);

monitor an organic activity stream for entries matching the story characteristics;

identify an entry as matching the story characteristics at least in part because the entry is associated with a user of a social-networking system interacting through the social-networking system with an entity corresponding to the entity ID;

calculate a score for each of one or more viewing users of the social-networking system, the score representing the viewing user'"'"'s affinity for the entity based at least in part on the viewing user'"'"'s profile on the social-networking system;

in response to identifying an entry as matching the story characteristics, provide for display the entry in a predetermined area of a web page, the entry provided for display to one or more of the viewing users selected at least in part based on the calculated scores.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein:

the story characteristics comprise a particular application identifier (ID); and

the entry is identified as matching the story characteristics at least in part because it was published through an application with the particular application ID.

16. The media of claim 15:

wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is associated with a first user of a social-networking system; and

the software is further operable when executed by one or more computing devices to provide for display the entry identified as matching the story characteristics to one or more second users of the social-networking system connected to the first within the social-networking system.

17. The media of claim 16, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display in one or more news feeds received by the second users.

18. The media of claim 14, wherein the software is further operable when executed by one or more computing devices to provide for display the entry identified as matching the story characteristics to one or more other users of the social-networking system connected to the first user within the social-networking system.

19. The media of claim 14, wherein the software is further operable when executed by one or more computing devices to provide for display the entry identified as matching the story characteristics to one or more other users of the social-networking system connected to the entity within the social-networking system.

20. The media of claim 14, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display in one or more news feeds received by one or more users of the social-networking system connected to the entity within the social-networking system.

21. The media of claim 14, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display in one or more news feeds received by one or more other users of the social-networking system that have interacted through the social-networking system with the entity.

22. The media of claim 14, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display to each of the one or more users that has a score that exceeds a predetermined threshold value and is connected through the social-networking system to the user associated with the entry.

23. The media of claim 14, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display in a news feed comprising entries in organic activity streams associated with users of the social-network system connected to the entity within the social-networking system.

24. The media of claim 14, wherein interacting through the social-networking system with the entity comprises:

liking the entity on the social-networking system;

posting a link on the social-networking system to a web page associated with the entity;

checking in on the social-networking system at a location associated with the entity;

or

posting a review of the entity that rates above a predetermined threshold value.

25. The media of claim 14, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display with an indication of its social context, its social context comprising:

an identification of a user associated with the organic activity stream;

a description of an action by the user that caused the entry to be generated;

a comment entered by the user in connection with the entry;

or

an attribution to an entity that the user interacted with in connection with the entry.

26. The media of claim 14, wherein the entry identified as matching the story characteristics is provided for display through a notification or on a third-party website.