Dynamically managing a social network group

• US 8,601,055 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Andrew Bryan, Weitzel, Mark Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thieu, Benjamin M
• Application Number:
  US12/644,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20110153740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-206, 709/228, 707/10, 707/102
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• 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 for dynamically managing a social network group performed by a group management system having at least one physical processing apparatus includes receiving, with the group management system, data from a number of source providers over a computer network; identifying a basis for creating a new social network group from the data with the group management system; creating the new social network group with the group management system; and automatically inviting a number of members to join the new social network group with the group management system, each of the members being associated with the basis identified in the data for creating the new social network group.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically managing a social network group performed by a group management system comprising at least one physical processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving, with said group management system, data from a number of source providers over a computer network;

identifying a basis for creating a new social network group from said data with said group management system;

creating said new social network group with said group management system;

automatically inviting a number of members to join said new social network group with said group management system, each of said members being associated with said basis identified in said data for creating said new social network group;

removing a number of said members from said new social network group as the basis for creating said new social network group changes; and

archiving said social network group in response to a detected inactivity within said group for a predetermined amount of time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising translating said data into a format able to be processed by a logical reasoner in said group management system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising processing said translated data together with a set of rules and policies that is specific to a type of said basis for creating said new group in said social network.

4. The method of claim 1, in which said social network group comprises users associated with an online social network, said social network group being managed separately from said online social network.

5. The method of claim 1, in which said social network group comprises users associated with an online social network, said group management system being a component of said online social network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising consuming services from a number of alternate online social networks.

7. The method of claim 1, in which said number of source providers comprises at least one of:

an online news service, an online social network associated with said social network group, an online social network separate not associated with said social network group, and a blogging service.

8. The method of claim 1, in which said data comprises at least one of:

news articles, microblogging updates, social network status updates, blog postings, and public social network communications.

9. A computing system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to said processor;

in which said processor;

receives data from a number of source providers over a computer network;

identifies a basis for creating a new social network group from said data;

creates said new social network group;

automatically invites a number of members to join said new social network group, each of said members being associated with said basis identified in said data for creating said new social network group;

archives said social network group in response to a detected inactivity within said group for a predetermined amount of time; and

removes a number of said members from said new social network group as the basis for creating said new social network group changes.

10. The system of claim 9, in which said computing system comprises a rule-based system;

and said processor is further configured to translate said data into a format able to be processed by a logical reasoner implemented by said processor.

11. The system of claim 10, in which said rule-based system is configured to process said translated data together with a set of rules and policies that is specific to a type of said basis for creating said new group in said social network.

12. The system of claim 9, in which said social network group comprises users associated with an online social network, said social network group being managed separately from said online social network.

13. The system of claim 9, in which said social network group comprises users associated with an online social network, said computing system being a component of said online social network.

14. The system of claim 9, in which said social network group consumes services from a number of alternate online social networks.

15. The system of claim 9, in which said number of source providers comprises at least one of:

an online news service, an online social network associated with said social network group, an online social network not associated with said social network group, and a blogging service.

16. The system of claim 9, in which said data comprises at least one of:

news articles, microblogging updates, social network status updates, blog postings, and public social network communications.

17. A computer program product for dynamically managing a social network group, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage device having computer readable code embodied therewith, said computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code to, when executed by a processor, receive data from a number of source providers over a computer network;

computer readable program code to, when executed by a processor, identify a basis for creating a new social network group from said data;

computer readable program code to, when executed by a processor, create said new social network group;

computer readable program code to, when executed by a process, automatically invite a number of members to join said new social network group, each of said members being associated with said basis identified in said data for creating said new social network group;

computer readable program code to, when executed by a processor, add and remove a number of said members to and from said new social network group as the basis for creating said new social network group changes; and

computer readable program code to, when executed by a processor, determine, based on a detected inactivity, when the new social network group is no longer needed and archiving said new social network group after a threshold length of detected inactivity has occurred.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, said computer readable program code further comprises computer readable program code configured to translate said data into a format able to be processed by a logical reasoner.