Facilitating interaction among users of a social network

• US 9,177,346 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2010
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ahrens, Spencer Greg, Marlow, Cameron Alexander, Backstrom, Lars Seren, Mishra, Chaitanya
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, ANHTAI V
• Application Number:
  US12/829,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20120005224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,951 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• 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
• 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: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a first user action relating to a first topic from a first user, identifying the first topic based on the first user action, identifying one or more second posts that relate to the first topic, and transmitting to the first user one or more of the second posts or information associated with the second posts in a structured document for display to the first user, the structured document further comprising one or more interactive elements that enable the first user to interact with the one or more second posts or to respective second users that declared the second posts.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by one or more computing systems, receiving an indication of a first user action by a first user;

by one or more computing systems, when the indication is received;

analyzing content of the first user action;

determining a topic of the first user action based at least in part on the analysis;

determining whether the topic is trending;

determining whether the first user has indicated a preference to exclude posts associated with the topic or a category associated with the topic; and

in response to a determining that the topic is trending and there is no indication of the preference, then;

notifying the first user that the topic is trending;

identifying a second user action by a second user that relates to the topic;

determining whether the first user has indicated a preference to exclude posts associated with the second user; and

in response to a determining that there is no indication of the preference, sending to the first user information associated with the second user action with a graphical user interface (GUI) element configured to enable the first user to interact with the second user action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second users are users of a social-networking system; and

determining whether the topic is trending comprises determining whether the topic is trending across an entirety of the social-networking system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user action comprises the entry of text in a search box.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user action comprises a request for a web page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the GUI element is configured to enable the first user to comment on the second user action.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second users are users of a social-networking system, the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, at least one node in the graph corresponding to the first user, at least one node in the graph corresponding to the second user, at least one of the nodes corresponding to the first user and at least one of the nodes corresponding to the second user being connected to each other by an edge.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user action comprises a submission of a post by the first user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the post comprises one or more of:

a status update declared by the first user on a profile page of the first user;

a wall post declared on a profile page of the first user;

a wall post declared on a profile page of the second user;

a declared comment on a status update declared by the second user;

a declared comment on a wall post declared by the second user;

or

an indication or declaration by the first user of a like of a user action.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first and second users are users of a social-networking system; and

determining whether the topic is trending comprises determining whether the topic is trending across a portion of the social-networking system that is relevant to the first user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the portion of the social-networking system comprises:

users of the social-networking system within a geographical area associated with the first user;

or

users of the social-networking system connected to the first user within the social-networking system.

11. A system comprising:

one or more hardware processors; and

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

receive an indication of a first user action by a first user; and

when the indication is received;

analyze content of the first user action;

determine a topic of the first user action based at least in part on the analysis;

determine whether the tropic is trending;

determine whether the first user has indicated a preference to exclude posts associated with the topic or a category associated with the topic; and

in response to a determining that the topic is trending and there is no indication, then;

notify the first user that the tropic is trending;

identify a second user action by a second user that relates to the topic;

determine whether the first user has indicated a preference to exclude posts associated with the second user; and

in response to a determining that there is no indication of the preference, send to the first user information associated with the second user action with a graphical user interface (GUI) element configured to enable the first user to interact with the second user action.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the first and second users are users of a social-networking system; and

determining whether the topic is trending comprises determining whether the topic is trending across an entirety of the social-networking system.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first user action comprises the entry of text in a search box.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the first user action comprises a request for a web page.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the GUI element is configured to enable the first user to comment on the second user action.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second users are users of a social-networking system, the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, at least one node in the graph corresponding to the first user, at least one node in the graph corresponding to the second user, at least one of the nodes corresponding to the first user and at least one of the nodes corresponding to the second user being connected to each other by an edge.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the first user action comprises a submission of a post by the first user.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the post comprises one or more of:

a status update declared by the first user on a profile page of the first user;

a wall post declared on a profile page of the first user;

a wall post declared on a profile page of the second user;

a declared comment on a status update declared by the second user;

a declared comment on a wall post declared by the second user;

or

an indication or declaration by the first user of a like of a user action.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the first and second users are users of a social-networking system; and

determining whether the topic is trending comprises determining whether the topic is trending across a portion of the social-networking system that is relevant to the first user.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the portion of the social-networking system comprises:

users of the social-networking system within a geographical area associated with the first user;

or

users of the social-networking system connected to the first user within the social-networking system.