Systems and methods for fragmenting newsfeed objects

• US 9,256,859 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Olsen, Joseph M., Dunn, Zachary J., Joe, Teddy
• Primary Examiner(s): Chuang, Jessica
• Application Number:
  US13/559,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20130031487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• 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 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A technique allows a newsfeed item shown in a newsfeed of a social network to be easily promoted to another newsfeed in the social network. In a specific embodiment, the system receives a first user'"'"'s promotion selection of an item displayed in a newsfeed of the first user. The item includes content provided by a second user. The first user is prompted to select a destination newsfeed. A selection of the destination newsfeed is received and the item is published on the destination newsfeed for a third user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for fragmenting a newsfeed stored in a database system associated with an enterprise social network comprising:

receiving, by the database system, a request from a first user of the enterprise social network, the request comprising a selection of an item in the newsfeed of the first user displayed on a display of a computer system of the first user, wherein the selected item comprises content provided by a second user of the enterprise social network;

prompting, by the database system, the first user to select a destination newsfeed for the item from a list of destination newsfeeds, wherein each destination newsfeed in the list is followed by the first user and lacks publication of the selected item;

receiving, by the database system, a selection of the destination newsfeed associated with a third user from the first user, wherein the first user is following the second user, and the third user is not following the second user on the enterprise social network; and

publishing, by the database system, the selected item on the destination newsfeed displayed on a display of a computer system of the third user of the enterprise social network, wherein the selected item includes a visual identifier indicating that the item has been re-published from the first user and wherein the visual identifier distinguishes between items that the third user is following and items that the third user is not following but have been published in response to a request to publish on the destination newsfeed by the first user.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising:

receiving a setting for a permission option from the first user for the selected item; and

upon publishing the selected item on the selected destination newsfeed, based on the setting, not notifying the second user that the selected item has been published on the selected destination newsfeed.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising:

receiving a setting for a permission option from the first user for the selected item; and

upon publishing the selected item on the selected destination newsfeed, based on the setting, notifying the second user that the selected item has been published on the selected destination newsfeed.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising:

maintaining on the newsfeed a threaded discussion comprising an initial post and the item, wherein the item comprises a comment made in response to the initial post.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising:

receiving from the first user an identification of at least one user of the enterprise social network who should be permitted to view comments that are made in response to the selected item published on the selected destination newsfeed.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising:

blocking the second user from viewing comments that are made in response to the selected item published on the selected destination newsfeed because the selected destination newsfeed is for a group of the enterprise social network of which the second user is not a member.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising:

after the publishing the selected item on the selected destination newsfeed, determining that a number of times that the selected item can be reposted has reached a threshold value; and

blocking the selected item from being published on another destination newsfeed based on the determination.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the item is a first item published on the newsfeed of the first user, and the method comprises:

publishing a second item on the newsfeed of the first user, the second item comprising content from another user of the enterprise social network;

receiving an indication from the other user that the second item should not be reposted; and

preventing the second item from being published on another destination newsfeed based on the indication.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected item comprises a first comment and a second comment, and the publishing the selected item on the selected destination newsfeed comprises:

publishing the first and second comments on the selected destination newsfeed.

10. The method of claim 1 comprising:

seeking from the first user a reason for the item having been selected;

storing the reason; and

publishing the reason on the selected destination newsfeed.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive, by the database system, a request from a first user of the enterprise social network, the request comprising a selection of an item in the newsfeed of the first user displayed on a display of a computer system of the first user, wherein the selected item comprises content provided by a second user of the enterprise social network;

prompt, by the database system, the first user to select a destination newsfeed for the item from a list of destination newsfeeds, wherein each destination newsfeed in the list is followed by the first user and lacks publication of the selected item;

receive, by the database system, a selection of the destination newsfeed associated with a third user from the first user, wherein the first user is following the second user, and the third user is not following the second user on the enterprise social network; and

publish, by the database system, the selected item on the destination newsfeed displayed on a display of a computer system of the third user of the enterprise social network, wherein the selected item includes a visual identifier indicating that the item has been re-published from the first user and wherein the visual identifier distinguishes between items that the third user is following and items that the third user is not following but have been published in response to a request to publish on the destination newsfeed by the first user.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a setting for a permission option from the first user for the selected item; and

upon publishing the selected item on the selected destination newsfeed, based on the setting, not notify the second user that the selected item has been published on the selected destination newsfeed.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a setting for a permission option from the first user for the selected item; and

upon publishing the selected item on the selected destination newsfeed, based on the setting, notify the second user that the selected item has been published on the selected destination newsfeed.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

block the second user from viewing comments that are made in response to the selected item published on the selected destination newsfeed because the selected destination newsfeed is for a group on the enterprise social network that the second user is not a member of.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the item is a first item published on the newsfeed of the first user, and wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

publish a second item on the newsfeed of the first user, the second item comprising content from another user of the enterprise social network;

receive an indication from the other user that the second item should not be reposted; and

prevent the second item from being published on another destination newsfeed based on the indication.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

receiving, by the database system, a request from a first user of the enterprise social network, the request comprising a selection of an item in the newsfeed of the first user displayed on a display of a computer system of the first user, wherein the selected item comprises content provided by a second user of the enterprise social network;

prompting, by the database system, the first user to select a destination newsfeed for the item from a list of destination newsfeeds, wherein each destination newsfeed in the list is followed by the first user and lacks publication of the selected item;

receiving, by the database system, a selection of the destination newsfeed associated with a third user from the first user, wherein the first user is following the second user, and the third user is not following the second user on the enterprise social network; and

publishing, by the database system, the selected item on the destination newsfeed displayed on a display of a computer system of the third user of the enterprise social network, wherein the selected item includes a visual identifier indicating that the item has been re-published from the first user and wherein the visual identifier distinguishes between items that the third user is following and items that the third user is not following but have been published in response to a request to publish on the destination newsfeed by the first user.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to carry out the steps of:

receiving a setting for a permission option from the first user for the selected item; and

upon publishing the selected item on the selected destination newsfeed, based on the setting, not notifying the second user that the selected item has been published on the selected destination newsfeed.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to carry out the steps of:

receiving a setting for a permission option from the first user for the selected item; and

upon publishing the selected item on the selected destination newsfeed, based on the setting, notifying the second user that the selected item has been published on the selected destination newsfeed.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to carry out the steps of:

blocking the second user from viewing comments that are made in response to the selected item published on the selected destination newsfeed because the selected destination newsfeed is for a group of the enterprise social network of which the second user is not a member.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the item is a first item published on the newsfeed of the first user, and the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to carry out the steps of:

publishing a second item on the newsfeed of the first user, the second item comprising content from another user of the enterprise social network;

receiving an indication from the other user that the second item should not be reposted; and

preventing the second item from being published on another destination newsfeed based on the indication.