Social network pruning

• US 9,342,856 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brooks, David A., Russo, Joseph A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Higa, Brendan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tseng, Leon Y
• Application Number:
  US14/081,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20140237046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 705/319
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A social networking service is provided, the social networking service having a user with a social connection to a first contact within a social network of the user and a social connection to a second contact with the social network of the user, wherein the first contact has a separate social connection to the second contact within a social network of the first contact. A computer system determines that the first contact has lowered a strength of the social connection to the second contact within the social network of the first contact. Based, at least in part, on the lowering of the strength of the social connection to the second contact within the social network of the first contact, the computer system recommends, to the user, to lower a strength of the social connection to the second contact within the social network of the user.

Claims

1. A method for managing contacts within a social network, the method comprising the actions of:

providing at least one social networking service having a user, the user having a social connection to a first contact within a social network of the user and a social connection to a second contact within the social network of the user, wherein the first contact has a separate social connection to the second contact within a social network of the first contact;

determining, by one or more computer processors, that the first contact has lowered a strength of the social connection to the second contact within the social network of the first contact, where strength of a social connection corresponds to a level or amount of access to information that one member of the social network has with regard to information shared by another member of the social network;

in response, determining a weight, based on a number of factors, corresponding to the action of the first contact lowering the strength of the social connection to the second contact, the number of factors including at least one of;

strength of a social connection between the user and the first contact such that the stronger the social connection between the first contact and the user, the more weight is given to the action of the first contact lowering the strength of the social connection to the second contact, and a degree of change in the strength of the social connection between the first contact and the second contact as caused by the action such that the greater the change in access to information of the first contact allowed to the second contact, the more weight is given to the action of the first contact lowering the strength of the social connection to the second contact; and

based, at least in part, on the determined weight, recommending, to the user, to lower a strength of the social connection to the second contact within the social network of the user, such that the second contact has less access to information provided by the user within the social network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the action of:

determining, by one or more computer processors, that a third contact having a social connection with the user within the social network of the user, has lowered a strength of social connection with the second contact within a social network of the third contact;

wherein;

the action of recommending, to the user, to lower the strength of the social connection to the second contact within the social network of the user, is based on both the weight corresponding to the action of the first contact lowering the strength of the social connection with the second contact, and a weight corresponding to the action of the third contact lowering the strength of the social connection within the social network of the third contact.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the action of:

determining, by one or more computer processors, that the second contact has changed organizational roles;

wherein;

the action of recommending, to the user, to lower the strength of the social connection to the second contact within the social network of the user, is further based on a weight attributable to the changing of organizational roles.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the action of:

determining, by one or more computer processors, that frequency of interactions between the user and the second contact has reduced;

wherein;

the action of recommending, to the user, to lower the strength of the social connection to the second contact within the social network of the user, is further based on a weight attributable to the reduced frequency of interactions between the user and the second contact.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a value representative of the strength of the social connection between the user and the second contact, the value being based, in part, on a strength of social connection between one or more contacts of the user and the second contact in respective social networks of the one or more contacts of the user; and

subsequent to determining that the first contact has lowered the strength of the social connection with the second contact within the social network of the first contact, updating the value representative of the strength of the social connection between the user and the second contact;

wherein;

one factor of the number of factors contributing to the determined weight is the updated value representative of the strength of the social connection between the user and the second contact.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the value representative of the strength of the social connection between the user and the second contact is further based on an organizational role of the second contact and frequency of interaction between the user and the second contact.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of factors upon which the weight is determined include both the strength of the social connection between the user and the first contact such that the stronger the social connection between the first contact and the user, the more weight is given to the action of the first contact lowering the strength of the social connection to the second contact, and the degree of change in the strength of the social connection between the first contact and the second contact as caused by the action such that the greater the change in access to information of the first contact allowed to the second contact, the more weight is given to the action of the first contact lowering the strength of the social connection to the second contact.