Query-driven virtual social network group

• US 9,602,607 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2013
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Zitiao Network Technology Company Limited (ByteDance Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Edlund, Stefan B., Hu, Kun, Kaufman, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): BAROT, BHARAT
• Application Number:
  US13/891,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20140337421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 709202-205, 709217-219, 709227-228, 707/713, 707721-722
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Embodiments relate to implementing a query-driven virtual social media network group. An aspect includes providing, through a social media network, a search function option incorporated into a user interface that is configured for access by a user of the social media network. Another aspect includes receiving, at the social media network, a query from the user through the search function option of the user interface and searching a database of user profiles and content history for information that satisfies the query. The user profiles and the content history include content received from users as members of the social media network. A further aspect includes creating a virtual social media network group from results of the searching and providing access to a view of the virtual social media network group via the user interface for the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing, at a social media network, a search function option incorporated into a user interface of the social media network that is configured for access by a user of the social media network;

receiving, at the social media network, a query from the user through the search function option of the user interface;

searching a database of content history corresponding to content posted by members of the social media network, and searching user profiles of the members of the social media network for information that satisfies the query;

searching the user profiles for features of corresponding users that are common to features in a user profile of the user initiating the query, the features including characteristics of the users;

creating a virtual social media network group from results of the searching, the virtual social media network group including at least one member sharing a common feature with the user and at least one member whose content history satisfies the query; and

providing access to a view of the virtual social media network group via the user interface for the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the members is within a community that is defined by the user via an access control element of the social media network, and the providing access to the view of the virtual social media network group via the user interface includes presenting, subject to verification by the access control element, an identity of an originator of content posted and selected for inclusion in the virtual social media network group based on the results of the searching.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the members is outside of a community that is defined by the user via an access control element of the social media network, and the providing access to the view of virtual social media network group via the user interface includes excluding, as a result of verification by the access control element, an identity of an originator of content posted and selected for inclusion in the virtual social media network group based on the results of the searching.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, to the user through the social media network, an access control element option configured for access by the user;

receiving, from the user, access control settings for the virtual social media network group via the access control element option, the access control settings defining access permissions for the virtual social media network group; and

providing access to another view of the virtual social media network group, that is different from the view of the virtual social media network group, to at least one of the members based on application of the access control settings to the results of the searching.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is received as posts to the social media network by the members, the content including at least one of a message, a text file, an audio file, an image file, and a multimedia file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the results of the searching include content derived from file tags and hypertext links associated with the user profiles and the content history.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual social media network group is persistent with respect to a user profile of the user, the method further comprising:

performing, at a second time interval, a second search of the database using the query; and

creating a new view of the virtual social media network group, at the second time interval, including updates rendered from results of the second search.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual social media network group is removed from the social media network upon at least one of an expiration of a defined period of time and a request from the user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an option, via the user interface, for the user to respond to an originator of the content that is provided in the virtual social media network group.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising compiling results of the searching using a classification scheme, the classification scheme including organizing the results of the searching by at least one of subject matter, date of receipt, and originator.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is directed to an event, the method further comprising:

providing, to the user via the social media network, an option configured to generate an invitation for the event to users identified in the virtual social media network group, the invitation distributed to the users identified in the virtual social media network group via the social media network.

12. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a computer to implement;

providing, at a social media network, a search function option incorporated into a user interface of the social media network that is configured for access by a user of the social media network;

receiving, at the social media network, a query from the user through the search function option of the user interface;

searching a database of content history corresponding to content posted by members of the social media network, and searching user profiles of the members of the social media network for information that satisfies the query;

searching the user profiles for features of corresponding users that are common to features in a user profile of the user initiating the query, the features including characteristics of the users;

creating a virtual social media network group from results of the searching, the virtual social media network group including at least one member sharing a common feature with the user and at least one member whose content history satisfies the query; and

providing access to a view of the virtual social media network group via the user interface for the user.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein at least one of the members is within a community that is defined by the user via an access control element of the social media network, and the providing access to the view of the virtual social media network group via the user interface includes presenting, subject to verification by the access control element, an identity of an originator of content posted and selected for inclusion in the virtual social media network group based on the results of the searching.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein at least one of the members is outside of a community that is defined by the user via an access control element of the social media network, and the providing access to the view of virtual social media network group via the user interface includes excluding, as a result of verification by the access control element, an identity of an originator of the content posted and selected for inclusion in the virtual social media network group based on the results of the searching.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the program code executable by the computer further implements:

providing, to the user through the social media network, an access control element option configured for access by the user;

receiving, from the user, access control settings for the virtual social media network group via the access control element option, the access control settings defining access permissions for the virtual social media network group; and

providing access to another view of the virtual social media network group, that is different from the view of the virtual social media network group, to at least one of the members based on application of the access control settings to the results of the searching.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the content is received as posts to the social media network by the members, the content including at least one of a message, a text file, an audio file, an image file, and a multimedia file.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the results of the searching include content derived from file tags and hypertext links associated with the user profiles and the content history.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the virtual social media network group is persistent with respect to a user profile of the user, the program code executable by the computer further implementing:

performing, at a second time interval, a second search of the database using the query; and

creating a new view of the virtual social media network group, at the second time interval, including updates rendered from results of the second search.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the virtual social media network group is removed from the social media network upon at least one of an expiration of a defined period of time and a request from the user.

20. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the program code executable by the computer further implements:

providing an option, via the user interface, for the user to respond to an originator of the content that is provided in the virtual social media network group.