Systems and methods for influence of a user on content shared via 7 encoded uniform resource locator (URL) link

• US 9,619,811 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2011
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bitly, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bitly, Inc.
• Inventors: Mason, Hilary, Stern, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Viet
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDWARDS, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US13/332,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for measuring influence of a user may identify what level of engagement the user drives to content when the user shares content with other users, such as via encoded links. A high influencer may be a user who drives a high level of engagement with content when the user shares content. A low influencer may be a user who does not drive a high level of engagement, or otherwise drives a low level of engagement with content when the user shares content.

Claims

1. A method for tracking influence of a user on content shared via encoded uniform resource locator (URL) links, the method comprising:

(a) receiving, by a server of a linking system, from a user, requests to generate a plurality of encoded uniform resource locator (URL) links, the encoded URL links linked to web pages and generated by the linking system;

(b) identifying, by the server of the linking system, an identification of the user for each of the plurality of encoded uniform resource locator (URL) links;

(c) identifying, by the server of the linking system, for each encoded URL link, one or more keywords from content of the web page linked to the encoded URL link;

(d) receiving, by the server of the linking system, from a plurality of users, actions to decode the plurality of encoded URL links of the user;

(e) storing, by the server, in a profile of the user, information on the one or more keywords and the received actions, the stored information used to identify, for each keyword, a number of actions received from the plurality of users to decode encoded URL links of the user that correspond to the keyword;

(f) generating, by the server of the linking system, an influence rating of the user based on the stored information on the one or more keywords and the number of actions, the influence rating of the user indicative of a level of engagement by other users resulting from the user sharing the encoded URL links; and

(g) generating, by the server of the linking system, a relevance score for the user and a keyword of the identified one or more keywords based on the influence rating of the user and profiles of users who decoded the encoded URL links of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises identifying, by the server, the user via one of a cookie or a user account with the server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises identifying, by the server, the plurality of keywords from the content identified by the decoded URL links based on one or more of the following:

text, phrases and meta-data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises determining, by the server, the actions of the plurality of users on the encoded URLs links from one or more cookies associated with each of the plurality of users.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises receiving, by the server, identification of the actions of the plurality of users comprising forwarding by each of the plurality of the users an encoded URL link.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises receiving, by the server, identification of the plurality of actions of the users comprising sharing by each of the plurality of the users an encoded URL link in one or more social networking sites.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises receiving, by the server, a request for a relevance score for the user and the keyword.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising generating, by the server, the relevance score responsive to the request and one of increasing a weight or decreasing the weight of the relevance score based on the profile of the user.

9. A system for tracking influence of a user on content shared via encoded uniform resource locator (URL) links, the system comprising:

a server receiving from a user, requests to generate a plurality of encoded uniform resource locator (URL) links, the encoded URL links linked to web pages and generated by the linking system and identifying an identification of the user for each of the plurality of encoded uniform resource locator (URL) links;

a content extractor identifying for each encoded URL link, one or more keywords from content of the web page linked to the encoded URL link;

a click tracker receiving from a plurality of users, actions to decode the plurality of encoded URL links of the user; and

wherein the server

stores in a profile of the user information on the one or more keywords and the received actions, the stored information used to identify, for each keyword, a number of actions received from the plurality of users to decode encoded URL links of the user that correspond to the keyword,

generates an influence rating of the user based on the stored information on the one or more keywords and the number of actions, the influence rating of the user indicative of a level of engagement by other users resulting from the user sharing the encoded URL links, and generates a relevance score for the user and a keyword of the identified one or more keywords based on the influence rating of the user and profiles of users who decoded the encoded URL links of the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the server identifies the user via one of a cookie or a user account with the server.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the content extractor identifies the one or more keywords from the content identified by the decoded URL links based on one or more of the following:

text, phrases and meta-data.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the click tracker determines the actions of the plurality of users on the encoded URLs links from one or more cookies associated with each of the plurality of users.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the actions of the plurality of users comprises forwarding by each of the plurality of the users an encoded URL link.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the actions of the plurality of users comprises sharing by each of the plurality of the users an encoded URL link in one or more social networking sites.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the server receives a request for a relevance score for the user and the keyword.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein a relevance score generates the relevance score responsive to the request and one of increasing a weight or decreasing the weight of the relevance score based on the profile of the user.