Systems and methods for ghosting and providing proxies in a network feed

• US 9,692,851 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Olsen, Joseph M., Dunn, Zachary J.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUI, JONATHAN A
• Application Number:
  US14/974,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and computer readable storage media for maintaining anonymity in an online social network. In some implementations, a user can be designated a ghost user with respect to an entity in the online social network. One or more invisibility levels can be determined for the ghost user. Data indicating content to display in accordance with one or more invisibility levels can be generated and provided to a display device configured to display a presentation of the social network feed associated with the entity in a user interface associated with a second user. Also disclosed are methods, apparatus, systems, and computer readable storage media for designating a proxy in an online social network. In some implementations, a first user can be designated as a proxy user of a second user in an online social network with respect to one or more entities within the online social network.

Claims

1. A database system implemented using a server system comprising at least one hardware processor, the at least one hardware processor executing instructions to perform:

designating a first user as a proxy user of a second user in a social networking system with respect to with respect to an entity in the social networking system, the proxy user having an authorization to publish feed content attributed to the second user to feeds associated with the entity;

processing feed content received from a device associated with the proxy user, the feed content to be published in one or more feeds associated with the entity;

associating the feed content with the second user;

generating data indicating the association of the feed content with the second user;

providing the generated data to a display device configured to display a presentation of the one or more feeds in a user interface, the presentation including the feed content and an indication of the association of the feed content with the second user;

automatically determining, absent user input and after expiration of a time period specifiable by the second user, that a de-designation condition has been met, the de-designation condition being controllable by the second user; and

automatically de-designating, responsive to determining that the de-designation condition has been met, the first user as the proxy user of the second user.

2. The database system of claim 1, wherein designating the first user as the proxy user comprises:

determining, based on a seniority level of the first user in an organizational hierarchy of people of an organization, that the first user is authorized to be the proxy user.

3. The database system of claim 1,

wherein the time period specifiable by the second user is a proxy duration defining an amount of time that the first user is permitted to have the authorization to publish feed content attributed to the second user to feeds associated with the entity.

4. The database system of claim 3, the at least one hardware processor further executing instructions to perform:

processing input from a device of the second user; and

defining, based on the input, the proxy duration.

5. The database system of claim 1, wherein the entity includes one or more of:

a user, a group of users, a record, an account, an opportunity, a case, a lead, or a contact.

6. The database system of claim 1, the at least one hardware processor further executing instructions to perform:

determining access rights of the proxy user, the access rights defining a further authorization of the proxy user to perform one or more of;

reading feed content associated with the entity, modifying feed content associated with the entity, or deleting feed content associated with the entity.

7. The database system of claim 1, the at least one hardware processor further executing instructions to perform:

determining one or more invisibility levels of the proxy user; and

wherein the presentation conceals the identity of the proxy user according to the determined invisibility levels.

8. The database system of claim 1, wherein the presentation conceals the identity of the proxy user.

9. The database system of claim 1, wherein the presentation includes the identity of the proxy user.

10. The database system of claim 1, the at least one hardware processor further executing instructions to perform:

storing the generated data in a database of the database system, the database maintaining identifications of proxy users and corresponding feed content.

11. A method for designating a proxy in social networking system implemented using a database system, the method comprising:

designating, using the database system, a first user as a proxy user of a second user in the social networking system with respect to with respect to an entity in the social networking system, the proxy user having an authorization to publish feed content attributed to the second user to feeds associated with the entity;

receiving feed content from a device associated with the proxy user, the feed content to be published in one or more feeds associated with the entity;

associating the feed content with the second user;

generating data indicating the association of the feed content with the second user;

providing the generated data to a display device configured to display a presentation of the one or more feeds in a user interface, the presentation including the feed content and an indication of the association of the feed content with the second user;

automatically determining, absent user input and after expiration of a time period specifiable by the second user, that a de-designation condition has been met, the de-designation condition being controllable by the second user; and

automatically de-designating, responsive to determining that the de-designation condition has been met, the first user as the proxy user of the second user.

12. A computer program product comprising computer-readable program code stored on a non-transitory data storage medium for execution by one or more servers of a database system, the one or more servers executing the instructions to perform:

designating, using a database system, a first user as a proxy user of a second user in a social networking system with respect to with respect to an entity in the social networking system, the proxy user having an authorization to publish feed content attributed to the second user to feeds associated with the entity;

processing feed content received from a device associated with the proxy user, the feed content to be published in one or more feeds associated with the entity;

associating the feed content with the second user;

generating data indicating the association of the feed content with the second user;

providing the generated data to a display device configured to display a presentation of the one or more feeds in a user interface, the presentation including the feed content and an indication of the association of the feed content with the second user;

automatically determining, absent user input and after expiration of a time period specifiable by the second user, that a de-designation condition has been met, the de-designation condition being controllable by the second user; and

automatically de-designating, responsive to determining that the de-designation condition has been met, the first user as the proxy user of the second user.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein designating the first user as the proxy user comprises:

determining, based on a seniority level of the first user in an organizational hierarchy of people of an organization, that the first user is authorized to be the proxy user.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, the one or more servers further executing the instructions to perform:

wherein the time period specifiable by the second user is a proxy duration defining an amount of time that the first user is permitted to have the authorization to publish feed content attributed to the second user to feeds associated with the entity.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, the one or more servers further executing the instructions to perform:

processing input from a device of the second user; and

defining, based on the input, the proxy duration.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the entity includes one or more of:

a user, a group of users, a record, an account, an opportunity, a case, a lead, or a contact.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, the one or more servers further executing the instructions to perform:

determining access rights of the proxy user, the access rights defining a further authorization of the proxy user to perform one or more of;

reading feed content associated with the entity, modifying feed content associated with the entity, or deleting feed content associated with the entity.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, the one or more servers further executing the instructions to perform:

determining one or more invisibility levels of the proxy user; and

wherein the presentation conceals the identity of the proxy user according to the determined invisibility levels.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the presentation conceals the identity of the proxy user.

20. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the presentation includes the identity of the proxy user.