Recommending posts to non-subscribing users

• US 9,930,096 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2014
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jackson, Todd, Bunner, Andrew A., Steiner, Matthew, Pongsajapan, John, Cheng, Jessica Shih-Lan, Ho, Edward, McBride, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Randy
• Application Number:
  US14/447,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20150012449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 705 731, 705 733, 705 38, 705319, 707722, 707736, 707758
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems and program products. A server system receives from a plurality of computing devices indications that a user of each of the computing devices requested to receive posts that a first user authors. The server system receives from a first computing device a post that was authored by the first user. The post is transmitted from the server system to the plurality of computing devices. A score for the post is determined to satisfy a criteria for transmission to a second user who has not requested to receive posts authored by the first user. The determination uses a distance of the second user to the first user in a social network graph. In response, the post is transmitted from the server system to a second computing device that is associated with the second user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server system and from a plurality of computing devices, indications that a user of each of the plurality of computing devices requested to subscribe to posts that are authored by a first user;

receiving, at the server system and from a first computing device, a particular post that was authored by the first user;

transmitting the particular post from the server system to the plurality of computing devices;

generating a personalized score that is for the particular post and is specific to a second user that has not requested to receive the posts that are authored by the first user, the generation of the personalized score being based on distances in a social network graph between the second user and the first user and a reputation of the first user, the reputation based on a number of users requesting to receive transmissions of the posts that are authored by the first user, a quantity and a quality of comments on the posts that are authored by the first user, and a reputational score of one or more users that follow the first user;

determining that the personalized score exceeds a threshold; and

transmitting, in response to the determining, the particular post from the server system to a second computing device that is associated with the second user.

2. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server system and from a plurality of computing devices, indications that a user of each of the plurality of computing devices provided user input requesting to receive transmissions of posts that are authored by a first user of a first computing device;

receiving, at the server system and from the first computing device, a particular post that includes text and that was authored by the first user of the first computing device;

transmitting the particular post from the server system to the plurality of computing devices;

identifying distances in a social network graph between a second user that has not requested to receive the posts that are authored by the first user;

generating, based on the identified distances in the social network graph and a reputation of the first user, the reputation based on a number of users requesting to receive transmissions of the posts that are authored by the first user, a personalized score that is for the particular post and that is specific to the second user, and a reputational score of one or more users that follow the first user;

determining that the personalized score satisfies a criteria for transmission to the second user, wherein the criteria includes the personalized score exceeding a threshold; and

transmitting, in response to determining that the personalized score satisfies the criteria for transmission to the second user, the particular post from the server system to a second computing device that is associated with the second user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the server system does not provide, to the second user, posts that (i) are authored by the first user, and (ii) that are associated with personalized scores that do not meet the criteria.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein, in response to receiving the indications, the server system transmits to the plurality of computing devices, all posts that the first user subsequently authors.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the particular post does not identify, as intended recipients of the post, the plurality of computing devices or the users of the plurality of computing devices.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the generating the personalized scores for the particular post uses the distances between the second user and the users of the social network that have commented on the particular post to modify the personalized score.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein generating the personalized score for the particular post further comprises generating a score for the particular post by determining a quantity of comments that users have submitted in association with the particular post and comparing the quantity of comments to a historical quantity of comments that the posts authored by the first user have received, and modifying the score to generate the personalized score.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the social network graph is a data structure that identifies, for a plurality of users that can transmit and receive posts, an acquaintance relationship of the users in the plurality to each other.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the social network graph identifies, for each acquaintance relationship, a strength of the acquaintance relationship.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein each of the distances is based on (i) a minimum number of acquaintance relationships to connect the second user and each other user, and (ii) a strength of the connecting relationships.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the particular post includes an identification of a geographical posting location, and further comprising determining that the geographical posting location is within a threshold geographical distance of a geographical location of the second computing device, wherein transmitting the particular post to the second computing device is dependent upon determining that the criteria is met and determining that the geographical posting location is within the geographical threshold distance.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining a collection of words that are common between instances of content that the second user has generated or viewed, wherein determining the collection of words includes not including, in the collection, words that are included in a pre-determined set of words that includes words that are frequently used in a particular language; and

determining that the particular post includes one or more words from the collection; and

wherein transmitting the particular post to the second computing device is dependent upon determining that the particular post includes the one or more words from the collection.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein determining the collection of words includes identifying, as a word to include in the collection, a word from a query that the second user submitted to a search engine.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein determining the collection of words includes identifying, as a word to include in the collection, a word within a selected search engine result document, the selected search engine result document being a document that the user selected to view in response to being presented with a list of search results that are responsive to a search query that the user submitted.

15. A system comprising:

a posting computerized device, wherein a posting user transmitted a particular post from the posting computerized device to a server system;

a first plurality of computerized devices, wherein a first plurality of users that have logged into the first plurality of computerized device have requested to receive posts authored by the posting user; and

a second plurality of computerized devices, wherein a second plurality of users that have logged into the second plurality of computerized devices have not requested to receive the posts authored by the posting user;

wherein the server identifies the second plurality of computerized devices as computerized devices to receive the particular post based on the second plurality of computerized devices satisfying criteria, the second plurality identified as computerized devices that satisfy criteria for receiving the particular post based on personalized scores of the particular post exceeding a threshold, the personalized scores having been generated for the particular post based on distances, in a social network graph, between the posting user and a reputation of the posting user, the reputation based on a number of users in the first plurality of users that have requested to receive the posts that the posting user authors, and a reputational score of one or more users that follow the posting user; and

wherein the server system receives the particular post from the posting computerized device and transmits the particular post to the first plurality of computers and to the second plurality of computers.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the system does not provide, to the second user, posts that (i) are authored by the first user, and (ii) that are associated with personalized scores that do not meet the criteria.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein, in response to receiving an indication, the system transmits to the plurality of computing devices, all posts that the first user subsequently authors.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the particular post does not identify, as intended recipients of the particular post, the plurality of computing devices or the users of the plurality of computing devices.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein generating the personalized scores for the particular post uses the distances between the second user and the users of the social network that have commented on the post to modify the personalized score.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein generating the personalized score for the particular post further comprises determining a quantity of comments that users have submitted in association with the particular post and comparing the quantity of comments to a historical quantity of comments that the posts authored by the first user have received.