DEMOGRAPHIC PREDICTION USING A SOCIAL LINK NETWORK

• US 20080126411A1
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zhuang, Dong, Chen, Zheng, Zhang, Benyu, Wang, Jian, Zeng, Hua-Jun, Zhang, Heng, Tantrum, Jeremy, Mah, Teresa B.
• Application Number:
  US11/535,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20080126411A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system, method, computer-readable media, and related techniques are disclosed for predicting demographic information of a user. A social link network is created and a search request for demographic information related to a first user within the social link network is received. The requested demographic information based on the demographic information of other users connected to the first user within the social link network is provided.

Claims

1. A method for predicting demographic information of a user, comprising:

identifying a first user within a social link network;

identifying one or more users connected to the first user within the social link network;

identifying demographic information of at least one of the one or more connected users; and

predicting demographic information for the first user based on the demographic information of the at least one of the one or more connected users.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predicted demographic information is the age of the first user.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predicted demographic information is the geographical location of the first user.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein predicting the age of the first comprises calculating a median age of the one or more connected users.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the age of the first user is predicted using the age of at least three connected users.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein predicting the geographical location of the first user comprises identifying the most common geographical location among the one or more connected users.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more connected users are identified by using web log information from at least one of messenger activity and blog activity.

8. A method for predicting demographic information of a user, comprising:

creating a social link network;

receiving a search request for demographic information related to a first user within the social link network; and

providing the requested demographic information based on demographic information of one or more users connected to the first user within the social link network.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein creating the social link network comprises connecting users with other users that are socially related to the users.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the users are socially related to the other users by using web log information from at least one of messenger activity and blog activity.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein demographic information of the one or more users is derived from one or more registered users.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the requested demographic information is based on demographic information of at least three users other than the first user.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the at least three users are not directly connected to the first user within the social link network.

14. One or more computer-readable media having computer-usable instructions stored thereon for performing a method for predicting demographic information of a user, the method comprising:

connecting users together within social link network;

obtaining demographic information of one more users connected to a first user, the one or more connected users being registered users with known demographic information;

predicting demographic information for the first user based on the demographic information of the one or more connected users.

15. The computer-readable media according to claim 14, wherein the first user has at least one of unknown and inaccurate demographic information before predicting the first user'"'"'s demographic information.

16. The computer-readable media according to claim 14, wherein the users within the social link network are connected using web log information from at least one of messenger activity and blog activity.

17. The computer-readable media according to claim 14, wherein the demographic information is obtained from at least three connected users.

18. The computer-readable media according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the at least three connected users are not directly connected to the first user within the social link network.

19. The computer-readable media according to claim 18, wherein demographic information of one or more users connected to the at least one user not directly connected to the first user is used to predict the demographic information of the first user.

20. The computer-readable media according to claim 14, wherein the predicted demographic information is the age of the first user, the age of the first being predicted by calculating a median age of the one or more connected users.