Ranking Social Network Objects

• US 20110022602A1
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Dong, Cui, Hang, Zhang, Bo, Luo, Qingshan
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2291 User-Defined Types; Storage management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An online social networking system can be used to rank social network objects of various different object types, each according to its type. The objects may comprise types such as users, communities, blogs, blog entries, events, forums, forum topics, postings, photographs, and/or images. The product comprises code for carrying out a method that begins with receiving ranking data about social network objects that comprises data about events performed on the social network. For each social network object, a ranking function is applied to ranking data about the social network object based on its type. In addition, the recency of an event on the social network related to the social network object is evaluated, in order to calculate the score for the social network object. A relative ranking for each of the plurality of social network objects based on its score is determined, and the score and relative ranking of each of the social network objects stored.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for ranking a plurality of social network objects, each object belonging to one of a plurality of different social network object types, the method comprising:

storing ranking data about the plurality of social network objects, the ranking data comprising data about events performed on the social network;

for each of the plurality of social network objects, scoring the social network object by applying a ranking function to the ranking data of the social network object based on the social network object'"'"'s type, wherein the ranking function is based at least in part on the recency of an event on the social network related to the social network object;

determining a relative ranking for each of the plurality of social network objects based on the respective social network object'"'"'s score; and

storing the score and relative ranking of each of the social network objects.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the social network objects comprise forum topics, and the ranking data comprise data about posts on the topics.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the social network objects comprise communities of the social network, and the ranking data comprise data about members in the communities.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the social network objects comprise users, and the ranking data comprise the number of posts owned by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranking function is based at least in part on the recency of an event by applying an exponential time decay function to ranking data in order to calculate the score for the social network object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranking function applies a scale factor greater than one based on the event on the social network related to the social network object occurring within a predetermined time period from when the ranking function is applied.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a query for social network objects;

generating a search result to the query comprising social network objects of different object types; and

generating code for, when executed, displaying the search result ordered by the relative rankings of the social network objects.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying social network objects with a score above a predetermined threshold; and

generating code for, when executed, displaying the identified social network objects in a visually distinguishable way on a webpage associated with the social network.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on their relative ranking, top-ranked social network objects; and

generating code for, when executed, displaying the top-ranked social network objects to users of the social network in a visually distinguishable way on a webpage associated with the social network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranking data comprise rankings for webpages associated with a social network object of the plurality of social network objects.

11. A computer program product for ranking a plurality of social network objects, each object belonging to one of a plurality of different social network object types, comprising code encoded on a computer-readable medium for performing the steps of:

receiving ranking data about the plurality of social network objects, the ranking data comprising data about events performed on the social network;

for each of the plurality of social network objects, scoring the social network object by applying a ranking function to the ranking data of the social network object based on the social network object'"'"'s type, wherein the ranking function is based at least in part on the recency of an event on the social network related to the social network object;

determining a relative ranking for each of the plurality of social network objects based on the respective social network object'"'"'s score; and

determining a relative ranking for each of the plurality of social network objects based on its score; and

storing the score and relative ranking of each of the social network objects.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the social network objects comprise forum topics, and the ranking data comprise data about the time of replies to the topic.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the social network objects comprise communities of the social network, and the ranking data comprise page rank data about web pages of the communities.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the social network objects comprise a user, and the ranking data comprise the user'"'"'s time of registration on the social network.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the ranking function is based at least in part on the recency of an event by applying an exponential time decay function to ranking data in order to calculate the score for the social network object.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the ranking function applies a scale factor greater than one based on the event on the social network related to the social network object occurring within a predetermined time period from when the ranking function is applied.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the steps further comprise:

receiving a query for social network objects;

generating a search result to the query comprising social network objects of different object types; and

generating code for, when executed, displaying the search result ordered by the relative rankings of the social network objects.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the steps further comprise:

identifying social network objects with a score above a predetermined threshold; and

generating code for, when executed, displaying the identified social network objects in a visually distinguishable way on a webpage associated with the social network.

19. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the steps further comprise:

determining, based on their relative ranking, top-ranked social network objects; and

generating code for, when executed, displaying the top-ranked social network objects to users of the social network in a visually distinguishable way on a webpage associated with the social network.

20. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the ranking data comprise rankings for webpages associated with a social network object of the plurality of social network objects.