Rebroadcasting of Advertisements in a Social Network

• US 20130304569A1
• Filed: 07/11/2013
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Figueiredo, Rob, Reis, Davi De Castro
• Granted Patent: US 9,342,844 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.44
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method that receives at a server a first request to rebroadcast a first sponsored content item that was displayed on the social network to the first user to a second user. A second request to display at least one sponsored content item to the second user when the second user accesses an electronic document associated with the social network is received at the server. The first sponsored content item is retrieved for rebroadcast from one or more sponsored content items indicated for rebroadcast to the second user. The first sponsored content item is output to the second user of the social network in response to the second request to display and without requiring the second user to select the first sponsored content item for display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining for a first user of a social network one or more second users of the social network having an acquaintance relationship with the first user;

receiving at a server from the first user a first request to rebroadcast a first sponsored content item that was displayed on the social network to the first user to a second user of the determined one or more second users;

receiving at the server a second request to display at least one sponsored content item to the second user when the second user accesses an electronic document associated with the social network;

retrieving the first sponsored content item for rebroadcast from one or more sponsored content items indicated for rebroadcast to the second user; and

outputting the first sponsored content item to the second user of the social network in response to the second request to display the at least one sponsored content item and without requiring the second user to select the first sponsored content item for display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sponsored content item displayed to the second user further comprises a badge indicating that the first sponsored content item has been rebroadcast by the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the badge is associated with a plurality of indicators that identify users who have rebroadcast the first sponsored content item for display to the second user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sponsored content item is selected from a plurality of user-generated and commercial entity-generated sponsored content items.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the second user a third request that the first sponsored content item be rebroadcast to a third user of the social network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the first user a message to be displayed with the first sponsored content item to the second user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request to rebroadcast the first sponsored content item to the second user is part of a request to rebroadcast the first sponsored content item to a group of users of which the second user is a member.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising outputting the first sponsored content item for display to each other user in the group.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining members of the group based on an identification of users having an acquaintance relationship with the first user.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising further refining a selection of the members based on whether the users have interests that are associated with content of the first sponsored content item.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining the interests of the users based on content generated on the social network by the users.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication that the first user no longer desires to view the first sponsored content item.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the indication is generated based on an express action from the first user indicating that first user is not interested in the first sponsored content item.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the first sponsored content item from the one or more sponsored content items comprises generating scores for each of the one or more sponsored content items and selecting for retrieval an sponsored content item having a highest ranked score.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a generated score is based on a first sponsored content item'"'"'s history of rebroadcasts, history of selections by a recipient user, history of impressions shown, or history of indications that a recipient user is not interested in the sponsored content item.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein a generated score is based on a second user'"'"'s history of rebroadcasting the first user'"'"'s rebroadcasts.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein a generated score is based on history information associated with the first sponsored content item or the first user, the history information specific to interactions with the second user or all users.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting to the first user or to an entity associated with a creation of the first sponsored content item an indication of a penetration of the rebroadcast into the social network.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting to the first user or to an entity associated with a creation of the first sponsored content item an indication of a number of rebroadcasts of the first sponsored content item by other users.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting to the first user or to an entity associated with a creation of the first sponsored content item an indication of a number of users that indicated a desire to no longer view the first sponsored content item.

21. A system, comprising:

one or more servers to receive a request from a first user of a social network to rebroadcast a first sponsored content item that was displayed to the first user to a second user of the social network;

means for selecting the first sponsored content item from one or more sponsored content items indicated for rebroadcasting to the second user when the second user accesses an electronic document associated with the social network; and

an interface to output the first sponsored content item for viewing by the second user.

22. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a generated sponsored content item for initial display to one or more first users of a social network;

receiving a request from at least a portion of the one or more first users that the sponsored content item be rebroadcast to a second set of users of the social network, wherein the second set of users are related to the portion of first users through acquaintance relationships within the social network; and

outputting the sponsored content item to the second set of users, wherein the sponsored content item is presented in a format that enables the second set of users and subsequent recipient users to rebroadcast the sponsored content item to other users of the social network.