CATEGORIZING STORIES IN A SOCIAL NETWORKING SYSTEM NEWS FEED

• US 20140207860A1
• Filed: 01/22/2013
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morris, Robyn David, Wang, Xiao Ou, Struhar, Chris, Cathcart, William Robert, Kuenzel, Laney
• Granted Patent: US 10,356,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A social networking system generates stories based on actions taken by entities of the social networking system. The system applies a set of rules to the stories to categorize each story and displays the news feed as multiple sections, each displaying a category of generated stories. A story may be categorized according to its content and/or the user associated with the story. In addition to stories about a user'"'"'s direct connections, stories may be generated by the user'"'"'s soft connections. Supplemental content may be generated based on a section of the newsfeed currently being accessed and displayed in a related content unit adjacent to a news feed section.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request from a viewing user for a news feed, the news feed including a plurality of direct stories based in part on activities logged by a social networking system;

generating a plurality of direct stories, each direct story describing an activity that involves a user who is connected to the viewing user in the social networking system;

determining a plurality of news feed sections for inclusion in a news feed of the viewing user, each news feed section associated with one or more topics, wherein the one or more topics is based in part on the content of the plurality of direct stories;

associating each story from the plurality of direct stories with a news feed section associated with a topic matching at least one topic assigned to a story; and

presenting the news feed to the viewing user, the news feed displaying stories associated with different news feed sections.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the news feed to the viewing user comprises:

ranking the plurality of direct stories based on a determined affinity of the viewing user for an aspect of each of the stories;

selecting stories based at least in part on the ranking; and

presenting the selected stories in groups based on news feed sections associated with the selected stories.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of news feed sections is associated with a plurality of topics.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an additional news feed section associated with a topic assigned to a story if none of the plurality of news feed sections is associated with a topic matching the topic assigned to the story.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the plurality of direct stories describing activities performed by a plurality of users connected to a viewing user in the social networking system comprises:

retrieving a plurality of activities performed by the plurality of users connected to the viewing user on the social networking system after receipt of a prior request from the viewing user for the news feed; and

generating stories based on the retrieved plurality of activities performed by the plurality of users connected to the viewing user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning one or more topics to each of the plurality of direct stories is based at least in part on users associated with each story.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a navigation unit for display to the viewing user, the navigation unit including links to accessing one or more of the plurality of news feed sections.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

presenting stories associated with a news feed section accessed by the viewing user via the navigation unit.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a plurality of indirect stories, each indirect story describing an activity that involves a user who is not connected to the viewing user in the social networking system, each indirect story generated based on a logged activity having a common characteristic with a logged activity that involves a who is connected to the viewing user in the social networking system; and

associating each story from the plurality of indirect stories with a news feed section associated with a topic matching at least one topic assigned to an indirect story, wherein the news feed presented to the viewing user includes the plurality of indirect stories.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein associating each story from the plurality of direct stories and from the plurality of indirect stories with the news feed section associated with the topic matching at least one topic assigned to the story comprises:

associating less than a maximum percentage of indirect stories to at least one news feed section.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein associating each story from the plurality of direct stories and from the plurality of indirect stories with the news feed section associated with the topic matching at least one topic assigned to the story comprises:

associating at least a minimum percentage of indirect stories to at least one news feed section.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the news feed for display to the viewing user comprises:

determining the viewing user is requesting the news feed from a mobile device; and

modifying the format of the news feed to accommodate display on the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a plurality of news feed sections and the associated one or more topics associated with each news feed section is based at least in part on a current geographic location of the viewing user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating supplemental content for each of the plurality of news feed sections, the supplemental content for a news feed section based at least in part on the one or more topics associated with the news feed sections; and

presenting the news feed to the viewing user, the news feed displaying supplemental content associated with at least one news feed section.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein displaying supplemental content associated with at least one news feed section comprises:

displaying supplemental content associated with a news feed section currently viewed by the viewing user.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein displaying supplemental content associated with at least one news feed section comprises:

displaying supplemental content associated with a news feed section with which the viewing user most recently interacted.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein a first portion of the displayed supplemental content is associated with a first news feed section and a second portion of the displayed supplemental content is associated with a second news feed section.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first portion of the displayed supplemental content is visible to the viewing user while the first news feed section occupies at least a threshold amount of a device screen on which the news feed is presented.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the supplemental content for the news feed section includes aggregation of one or more activities performed by one or more users connected to the viewing user described by stories associated with the news feed section.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the supplemental content for the news feed section is based at least in part on location data associated with the viewing user and locations associated with stories associated with the news feed section.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the supplemental content includes advertisements related to a topic associated with the at least one news feed sections.

22. The method of claim 9, wherein a story is classified as a direct story or as an indirect story based on an affinity between the viewing user and a user performing an activity described by the story.

23. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a viewing user for a news feed, the news feed including a plurality of direct stories based in part on activities logged by a social networking system;

generating the plurality of direct stories describing activities performed by a plurality of users connected to the viewing user in the social networking system;

determining a plurality of news feed sections, each news feed section associated with one or more topics; and

presenting the news feed comprising one or more of the news feed sections for display to the viewing user, each news feed section including one or more of the plurality of direct stories assigned at least one topic matching a topic associated with the section.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein presenting the news feed for display to the viewing user comprises:

ranking stories included in a news feed section based on a determined affinity of the viewing user for an aspect of each of the stories;

selecting stories based at least in part on the ranking; and

presenting the selected stories in the news feed section.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein presenting the news feed for display to the viewing user comprises:

determining the viewing user is requesting the news feed from a mobile device; and

modifying the format of the news feed to accommodate display on the mobile device.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein determining a plurality of news feed sections and the associated one or more topics associated with each news feed section is based at least in part on a current geographic location of the viewing user.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

generating an additional news feed section associated with a topic assigned to a story if none of the plurality of news feed sections is associated with a topic matching the topic assigned to the story.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein generating a plurality of direct stories describing activities performed by a plurality of users connected to the viewing user in the social networking system comprises:

retrieving a plurality of activities performed by the plurality of users connected to the viewing user on the social networking system after receipt of a prior request from the viewing user for the news feed; and

generating stories based on the retrieved plurality of activities performed by the plurality of users connected to the viewing user.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the characteristics of the story are selected from a group consisting of:

content described by the story, a user associated with the story, and any combination thereof. assigning one or more topics to each of the plurality of direct stories is based at least in part on content of each story.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

providing a navigation unit for display to the viewing user, the navigation unit including links to accessing one or more of the plurality of news feed sections.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

presenting stories associated with a news feed section accessed by the viewing user via the navigation unit.

32. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

generating a plurality of indirect stories describing activities performed by a plurality of users connected to the viewing user in the social networking system;

presenting the news feed comprising one or more of the news feed sections for display to the viewing user, each news feed section including one or more of the plurality of indirect stories assigned at least one topic matching a topic associated with the section.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

classifying each of the plurality of stories as a direct story or an indirect story based an affinity score between the viewing user and a user performing an activity described by a story.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the plurality of direct stories and indirect stories presented in the news feed includes less than a maximum percentage of indirect stories in at least one news feed section.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the plurality of direct stories and indirect stories presented in the news feed includes at least a minimum percentage of indirect stories in at least one news feed section.

36. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

generating supplemental content for each of the plurality of news feed sections, the supplemental content for a news feed section based at least in part on the one or more topics associated with the news feed sections; and

presenting the news feed to the viewing user, the news feed displaying supplemental content associated with at least one news feed section.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein displaying supplemental content associated with at least one news feed section comprises:

displaying supplemental content associated with a news feed section currently viewed by the viewing user.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein displaying supplemental content associated with at least one news feed section comprises:

displaying supplemental content associated with a news feed section with which the viewing user most recently interacted.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the supplemental content for the news feed section includes aggregation of one or more activities performed by one or more users connected to the viewing user described by stories associated with the news feed section.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein the supplemental content includes advertisements related to a topic associated with the at least one news feed sections.