PREDICTING VIEWING ACTIVITY OF A POSTING TO AN ACTIVITY STREAM

• US 20150188955A1
• Filed: 08/15/2014
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: ALBOUYEH, SHADI E., CARTER, BERNADETTE A., HOY, JEFFREY R., TRUNZO, STEPHANIE L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,420,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• 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 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33

Abstract

A method, system and/or computer program product predicts viewing activity of a new posting to an activity stream. A first computer transmits a new posting to an activity stream in a second computer, where the new posting is available to a potential viewer set. Based on identified viewer information about one or more members of the potential viewer set, a prediction is made of viewing activity of the new posting by the potential viewer set. This predicted viewing activity is based on identified viewer information about members of the potential viewer set, and describes a predicted likelihood of the potential viewer set viewing the new posting. The derived predicted viewing activity of the new posting by the potential viewer set is then presented at the first computer.

Claims

1. A method of predicting viewing activity of a new posting to an activity stream, the method comprising:

transmitting, from a first computer to a second computer, a new posting to an activity stream in the second computer, wherein the new posting is available for viewing to a potential viewer set;

identifying, by one or more processors, viewer information about one or more members of the potential viewer set;

predicting, by one or more processors, a viewing activity of the new posting by the potential viewer set, wherein a predicted viewing activity is based on identified viewer information about said one or more members of the potential viewer set, and wherein the predicted viewing activity describes a predicted likelihood of the potential viewer set viewing the new posting; and

presenting, on a display coupled to the first computer, the predicted viewing activity of the new posting by the potential viewer set.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, that the activity stream in the second computer receives more than a predetermined number of new postings during a particular period of time; and

in response to determining that the new postings exceed the predetermined number during the particular period of time, reducing, by one or more processors, the predicted likelihood of the potential viewer set viewing the new posting.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the potential viewer set consists of multiple viewers, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining, by one or more processors, that a predefined period of time has passed since the new posting has been posted to the activity stream in the second computer; and

in response to determining that the predefined period of time has passed since the new posting has been posted to the activity stream in the second computer, increasing, by one or more processors, the predicted likelihood of the potential viewer set viewing the new posting.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the potential viewer set consists of a single member, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining, by one or more processors, that a predefined period of time has passed since the new posting has been posted to the activity stream in the second computer; and

in response to determining that the predefined period of time has passed since the new posting has been posted to the activity stream in the second computer, reducing, by one or more processors, the predicted likelihood of the potential viewer set viewing the new posting.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, that members of the potential viewer set have previously demonstrated an interest in a subject matter of the new posting; and

in response to determining that members of the potential viewer set have previously demonstrated the interest in the subject matter of the new posting, increasing, by one or more processors, the predicted likelihood of the potential viewer set viewing the new posting.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, that members of the potential viewer set have previously initiated a computer-implemented response to prior postings that share a subject matter of the new posting; and

in response to determining that members of the potential viewer set have previously initiated the computer-implemented response to prior postings that share the subject matter of the new posting, increasing, by one or more processors, the predicted likelihood of the potential viewer set viewing the new posting.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, that members of the potential viewer set have previously initiated a computer-implemented response to prior postings that share a subject matter with the new posting; and

in response to determining that members of the potential viewer set have previously initiated the computer-implemented response to prior postings that share the subject matter of the new posting, predicting, by one or more processors, that the potential viewer set will initiate the computer-implemented response in response to viewing the new posting.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, that the predicted viewing activity is below a predetermined level;

in response to determining that the predicted viewing activity is below the predetermined level, adjusting, by one or more processors, a visual appearance of the new posting to create a visually adjusted new posting; and

reposting, by one or more processors, the visually adjusted new posting to the activity stream.