Method and system for establishing and using a social network to facilitate people in life issues

• US 7,565,344 B1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NetSoc, LLC
• Original Assignee: Emily J. White
• Inventors: White, Emily J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vy, Hung T
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, BINH VAN
• Application Number:
  US10/934,265
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/10 Services

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provide numerous applications and implementations of a social network to facilitate individuals to resolve various life issues. These issues may include issues that arise when individuals or families relocate, including logistic problems, assimilation of family members in a community, and roommate pairings. As will be described, embodiments described herein greatly facilitate corporations in relocating their employees logistically, and also assist employees and their families with life issues that may determine whether the employees'"'"' relocation will be a success.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a social connection, the method being implemented by one or more processors that combine to perform steps comprising:

maintaining a list comprising a plurality of participants, wherein each participant in the plurality of participants corresponds to an organization or an individual, wherein the list includes information associated with at least some of the participants, and wherein the information associated with each participant includes biographical information, the biographical information identifying a geographic region that is associated with, or deemed a residing location, of each of at least some of the participants;

enabling a user to communicate with a selected participant that (i) is not known to the user, and (ii) is familiar with a geographic region of interest to the user, in order for the user to learn more information about a problem or interest the user has that is specific to the geographic region, wherein enabling the user to communicate with the participant is performed by;

presenting the user with a plurality of categories from which the user may make a selection of a category from the plurality of categories;

receiving the selection of the category by the user;

in conjunction with the selection of the category, receiving an electronic communication from the user for an unidentified respondent, wherein the electronic communication contains an inquiry of the user, the inquiry specifying a particular location that corresponds to the geographic region of interest;

after receiving the selection of the category by the user, programmatically making a selection of at least one participant for receiving the electronic communication based at least in part on (i) the selection of the category, (ii) the information associated with the at least one participant, including the geographic region identified by the biographic information of the at least one participant corresponding to the particular location that is specified in the inquiry;

sending the inquiry to one or more participants of the selection without identifying the one or more participants to the user;

enabling any of the one or more participants to provide a response to the inquiry, wherein each response includes information about the participant sending the response;

wherein the step of enabling any of the one or more participants to send a response to the inquiry to the user includes establishing an online communication forum for the user and the one or more participants to communicate on;

sending one or more electronic communications to the user that correspond to the response provided by each of the one or more participants, wherein sending the one or more electronic communications includes providing at least a portion of the biographical information associated with each participant, while enabling at least one of that participant'"'"'s identity or contact information to be shielded from the user;

performing one or more actions to monitor at least one of the participants when that participant communicates with the user, the one or more actions include processing a feedback from the user about the at least one of the participants, the feedback including an indication from the user about a quality of the response from the one participant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein information associated with at least one of the participants includes a topic that the participant is deemed capable of handling inquiries for, and wherein the step of programmatically making a selection of one or more participants to receive the electronic communication includes selecting at least one participant from the list in part by matching the category selected by the user with the topic that is associated with the participant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of presenting a user with a plurality of categories includes presenting the user with a messaging interface that displays the plurality of categories.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of causing an electronic form to be generated on a terminal of the user in response to the user making the selection of the category, wherein the form enables the user to enter the inquiry.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the response from each of the one or more participants only includes biographic information provided by and about that participant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the biographical information includes the participant'"'"'s identity and contact information, and wherein the step of sending one or more electronic communications to the user includes actively shielding the participant'"'"'s identity and contact information when sending the portion of the biographic information to the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of performing one or more actions to monitor the one or more participants includes timing how long the one participant takes to send the response.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling at least one of the participants to link a social network of the participant with a social network of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the inquiry of the user corresponds to an issue or problem that the user wishes to resolve, and wherein information associated with at least one of each participant includes a topic that the participant is deemed capable of resolving issues for in the geographic region associated with that participant.

10. A system for establishing a social connection, the system comprising:

a combination of one or more processors and memory that operate to;

maintain a list comprising a plurality of participants, wherein each participant in the plurality of participants corresponds to an organization or an individual, wherein the list includes information associated with at least some of the participants, and wherein the information associated with each participant includes biographical information, the biographical information identifying a geographic region that is associated with, or deemed a residing location, of each of at least some of the participants

enable a user to communicate with a selected participant that (i) is not known to the user, and (ii) is familiar with a geographic region of interest to the user, in order for the user to learn more information about a problem or interest the user has that is specific to the geographic region, wherein enabling the user to communicate with the participant is performed by;

presenting the user with a plurality of categories from which the user may make a selection of a category from the plurality of categories;

receiving the selection of the category by the user;

in conjunction with the selection of the category, receiving an electronic communication from the user for an unidentified respondent, wherein the electronic communication contains an inquiry of the user, the inquiry specifying a particular location that corresponds to the geographic region of interest;

after receiving the selection of the category by the user, programmatically making a selection of at least one participant for receiving the electronic communication based at least in part on (i) the selection of the category, (ii) the information associated with the at least one participant, including the geographic region identified by the biographic information of the at least one participant corresponding to the particular location that is specified in the inquiry;

sending the inquiry to one or more participants of the selection without identifying the one or more participants to the user;

enabling any of the one or more participants to provide a response to the inquiry through use of an online communication forum, wherein each response includes information about the participant sending the response;

sending one or more electronic communications to the user that correspond to the response provided by each of the one or more participants, including (i) providing with the one or more electronic communications at least a portion of the biographical information associated with each participant, (ii) while enabling at least one of that participant'"'"'s identity or contact information to be shielded from the user;

performing one or more actions to monitor at least one of the participants when that participant communicates with the user, including enabling the user to provide a feedback about the one participants, the feedback including an indication from the user about a quality of the response from the one participant.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the system enables at least one of the participants to link a social network of the participant with a social network of the user.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the inquiry of the user corresponds to an issue or problem that the user wishes to resolve, and wherein information associated with at least one of each participant includes a topic that the participant is deemed capable of resolving issues for in the geographic region associated with that participant.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the system performs the one or more actions to monitor by timing how long the one participant takes to send the response.

14. A method for establishing a social connection, the method being implemented by one or more processors that combine to perform steps comprising:

maintaining a list comprising a plurality of participants, wherein each participant in the plurality of participants corresponds to an organization or an individual, wherein the list includes information associated with at least some of the participants, and wherein the information associated with each participant includes biographical information, the biographical information identifying a geographic region that is associated with, or deemed a residing location, of each of at least some of the participants;

enabling a user to communicate with a selected participant that (i) is not known to the user, and (ii) is familiar with a geographic region of interest to the user, in order for the user to learn more information about a problem or interest the user has that is specific to the geographic region, wherein enabling the user to communicate with the participant is performed by;

presenting the user with a plurality of categories from which the user may make a selection of a category from the plurality of categories;

receiving the selection of the category by the user;

in conjunction with the selection of the category, receiving an electronic communication from the user for an unidentified respondent, wherein the electronic communication contains an inquiry of the user, the inquiry specifying a particular location that corresponds to the geographic region of interest;

after receiving the selection of the category by the user, programmatically making a selection of at least one participant for receiving the electronic communication based at least in part on (i) the selection of the category, (ii) the information associated with the at least one participant, including the geographic region identified by the biographic information of the at least one participant corresponding to the particular location that is specified in the inquiry;

sending the inquiry to one or more participants of the selection without identifying the one or more participants to the user;

enabling any of the one or more participants to provide a response to the inquiry, wherein each response includes information about the participant sending the response;

wherein the step of enabling any of the one or more participants to send a response to the inquiry to the user includes establishing an online communication forum for the user and the one or more participants to communicate on;

sending one or more electronic communications to the user that correspond to the response provided by each of the one or more participants, wherein sending the one or more electronic communications includes providing at least a portion of the biographical information associated with each participant, while enabling at least one of that participant'"'"'s identity or contact information to be shielded from the user;

performing one or more actions to monitor at least one of the participants when that participant communicates with the user, wherein performing one or more actions to monitor the response includes timing how long the one participant takes to send the response.