Auction based polling

• US 8,249,943 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2008
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zuckerberg, Mark, D'Angelo, Adam, Jin, Robert Kang-Xing, Kendall, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): HAQ, NAEEM U
• Application Number:
  US12/156,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20090037277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/26.2, 705/26.25, 705/26.3, 705/26.35, 705/26.4, 705 2641- 2644, 705/26.5, 705 2661- 2664, 705/26.7, 705/26.8, 705/26.81, 705/26.82, 705/26.9, 705/27.1, 705/27.2
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history

Abstract

A system and method for auction based polling is provided. Parameters related to a poll are received from a first user. Parameters related to a poll are received from a first user. A query is associated with the poll. A priority of the poll is determined based on the parameters. The poll is distributed to one or more second users according to the priority. Results to the poll are gathered. The results are reported to the first user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving bidding information for a plurality of polls by a server system, each poll comprising a query and a set of answers;

receiving a request for a poll from a viewing user;

determining an expected response rate of the viewing user for one or more of the plurality of polls;

determining, by the server system, an expected performance value for the one or more polls based on the bidding information and the determined expected response rate for the one or more polls;

selecting, by the server system, a poll from the one or more polls based on the determined expected performance value for the one or more polls; and

providing the selected poll from the server system for display to the viewing user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bidding information includes a bid per answer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the bidding information includes a bid per group of users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the bidding information includes a bid per impression associated with the poll.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising gathering results of the selected poll and generating new queries based on the results.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the selected poll to the viewing user comprises displaying the query of the selected poll on a page associated with the viewing user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a second user based on automated sample balancing;

and

providing the selected poll for display to the second user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected performance value for a respective poll is further based on a desired number of responses for the respective poll.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected performance value for a respective poll is further based on an expected time for performance of the respective poll.

10. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising;

a communications interface configured to receive bidding information for a plurality of polls sent to the system, each poll comprising a query and a set of answers, and to receive a request for a poll from a viewing user; and

an auction module in communication with the communications interface, the auction module configured to determine an expected response rate of the viewing user for one or more of the plurality of polls, to determine an expected performance value for the one or more polls based on the bidding information and the determined expected response rate for the one or more polls, and to select a poll from the one or more polls based on the determined expected performance value for the one or more polls; and

a query module in communication with the auction module, the query module configured to provide the selected poll from the system for display to the viewing user.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the bidding information includes a bid per answer.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the the bidding information includes a bid per group of users.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the viewing user is a member of a social networking system.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor for performing a method comprising:

receiving bidding information for a plurality of polls by a server system, each poll comprising a query and a set of answers;

receiving a request for a poll from a viewing user;

determining an expected response rate of the viewing user for one or more of the plurality of polls;

determining, by the server system, an expected performance value for the one or more polls based on the bidding information and the determined expected response rate for the one or more polls;

selecting, by the server system, a poll from the one or more polls based on the determined expected performance value for the one or more polls; and

providing the selected poll from the server system for display to the viewing user.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the bidding information includes a bid per answer.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the viewing user is a member of a social networking system.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the bidding information includes a bid per group of users.