US20220291790A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20220291790A1
Application number: US17/827,121
Authority: US
Inventors: Joshua Barton Dickens; William Samuel Bailey
Original assignee: Meta Platforms Inc
Current assignee: Meta Platforms Inc
Priority date: 2016-11-17
Filing date: 2022-05-27
Publication date: 2022-09-15
Also published as: US11347374B2; US20180136797A1

Abstract

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can provide an interface in which a content feed of a user is presented, the content feed including at least one first post that was authored by the user and that includes a first content item, wherein the interface is presented on a display screen of a computing device. A determination is made that the user has selected an option to update the first post to include one or more additional content items. A set of content items is provided for selection through the interface. The first post is updated to include at least one content item that was selected by the user.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/354,308, filed on Nov. 17, 2016, and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING SHARED CONTENT”, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present technology relates to the field of content sharing. More particularly, the present technology relates to techniques for sharing content with users.

BACKGROUND

Today, people often utilize computing devices (or systems) for a wide variety of purposes. Users can use their computing devices to, for example, interact with one another, access content, share content, and create content. In some cases, content items can include postings from members of a social network. The postings may include text and media content items, such as images, videos, and audio. The postings may be published to the social network for consumption by others.

Under conventional approaches, users may post various content items to a social networking system. In general, content items posted by a first user can be included in the respective content feeds of other users of the social networking system, for example, that have “followed” the first user. By following (or subscribing to) the first user, some or all content that is produced, or posted, by the first user may be included in the respective content feeds of the following users. A user following the first user can simply unfollow the first user to prevent new content that is produced by the first user from being included in the following user's content feed.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure can include systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured to provide an interface in which a content feed of a user is presented, the content feed including at least one first post that was authored by the user and that includes a first content item, wherein the interface is presented on a display screen of a computing device. A determination is made that the user has selected an option to update the first post to include one or more additional content items. A set of content items is provided for selection through the interface. The first post is updated to include at least one content item that was selected by the user.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to determine one or more content items relating to the first content item to be included in the set and provide a media tray through the interface in which respective thumbnails of the set of content items are presented.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to determine that the first content item and at least one content item stored in the computing device are associated with a same, or similar, geographic location.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to determine that a timestamp associated with at least one content item stored in the computing device is within a threshold range of a timestamp associated with the first content item.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to determine that subject matter captured in at least one content item stored in the computing device has a threshold overlap with subject matter captured in the first content item.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to determine that the content feed includes a second post that was authored by the user and that includes a second content item, determine that the first post and the second post should be merged into a single post, and cause the first post and the second post to be merged into the single post, wherein the single post includes both the first content item and the second content item.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to determine that the first content item and the second content item are associated with a same, or similar, geographic location and determine that a timestamp associated with the first content item is within a threshold range of a timestamp associated with the second content item.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to determine that the first post and the second post are associated with a same, or similar, caption.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to determine one or more first interactions that were received for the first post from one or more other users, determine one or more second interactions that were received for the second post from one or more other users, and associate the first interactions and the second interactions with the single post.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media are configured to provide at least one notification to the user to confirm the merging of the first post and the second post into the single post.

It should be appreciated that many other features, applications, embodiments, and/or variations of the disclosed technology will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the following detailed description. Additional and/or alternative implementations of the structures, systems, non-transitory computer readable media, and methods described herein can be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosed technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system including an example content provider module, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example story module, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example media data module, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A-H illustrate example interfaces, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method for sharing content, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a network diagram of an example system including an example social networking system that can be utilized in various scenarios, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a computer system or computing device that can be utilized in various scenarios, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The figures depict various embodiments of the disclosed technology for purposes of illustration only, wherein the figures use like reference numerals to identify like elements. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated in the figures can be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosed technology described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONApproaches for Sharing Content

People often utilize computing devices (or systems) for a wide variety of purposes. Users can use their computing devices to, for example, interact with one another, access content, share content, and create content. In some cases, content items can include postings from members of a social network. The postings may include text and media content items, such as images, videos, and audio. The postings may be published to the social network for consumption by others.

Under conventional approaches, users may post various content items to the social networking system. In general, content items posted by a first user can be included in the respective content feeds of other users of the social networking system that have “followed” the first user. By following (or subscribing to) the first user, some or all content that is produced, or posted, by the first user may be included in the respective content feeds of the users following the first user. A user following the first user can prevent new content from the first user from being included in the user's content feed by simply “unfollowing” the first user. Under conventional approaches, users can share a content item, or an album of content items, in a post published through the social networking system. Once published, modifying the post (or adding more content to the post) can be a burdensome process if even an option at all. Such restrictions can negatively impact the ways in which users interact with one another in the social networking system. Accordingly, such conventional approaches may not be effective in addressing these and other problems arising in computer technology.

An improved approach rooted in computer technology overcomes the foregoing and other disadvantages associated with conventional approaches specifically arising in the realm of computer technology. In various embodiments, users can publish posts through the social networking system. A user post can be updated even after the post has been published through the social networking system. For example, once the post is published along with a first content item (e.g., image), the user may select an option to add one or more second content items to be included in the same post. In some embodiments, content items that were determined to be related to a published post can be recommended to the user to be included in an updated version of the post. In some embodiments, multiple posts by a user that each include related content items can be collapsed into a single post that includes the related content items.

FIG. 1 illustrates anexample system100 including an examplecontent provider module102, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the example ofFIG. 1, thecontent provider module102 can include acontent module104, afollow module106, aninteraction module108, and astory module110. In some instances, theexample system100 can include at least onedata store112. The components (e.g., modules, elements, etc.) shown in this figure and all figures herein are exemplary only, and other implementations may include additional, fewer, integrated, or different components. Some components may not be shown so as not to obscure relevant details.

In some embodiments, thecontent provider module102 can be implemented, in part or in whole, as software, hardware, or any combination thereof. In general, a module as discussed herein can be associated with software, hardware, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, one or more functions, tasks, and/or operations of modules can be carried out or performed by software routines, software processes, hardware, and/or any combination thereof. In some cases, thecontent provider module102 can be implemented, in part or in whole, as software running on one or more computing devices or systems, such as on a user or client computing device. In one example, thecontent provider module102 or at least a portion thereof can be implemented as or within an application (e.g., app), a program, or an applet, etc., running on a user computing device or a client computing system, such as the user device610 ofFIG. 6. In another example, thecontent provider module102 or at least a portion thereof can be implemented using one or more computing devices or systems that include one or more servers, such as network servers or cloud servers. In some instances, thecontent provider module102 can, in part or in whole, be implemented within or configured to operate in conjunction with a social networking system (or service), such as thesocial networking system630 ofFIG. 6.

Thecontent provider module102 can be configured to communicate and/or operate with the at least onedata store112, as shown in theexample system100. The at least onedata store112 can be configured to store and maintain various types of data. For example, thedata store112 can store information describing various content that has been posted by users of a social networking system. In some implementations, the at least onedata store112 can store information associated with the social networking system (e.g., thesocial networking system630 ofFIG. 6). The information associated with the social networking system can include data about users, social connections, social interactions, locations, geo-fenced areas, maps, places, events, pages, groups, posts, communications, content, feeds, account settings, privacy settings, a social graph, and various other types of data. In some implementations, the at least onedata store112 can store information associated with users, such as user identifiers, user information, profile information, user specified settings, content produced or posted by users, and various other types of user data.

Thecontent module104 can be configured to provide users with access to content that is posted through a social networking system. For example, thecontent module104 can provide a first user with access to content items through an interface that is provided by a software application (e.g., a social networking application) running on a computing device of the first user. The first user can also interact with the interface to post content items to the social networking system. Such content items may include text, images, audio, and videos, for example. For example, the first user can submit a post to be published through the social networking system. In some embodiments, the post can include, or reference, one or more content items. In some embodiments, posts published through the social networking system must include at least one content item.

In various embodiments, other users of the social networking system can access content items posted by the first user. In one example, the other users can access the content items by searching for the first user, for example, by user name through an interface provided by a software application (e.g., a social networking application, browser, etc.) running on their respective computing devices. In some instances, some users may want to see content items posted by the first user in their respective content feed. To cause content items posted by the first user to be included in their respective content feed, a user can select an option through the interface to subscribe to, or “follow”, the first user. Thefollow module106 can process the user's request by identifying the user as a follower of (or “friend” of) the first user in the social networking system. As a result, some or all content items that are posted by the first user can automatically be included in the respective content feed of the user. If the user decides that they no longer want to see content from the first user in their respective content feed, the user can select an option through the interface to “unfollow” the first user. As a result, thefollow module106 can remove the association between the user and the first user so that content items posted by the first user are no longer included in the content feed of the user.

In some instances, users may want to interact with posted content items. For example, a user may want to endorse, or “like”, a content item. In this example, the user can select an option provided in the interface to like the desired content item. Theinteraction module108 can determine when a user likes a given content item and can store information describing this relationship. Theinteraction module108 can also determine when other forms of user interaction are performed and can store information describing the interaction (e.g., information describing the type of interaction, the identity of the user, the identity of the user that posted the content item, and the content item, to name some examples). For example, the user may want to post a comment in response to a content item. In this example, the user can select an option provided in the interface to enter and post the comment for the desired content item. Theinteraction module108 can determine when a user posts a comment in response to a given content item and can store information describing this relationship. Other forms of user interaction can include reacting to a content item (e.g., selecting an option that corresponds to a particular reaction, e.g., happy, sad, angry, etc.) and sharing a content item, to name some examples. In some embodiments, such information can be stored in a social graph as described in reference toFIG. 6.

In various embodiments, thestory module110 is configured to provide various options for including multiple content items in a post and/or updating posts. For example, in some embodiments, thestory module110 can provide options for amending, or updating, published user posts to include additional content items. More details regarding thestory module110 will be provided below with reference toFIG. 2.

FIG. 2 illustrates astory module202, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, thestory module110 ofFIG. 1 can be implemented with thestory module202. As shown in the example ofFIG. 2, thestory module202 can include amulti-post module204, amedia tray module206, amedia data module208, apost collapse module210, and apost suggestion module212.

In various embodiments, themulti-post module204 is configured to provide users with one or more options for modifying, or updating, posts that were published through the social networking system. The options for updating posts can be presented in an interface that is provided by a software application (e.g., a social networking application) running on a computing device of a user that authored the posts. In some embodiments, themulti-post module204 provides an option to add content items to a post that was already published through the social networking system. The user that authored the post can select the option to update the post to include one or more content items. When the user selects the option to add content items to a published post, themedia tray module206 can provide, in the interface, a media tray in which one or more content items are presented for selection. The user can select one or more of these content items through the interface and, once the user selection is confirmed, the published post is updated to include the selected content items. Users of the social networking system that access the updated post will be shown the post along with the newly added content items. In some embodiments, the social networking system boosts the ranking of updated post in the respective content feeds of users in which the post is included (e.g., the content feeds of users following the user that authored the updated post). In such embodiments, the respective score for the post may be boosted by some amount (e.g., weight) in response to the updating. In various embodiments, themedia data module208 can determine which content items are shown in the media tray that is provided by themedia tray module206 as well as other information related to those content items. More details regarding themedia data module208 will be provided below with reference toFIG. 3. In some embodiments, themulti-post module204 provides an option to remove one or more content items that were included in a post that was published through the social networking system.

In some embodiments, thepost collapse module210 is configured to automatically collapse multiple related posts that were published by a user through the social networking system into a single merged post. For example, in some embodiments, thepost collapse module210 can determine that a user published multiple posts within a threshold amount of time from one another (e.g., within a threshold number of minutes, hours, days, etc.). In such embodiments, thepost collapse module210 can automatically collapse the multiple posts into a single merged post that includes all of the content items that were included in the individual posts. For example, a user may publish a first post including a first content item that was taken while the user was on vacation. Next, the user may publish a second post that includes a second content item within a threshold amount of time. In this example, thepost collapse module210 can automatically collapse the first post and the second post into a single merged post that includes both the first content item and the second content item. In some embodiments, any interactions (e.g., likes, comments, reactions, etc.) received for the individual posts (e.g., the first post and the second post) by other users of the social networking system are propagated to the single merged post. Thus, for example, if a first user and a second user selected an option to like the first post and a third user selected an option to like the second post, then the single merged post can be presented as having received likes from the first user, the second user, and the third user.

Other approaches for automatically collapsing posts are possible. In some embodiments, thepost collapse module210 can determine that a user published multiple posts with related captions. For example, the user may have published a set of posts that each include the same, or similar (e.g., common text, overlapping characters, semantic meaning within a threshold variation, etc.), caption (e.g., “Vacationing in Maui”). In this example, the set of posts can automatically be collapsed into a single merged post based on the posts having the same, or similar, captions. In some embodiments, thepost collapse module210 can determine that a user published multiple posts that include the same, or similar (e.g., overlapping regions, common center, adjacent regions, regions within a threshold distance, etc.), geolocation data. For example, the user may have published a set of posts from Maui, Hawaii. In this example, the set of posts can automatically be collapsed into a single merged post based on the posts originating from the same, or similar, geographic region. In another example, the set of posts can automatically be collapsed into a single merged post based on the content items in the posts having been taken at the same, or similar, geographic location as indicated, for example, in the respective metadata associated with those content items. In some embodiments, thepost collapse module210 can determine that a user published multiple posts that include the same, or similar, subject matter. For example, the user may have published a set of posts that include content items capturing various animals at a zoo. The content items included in the different posts can be evaluated using a machine learning model (content classifier), as described below, to determine that the different content items capture related subject matter. In this example, the set of posts can automatically be collapsed into a single merged post based on the posts having related subject matter. Depending on the implementation, any of these approaches for merging posts can be used either alone or in combination with one another. In some embodiments, thepost collapse module210 requests user confirmation prior to collapsing a set of posts into a single merged post. In some embodiments, the user has an option to revert the single merged post back to the individual posts that were published by the user.

In some embodiments, when a user is posting one or more content items, thepost suggestion module212 can suggest one or more already published posts to which the content item(s) can appropriately be added instead of creating separate new posts for the content item(s). The suggested posts can be identified using any of the approaches for identifying related content as described above. For example, in some embodiments, a suggested post for adding the content item(s) can be determined based on a shared geographic location between one or more content items included in the post and the content item(s) being posted, based on the subsequent posting of the content item(s) occurring within a threshold amount of time from the publishing of the suggested post, or both.

FIG. 3 illustrates amedia data module302, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, themedia data module208 ofFIG. 2 can be implemented with themedia data module302. As shown in the example ofFIG. 3, themedia data module302 can include alocation module304, atime module306, and asubject matter module308.

In various embodiments, themedia data module302 is configured to identify one or more content items to be shown in the media tray that is presented in the interface, as described above. In some embodiments, themedia data module302 identifies a set of content items that are available to the user, e.g., content items stored in the computing device of the user. For example, themedia data module302 can identify the last five content items that were added to a content store (e.g., camera roll) in the computing device. In some embodiments, themedia data module302 identifies one or more content items that relate to one or more content items that were already included in the post being updated. For example, if a post that includes a first content item is being updated to include additional content items, themedia data module302 can identify one or more other content items that relate to the first content item.

In some embodiments, thelocation module304 can identify related content items based on a respective geographic location associated with the content items. For example, if metadata associated with a second content item indicates that the second content item was captured at the same, or similar, geographic location as the first content item included in the post being updated, thelocation module304 can include the second content item in the set of content items that are shown in the media tray.

In some embodiments, thetime module306 can identify related content items based on the respective timestamps associated with the content items. For example, if metadata associated with a second content item indicates that the second content item was captured at the same time (or within some threshold range) as the first content item included in the post being updated, thetime module306 can include the second content item in the set of content items that are shown in the media tray.

In some embodiments, thesubject matter module308 can identify related content items based on the subject matter that was captured in the first content item. For example, a second content item can be shown in the media tray if the subject matter captured in the second content item matches the subject matter captured in the first content item included in the post being updated within some threshold likelihood. In various embodiments, thesubject matter module308 can apply a machine learning model (content classifier) to determine a relationship, or similarity, between content items (e.g., the first content item and the second content item). For example, thesubject matter module308 can determine a probability regarding whether the first content item reflects predetermined subject matter (e.g., identities, or names, of individuals, human faces and other features, objects, activities, products, logos, animals, points of interest, or other concepts). The content classifier can be based on any machine learning technique, including but not limited to a deep convolutional neural network. The content classifier supported by thesubject matter module308 can be trained and tested to determine the subject matter reflected in a content item. In a development phase, contextual cues for a sample set of content items can be gathered. Content classes corresponding to various subject matter can be determined. Correlation of the sample set of content items with the content classes based on the contextual cues can be determined. A training set of content items can be generated from the sample set of content items based on scores indicative of high correlation. The training set of content items can be used to train the content classifier to generate visual pattern templates of the content classes. In an evaluation phase, the content classifier can be applied to a new content item to determine the subject matter reflected in the new content item. In some embodiments, upon processing an input content item, the content classifier outputs a set of content features that correspond to the subject matter reflected in the inputted content item. For each feature, the content classifier can also output a respective probability indicating a likelihood that the feature was found in the subject matter reflected by the inputted content item. Thesubject matter module308 can also apply the content classifier to the second content item to determine the subject matter reflected in the content item. The determined subject matter, or features, for the first content item and the second content item can be evaluated to determine whether there is a threshold overlap in the subject matter or features. If a threshold overlap is determined, then the first content item and the second content item are deemed to be related to one another.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example400 of aninterface404, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, theinterface404 is presented through a display screen of thecomputing device402. Further, theinterface404 may be provided through an application (e.g., a web browser, a social networking application, messenger application, etc.) running on thecomputing device402 that is configured to interact with a social networking system.

FIG. 5 illustrates anexample method500 for sharing content, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that there can be additional, fewer, or alternative steps performed in similar or alternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of the various embodiments discussed herein unless otherwise stated.

Atblock502, an interface is provided in which a content feed of a user is presented, the content feed including at least one first post that was authored by the user and that includes a first content item, wherein the interface is presented on a display screen of a computing device. Atblock504, a determination is made that the user has selected an option to update the first post to include one or more additional content items. Atblock506, a set of content items is provided for selection through the interface. Atblock508, the first post is updated to include at least one content item that was selected by the user.

It is contemplated that there can be many other uses, applications, and/or variations associated with the various embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, in some cases, user can choose whether or not to opt-in to utilize the disclosed technology. The disclosed technology can also ensure that various privacy settings and preferences are maintained and can prevent private information from being divulged. In another example, various embodiments of the present disclosure can learn, improve, and/or be refined over time.

Social Networking System—Example Implementation

FIG. 6 illustrates a network diagram of anexample system600 that can be utilized in various scenarios, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Thesystem600 includes one or more user devices610, one or moreexternal systems620, a social networking system (or service)630, and anetwork650. In an embodiment, the social networking service, provider, and/or system discussed in connection with the embodiments described above may be implemented as thesocial networking system630. For purposes of illustration, the embodiment of thesystem600, shown byFIG. 6, includes a singleexternal system620 and a single user device610. However, in other embodiments, thesystem600 may include more user devices610 and/or moreexternal systems620. In certain embodiments, thesocial networking system630 is operated by a social network provider, whereas theexternal systems620 are separate from thesocial networking system630 in that they may be operated by different entities. In various embodiments, however, thesocial networking system630 and theexternal systems620 operate in conjunction to provide social networking services to users (or members) of thesocial networking system630. In this sense, thesocial networking system630 provides a platform or backbone, which other systems, such asexternal systems620, may use to provide social networking services and functionalities to users across the Internet.

The user device610 comprises one or more computing devices (or systems) that can receive input from a user and transmit and receive data via thenetwork650. In one embodiment, the user device610 is a conventional computer system executing, for example, a Microsoft Windows compatible operating system (OS), Apple OS X, and/or a Linux distribution. In another embodiment, the user device610 can be a computing device or a device having computer functionality, such as a smart-phone, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a laptop computer, a wearable device (e.g., a pair of glasses, a watch, a bracelet, etc.), a camera, an appliance, etc. The user device610 is configured to communicate via thenetwork650. The user device610 can execute an application, for example, a browser application that allows a user of the user device610 to interact with thesocial networking system630. In another embodiment, the user device610 interacts with thesocial networking system630 through an application programming interface (API) provided by the native operating system of the user device610, such as iOS and ANDROID. The user device610 is configured to communicate with theexternal system620 and thesocial networking system630 via thenetwork650, which may comprise any combination of local area and/or wide area networks, using wired and/or wireless communication systems.

In one embodiment, thenetwork650 uses standard communications technologies and protocols. Thus, thenetwork650 can include links using technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, CDMA, GSM, LTE, digital subscriber line (DSL), etc. Similarly, the networking protocols used on thenetwork650 can include multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), and the like. The data exchanged over thenetwork650 can be represented using technologies and/or formats including hypertext markup language (HTML) and extensible markup language (XML). In addition, all or some links can be encrypted using conventional encryption technologies such as secure sockets layer (SSL), transport layer security (TLS), and Internet Protocol security (IPsec).

In one embodiment, the user device610 may display content from theexternal system620 and/or from thesocial networking system630 by processing amarkup language document614 received from theexternal system620 and from thesocial networking system630 using abrowser application612. Themarkup language document614 identifies content and one or more instructions describing formatting or presentation of the content. By executing the instructions included in themarkup language document614, thebrowser application612 displays the identified content using the format or presentation described by themarkup language document614. For example, themarkup language document614 includes instructions for generating and displaying a web page having multiple frames that include text and/or image data retrieved from theexternal system620 and thesocial networking system630. In various embodiments, themarkup language document614 comprises a data file including extensible markup language (XML) data, extensible hypertext markup language (XHTML) data, or other markup language data. Additionally, themarkup language document614 may include JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data, JSON with padding (JSONP), and JavaScript data to facilitate data-interchange between theexternal system620 and the user device610. Thebrowser application612 on the user device610 may use a JavaScript compiler to decode themarkup language document614.

Themarkup language document614 may also include, or link to, applications or application frameworks such as FLASH™ or Unity™ applications, the Silverlight™ application framework, etc.

In one embodiment, the user device610 also includes one ormore cookies616 including data indicating whether a user of the user device610 is logged into thesocial networking system630, which may enable modification of the data communicated from thesocial networking system630 to the user device610.

Theexternal system620 includes one or more web servers that include one or

more web pages

622a,622b,which are communicated to the user device610 using thenetwork650. Theexternal system620 is separate from thesocial networking system630. For example, theexternal system620 is associated with a first domain, while thesocial networking system630 is associated with a separate social networking domain.

Web pages

622a,622b,included in theexternal system620, comprisemarkup language documents614 identifying content and including instructions specifying formatting or presentation of the identified content. As discussed previously, it should be appreciated that there can be many variations or other possibilities.

Thesocial networking system630 includes one or more computing devices for a social network, including a plurality of users, and providing users of the social network with the ability to communicate and interact with other users of the social network. In some instances, the social network can be represented by a graph, i.e., a data structure including edges and nodes. Other data structures can also be used to represent the social network, including but not limited to databases, objects, classes, meta elements, files, or any other data structure. Thesocial networking system630 may be administered, managed, or controlled by an operator. The operator of thesocial networking system630 may be a human being, an automated application, or a series of applications for managing content, regulating policies, and collecting usage metrics within thesocial networking system630. Any type of operator may be used.

Users may join thesocial networking system630 and then add connections to any number of other users of thesocial networking system630 to whom they desire to be connected. As used herein, the term “friend” refers to any other user of thesocial networking system630 to whom a user has formed a connection, association, or relationship via thesocial networking system630. For example, in an embodiment, if users in thesocial networking system630 are represented as nodes in the social graph, the term “friend” can refer to an edge formed between and directly connecting two user nodes.

Connections may be added explicitly by a user or may be automatically created by thesocial networking system630 based on common characteristics of the users (e.g., users who are alumni of the same educational institution). For example, a first user specifically selects a particular other user to be a friend. Connections in thesocial networking system630 are usually in both directions, but need not be, so the terms “user” and “friend” depend on the frame of reference. Connections between users of thesocial networking system630 are usually bilateral (“two-way”), or “mutual,” but connections may also be unilateral, or “one-way.” For example, if Bob and Joe are both users of thesocial networking system630 and connected to each other, Bob and Joe are each other's connections. If, on the other hand, Bob wishes to connect to Joe to view data communicated to thesocial networking system630 by Joe, but Joe does not wish to form a mutual connection, a unilateral connection may be established. The connection between users may be a direct connection; however, some embodiments of thesocial networking system630 allow the connection to be indirect via one or more levels of connections or degrees of separation.

Thesocial networking system630 is also capable of linking a variety of entities. For example, thesocial networking system630 enables users to interact with each other as well asexternal systems620 or other entities through an API, a web service, or other communication channels. Thesocial networking system630 generates and maintains the “social graph” comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected by a plurality of edges. Each node in the social graph may represent an entity that can act on another node and/or that can be acted on by another node. The social graph may include various types of nodes. Examples of types of nodes include users, non-person entities, content items, web pages, groups, activities, messages, concepts, and any other things that can be represented by an object in thesocial networking system630. An edge between two nodes in the social graph may represent a particular kind of connection, or association, between the two nodes, which may result from node relationships or from an action that was performed by one of the nodes on the other node. In some cases, the edges between nodes can be weighted. The weight of an edge can represent an attribute associated with the edge, such as a strength of the connection or association between nodes. Different types of edges can be provided with different weights. For example, an edge created when one user “likes” another user may be given one weight, while an edge created when a user befriends another user may be given a different weight.

As an example, when a first user identifies a second user as a friend, an edge in the social graph is generated connecting a node representing the first user and a second node representing the second user. As various nodes relate or interact with each other, thesocial networking system630 modifies edges connecting the various nodes to reflect the relationships and interactions.

Thesocial networking system630 includes aweb server632, anAPI request server634, auser profile store636, aconnection store638, anaction logger640, anactivity log642, and anauthorization server644. In an embodiment of the invention, thesocial networking system630 may include additional, fewer, or different components for various applications. Other components, such as network interfaces, security mechanisms, load balancers, failover servers, management and network operations consoles, and the like are not shown so as to not obscure the details of the system.

Theuser profile store636 maintains information about user accounts, including biographic, demographic, and other types of descriptive information, such as work experience, educational history, hobbies or preferences, location, and the like that has been declared by users or inferred by thesocial networking system630. This information is stored in theuser profile store636 such that each user is uniquely identified. Thesocial networking system630 also stores data describing one or more connections between different users in theconnection store638. The connection information may indicate users who have similar or common work experience, group memberships, hobbies, or educational history. Additionally, thesocial networking system630 includes user-defined connections between different users, allowing users to specify their relationships with other users. For example, user-defined connections allow users to generate relationships with other users that parallel the users' real-life relationships, such as friends, co-workers, partners, and so forth. Users may select from predefined types of connections, or define their own connection types as needed. Connections with other nodes in thesocial networking system630, such as non-person entities, buckets, cluster centers, images, interests, pages, external systems, concepts, and the like are also stored in theconnection store638.

Thesocial networking system630 maintains data about objects with which a user may interact. To maintain this data, theuser profile store636 and theconnection store638 store instances of the corresponding type of objects maintained by thesocial networking system630. Each object type has information fields that are suitable for storing information appropriate to the type of object. For example, theuser profile store636 contains data structures with fields suitable for describing a user's account and information related to a user's account. When a new object of a particular type is created, thesocial networking system630 initializes a new data structure of the corresponding type, assigns a unique object identifier to it, and begins to add data to the object as needed. This might occur, for example, when a user becomes a user of thesocial networking system630, thesocial networking system630 generates a new instance of a user profile in theuser profile store636, assigns a unique identifier to the user account, and begins to populate the fields of the user account with information provided by the user.

Theconnection store638 includes data structures suitable for describing a user's connections to other users, connections toexternal systems620 or connections to other entities. Theconnection store638 may also associate a connection type with a user's connections, which may be used in conjunction with the user's privacy setting to regulate access to information about the user. In an embodiment of the invention, theuser profile store636 and theconnection store638 may be implemented as a federated database.

Data stored in theconnection store638, theuser profile store636, and theactivity log642 enables thesocial networking system630 to generate the social graph that uses nodes to identify various objects and edges connecting nodes to identify relationships between different objects. For example, if a first user establishes a connection with a second user in thesocial networking system630, user accounts of the first user and the second user from theuser profile store636 may act as nodes in the social graph. The connection between the first user and the second user stored by theconnection store638 is an edge between the nodes associated with the first user and the second user. Continuing this example, the second user may then send the first user a message within thesocial networking system630. The action of sending the message, which may be stored, is another edge between the two nodes in the social graph representing the first user and the second user. Additionally, the message itself may be identified and included in the social graph as another node connected to the nodes representing the first user and the second user.

In another example, a first user may tag a second user in an image that is maintained by the social networking system630 (or, alternatively, in an image maintained by another system outside of the social networking system630). The image may itself be represented as a node in thesocial networking system630. This tagging action may create edges between the first user and the second user as well as create an edge between each of the users and the image, which is also a node in the social graph. In yet another example, if a user confirms attending an event, the user and the event are nodes obtained from theuser profile store636, where the attendance of the event is an edge between the nodes that may be retrieved from theactivity log642. By generating and maintaining the social graph, thesocial networking system630 includes data describing many different types of objects and the interactions and connections among those objects, providing a rich source of socially relevant information.

Theweb server632 links thesocial networking system630 to one or more user devices610 and/or one or moreexternal systems620 via thenetwork650. Theweb server632 serves web pages, as well as other web-related content, such as Java, JavaScript, Flash, XML, and so forth. Theweb server632 may include a mail server or other messaging functionality for receiving and routing messages between thesocial networking system630 and one or more user devices610. The messages can be instant messages, queued messages (e.g., email), text and SMS messages, or any other suitable messaging format.

TheAPI request server634 allows one or moreexternal systems620 and user devices610 to call access information from thesocial networking system630 by calling one or more API functions. TheAPI request server634 may also allowexternal systems620 to send information to thesocial networking system630 by calling APIs. Theexternal system620, in one embodiment, sends an API request to thesocial networking system630 via thenetwork650, and theAPI request server634 receives the API request. TheAPI request server634 processes the request by calling an API associated with the API request to generate an appropriate response, which theAPI request server634 communicates to theexternal system620 via thenetwork650. For example, responsive to an API request, theAPI request server634 collects data associated with a user, such as the user's connections that have logged into theexternal system620, and communicates the collected data to theexternal system620. In another embodiment, the user device610 communicates with thesocial networking system630 via APIs in the same manner asexternal systems620.

Additionally, user actions may be associated with concepts and actions that occur within an entity outside of thesocial networking system630, such as anexternal system620 that is separate from thesocial networking system630. For example, theaction logger640 may receive data describing a user's interaction with anexternal system620 from theweb server632. In this example, theexternal system620 reports a user's interaction according to structured actions and objects in the social graph.

Other examples of actions where a user interacts with anexternal system620 include a user expressing an interest in anexternal system620 or another entity, a user posting a comment to thesocial networking system630 that discusses anexternal system620 or aweb page622awithin theexternal system620, a user posting to the social networking system630 a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or other identifier associated with anexternal system620, a user attending an event associated with anexternal system620, or any other action by a user that is related to anexternal system620. Thus, theactivity log642 may include actions describing interactions between a user of thesocial networking system630 and anexternal system620 that is separate from thesocial networking system630.

Theauthorization server644 enforces one or more privacy settings of the users of thesocial networking system630. A privacy setting of a user determines how particular information associated with a user can be shared. The privacy setting comprises the specification of particular information associated with a user and the specification of the entity or entities with whom the information can be shared. Examples of entities with which information can be shared may include other users, applications,external systems620, or any entity that can potentially access the information. The information that can be shared by a user comprises user account information, such as profile photos, phone numbers associated with the user, user's connections, actions taken by the user such as adding a connection, changing user profile information, and the like.

The privacy setting specification may be provided at different levels of granularity. For example, the privacy setting may identify specific information to be shared with other users; the privacy setting identifies a work phone number or a specific set of related information, such as, personal information including profile photo, home phone number, and status. Alternatively, the privacy setting may apply to all the information associated with the user. The specification of the set of entities that can access particular information can also be specified at various levels of granularity. Various sets of entities with which information can be shared may include, for example, all friends of the user, all friends of friends, all applications, or allexternal systems620. One embodiment allows the specification of the set of entities to comprise an enumeration of entities. For example, the user may provide a list ofexternal systems620 that are allowed to access certain information. Another embodiment allows the specification to comprise a set of entities along with exceptions that are not allowed to access the information. For example, a user may allow allexternal systems620 to access the user's work information, but specify a list ofexternal systems620 that are not allowed to access the work information. Certain embodiments call the list of exceptions that are not allowed to access certain information a “block list”.External systems620 belonging to a block list specified by a user are blocked from accessing the information specified in the privacy setting. Various combinations of granularity of specification of information, and granularity of specification of entities, with which information is shared are possible. For example, all personal information may be shared with friends whereas all work information may be shared with friends of friends.

Theauthorization server644 contains logic to determine if certain information associated with a user can be accessed by a user's friends,external systems620, and/or other applications and entities. Theexternal system620 may need authorization from theauthorization server644 to access the user's more private and sensitive information, such as the user's work phone number. Based on the user's privacy settings, theauthorization server644 determines if another user, theexternal system620, an application, or another entity is allowed to access information associated with the user, including information about actions taken by the user.

In some embodiments, thesocial networking system630 can include acontent provider module646. Thecontent provider module646 can, for example, be implemented as thecontent provider module102 ofFIG. 1. In some embodiments, thecontent provider module646, in whole or in part, is also implemented in the user device610. As discussed previously, it should be appreciated that there can be many variations or other possibilities.

Hardware Implementation

The foregoing processes and features can be implemented by a wide variety of machine and computer system architectures and in a wide variety of network and computing environments.FIG. 7 illustrates an example of acomputer system700 that may be used to implement one or more of the embodiments described herein in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Thecomputer system700 includes sets of instructions for causing thecomputer system700 to perform the processes and features discussed herein. Thecomputer system700 may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, thecomputer system700 may operate in the capacity of a server machine or a client machine in a client-server network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. In an embodiment of the invention, thecomputer system700 may be thesocial networking system630, the user device610, and theexternal system720, or a component thereof. In an embodiment of the invention, thecomputer system700 may be one server among many that constitutes all or part of thesocial networking system630.

Thecomputer system700 includes aprocessor702, acache704, and one or more executable modules and drivers, stored on a computer-readable medium, directed to the processes and features described herein. Additionally, thecomputer system700 includes a high performance input/output (I/O)bus706 and a standard I/O bus708. Ahost bridge710

couples processor

702 to high performance I/O bus706, whereas I/O bus bridge712 couples the two

buses

706 and708 to each other. Asystem memory714 and one ormore network interfaces716 couple to high performance I/O bus706. Thecomputer system700 may further include video memory and a display device coupled to the video memory (not shown).Mass storage718 and I/O ports720 couple to the standard I/O bus708. Thecomputer system700 may optionally include a keyboard and pointing device, a display device, or other input/output devices (not shown) coupled to the standard I/O bus708. Collectively, these elements are intended to represent a broad category of computer hardware systems, including but not limited to computer systems based on the x86-compatible processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif., and the x86-compatible processors manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as any other suitable processor.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of thecomputer system700, including the input and output of data to and from software applications (not shown). The operating system provides an interface between the software applications being executed on the system and the hardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may be used, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh Operating System, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIX operating systems, Microsoft® Windows® operating systems, BSD operating systems, and the like. Other implementations are possible.

The elements of thecomputer system700 are described in greater detail below. In particular, thenetwork interface716 provides communication between thecomputer system700 and any of a wide range of networks, such as an Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, etc. Themass storage718 provides permanent storage for the data and programming instructions to perform the above-described processes and features implemented by the respective computing systems identified above, whereas the system memory714 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storage for the data and programming instructions when executed by theprocessor702. The I/O ports720 may be one or more serial and/or parallel communication ports that provide communication between additional peripheral devices, which may be coupled to thecomputer system700.

Thecomputer system700 may include a variety of system architectures, and various components of thecomputer system700 may be rearranged. For example, thecache704 may be on-chip withprocessor702. Alternatively, thecache704 and theprocessor702 may be packed together as a “processor module”, withprocessor702 being referred to as the “processor core”. Furthermore, certain embodiments of the invention may neither require nor include all of the above components. For example, peripheral devices coupled to the standard I/O bus708 may couple to the high performance I/O bus706. In addition, in some embodiments, only a single bus may exist, with the components of thecomputer system700 being coupled to the single bus. Moreover, thecomputer system700 may include additional components, such as additional processors, storage devices, or memories.

In general, the processes and features described herein may be implemented as part of an operating system or a specific application, component, program, object, module, or series of instructions referred to as “programs”. For example, one or more programs may be used to execute specific processes described herein. The programs typically comprise one or more instructions in various memory and storage devices in thecomputer system700 that, when read and executed by one or more processors, cause thecomputer system700 to perform operations to execute the processes and features described herein. The processes and features described herein may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit), or any combination thereof.

In one implementation, the processes and features described herein are implemented as a series of executable modules run by thecomputer system700, individually or collectively in a distributed computing environment. The foregoing modules may be realized by hardware, executable modules stored on a computer-readable medium (or machine-readable medium), or a combination of both. For example, the modules may comprise a plurality or series of instructions to be executed by a processor in a hardware system, such as theprocessor702. Initially, the series of instructions may be stored on a storage device, such as themass storage718. However, the series of instructions can be stored on any suitable computer readable storage medium. Furthermore, the series of instructions need not be stored locally, and could be received from a remote storage device, such as a server on a network, via thenetwork interface716. The instructions are copied from the storage device, such as themass storage718, into thesystem memory714 and then accessed and executed by theprocessor702. In various implementations, a module or modules can be executed by a processor or multiple processors in one or multiple locations, such as multiple servers in a parallel processing environment.

Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory devices; solid state memories; floppy and other removable disks; hard disk drives; magnetic media; optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD ROMS), Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs)); other similar non-transitory (or transitory), tangible (or non-tangible) storage medium; or any type of medium suitable for storing, encoding, or carrying a series of instructions for execution by thecomputer system700 to perform any one or more of the processes and features described herein.

For purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the description. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the disclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, modules, structures, processes, features, and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the description. In other instances, functional block diagrams and flow diagrams are shown to represent data and logic flows. The components of block diagrams and flow diagrams (e.g., modules, blocks, structures, devices, features, etc.) may be variously combined, separated, removed, reordered, and replaced in a manner other than as expressly described and depicted herein.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “other embodiments”, “one series of embodiments”, “some embodiments”, “various embodiments”, or the like means that a particular feature, design, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The appearances of, for example, the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, whether or not there is express reference to an “embodiment” or the like, various features are described, which may be variously combined and included in some embodiments, but also variously omitted in other embodiments. Similarly, various features are described that may be preferences or requirements for some embodiments, but not other embodiments.

The language used herein has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining, by a computing system, a first post published in a feed;

determining, by the computing system, a second post to be merged with the first post into a single post based on similarity of subject matter associated with the first post and the second post; and

causing, by the computing system, the first post and the second post to be merged into the single post.

2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the similarity of subject matter associated with the first post and the second post is determined based on at least one of geographical locations or timestamps associated with the first post and the second post.

3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the subject matter associated with the first post and the second post is determined by a machine learning model trained to determine a probability a content item contains selected subject matter.

4. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the machine learning model is trained based on a training set of content items correlated with a content class, wherein the correlation of the training set of content items with the content class is determined based on contextual cues associated with the training set of content items, and wherein the machine learning model is trained to generate a visual pattern template associated with the content class.

5. The method ofclaim 3, wherein the machine learning model generates sets of content features that correspond to the subject matter associated with the first post and the second post and probabilities the content features are in the first post and the second post, and wherein the similarity of the subject matter associated with the first post and the second post is based on an overlap in the sets of content features.

6. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the computing system, a request for a user confirmation to merge the first post and the second post into the single post; and

causing, by the computing system, the single post to be published in response to the user confirmation.

7. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the computing system, a first option to revert the single post into the first post and the second post;

causing, by the computing system, the single post to be separated into the first post and the second post based on the first option;

providing, by the computing system, a second option to publish the first post or the second post in a new post; and

causing, by the computing system, the first post or the second post to be published as the new post based on the second option.

8. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the computing system, an interface to update the single post with a content item selected by a user; and

causing, by the computing system, the content item to be merged into the single post with the first post and the second post.

9. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the computing system, the single post in a message to a user.

10. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising:

providing, by the computing system, an indication in an interface that the single post is in the process of being published.

11. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

determining a first post published in a feed;

determining a second post to be merged with the first post into a single post based on similarity of subject matter associated with the first post and the second post; and

causing the first post and the second post to be merged into the single post.

12. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the similarity of subject matter associated with the first post and the second post is determined based on at least one of geographical locations or timestamps associated with the first post and the second post.

13. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the subject matter associated with the first post and the second post is determined by a machine learning model trained to determine a probability a content item contains selected subject matter.

14. The system ofclaim 13, wherein the machine learning model is trained based on a training set of content items correlated with a content class, wherein the correlation of the training set of content items with the content class is determined based on contextual cues associated with the training set of content items, and wherein the machine learning model is trained to generate a visual pattern template associated with the content class.

15. The system ofclaim 13, wherein the machine learning model generates sets of content features that correspond to the subject matter associated with the first post and the second post and probabilities the content features are in the first post and the second post, and wherein the similarity of the subject matter associated with the first post and the second post is based on an overlap in the sets of content features.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by at least on processor of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

determining a first post published in a feed;

causing the first post and the second post to be merged into the single post.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 16, wherein the similarity of subject matter associated with the first post and the second post is determined based on at least one of geographical locations or timestamps associated with the first post and the second post.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 16, wherein the subject matter associated with the first post and the second post is determined by a machine learning model trained to determine a probability a content item contains selected subject matter.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 18, wherein the machine learning model is trained based on a training set of content items correlated with a content class, wherein the correlation of the training set of content items with the content class is determined based on contextual cues associated with the training set of content items, and wherein the machine learning model is trained to generate a visual pattern template associated with the content class.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 16, wherein the machine learning model generates sets of content features that correspond to the subject matter associated with the first post and the second post and probabilities the content features are in the first post and the second post, and wherein the similarity of the subject matter associated with the first post and the second post is based on an overlap in the sets of content features.