Common Interests Affiliation Network Architecture

Abstract

A common interest affiliation network architecture is described. The architecture may provide a collection of electronic content (e.g., casual games). The architecture may also provide a module to accept inputs from a user to create a profile describing the user's interaction with one or more of the casual games and share the profile with another said user.

1 . A method comprising:
 providing a collection of casual games that are playable or downloadable over a network; and   providing a module to accept inputs from a user to create a profile describing the user's interaction with one or more of the casual games and share the profile with another said user.   
   
   
       2 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the collection and the module are accessible via a web site. 
   
   
       3 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the collection includes between approximately fifty and approximately one thousand said casual games. 
   
   
       4 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the games is available for trial or purchase via a web browser. 
   
   
       5 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the profile includes a rating for a respective said casual game. 
   
   
       6 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the profile includes a textual review for a respective said casual game. 
   
   
       7 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the module is to automatically update the profile as the user continues to interact with the casual games. 
   
   
       8 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the module is to provide an invitation to be sent by the other said user to the user to share the user's profile. 
   
   
       9 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the profile references a profile of at least one other said user, the profile of the at least one other said user being accessible through the shared profile of the user. 
   
   
       10 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the module is to recommend at least one of the casual games, with which, the user has not interacted based on the profile. 
   
   
       11 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the module is to recommend at least one of the casual games, with which, the other said user has not interacted based on a profile of the other said user and the shared profile. 
   
   
       12 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the module is to output a webpage having one or more statistics that describe the interaction. 
   
   
       13 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the module is to make a plurality of said profiles searchable. 
   
   
       14 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the module is to determine whether the user has surpassed one or more thresholds, each of which define a relative number of other said users that share the profile. 
   
   
       15 . A method as recited in  claim 14 , wherein the module is to provide a incentive to the user for surpassing at least one said threshold. 
   
   
       16 . A method as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the incentive is a virtual incentive that modifies the user's interaction with the casual game system. 
   
   
       17 . A method as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the incentive is a monetary incentive that is redeemable, at least in part, toward purchase of one or more said casual games. 
   
   
       18 . One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer to output a user interface to:
 create a profile referencing a plurality of users that having interacted with a collection having between approximately fifty and approximately one thousand items of electronic content, wherein each said referenced user has a respective said profile that describes the referenced user's interaction with the electronic content; and   suggest one of more items of the electronic content based on the profiles of the referenced said users.   
   
   
       19 . One or more computer readable media as described in  claim 18 , wherein the suggestion of the one or more items includes at least one said item, with which, a user that corresponds to the created profile has not interacted. 
   
   
       20 . One or more computer readable media as described in  claim 18 , wherein the suggestion is based on at least one profile referenced in the profile of a referenced said user. 
   
   
       21 . One or more computer readable media as described in  claim 18 , wherein at least one of the respective said profiles of the referenced said users includes a rating for a respective said item. 
   
   
       22 . One or more computer readable media as described in  claim 18 , wherein at least one said item of electronic content is a casual game, a ring tone or a computer-readable medium having instructions that are executable on a computer. 
   
   
       23 . A casual game system comprising:
 one or more casual games that are accessible via a website; and   a module to associate a first profile that describes a first user's interaction with the one or more casual games with a second profile and provide one or more incentives to the first user to create the first profile.   
   
   
       24 . A casual game system as recited in  claim 23 , wherein the module is to enable the first user to search a plurality of said profiles. 
   
   
       25 . A casual game system as recited in  claim 23 , wherein the module is to enable the second user to search one or more profiles referenced in the first profile of the first user. 
   
   
       26 . A casual game system as recited in  claim 23 , wherein the module is to form an invitation to invite the first user associated with the first profile to associate the second user with the first profile. 
   
   
       27 . A casual game system as recited in  claim 23 , wherein the module is to recommend at least one of the casual games to the second user based at least in part on the first profile. 
   
   
       28 . A casual game system as recited in  claim 23 , wherein the module is to accept manually entered data from the first user to modify the first profile. 
   
   
       29 . A casual game system as recited in  claim 23 , further comprising a plurality of servers, each having a processor and memory configured to maintain instructions that are executable on the respective processor to provide the one or more casual games and the module.