Method and system for providing notifications

Abstract

A computer-based method is provided for selectively providing notifications based on social relevance to a user. The notification is first parsed to determine a sender, a proposed recipient, and at least one topic addressed in the notification. The parsed notification is then evaluated against a social graph of the proposed recipient. A relevance score is assessed based on linkages traversed in the social graph to a predetermined degree of separation from the proposed recipient. The score is increased for linkages that match or relate to the at least one topic. The notification is released to the proposed recipient if the relevance score exceeds a predetermined threshold.

1 . A method of selectively providing notifications based on social relevance to a user, comprising using a programmed computer to automatically carry out each of the following steps:
 parsing a notification to determine a sender, a proposed recipient, and at least one topic addressed in the notification;   evaluating the parsed notification against a social graph of the proposed recipient and assessing a relevance score based on linkages traversed in the social graph to a predetermined degree of separation from the proposed recipient, the score being increased for linkages that match or relate to the at least one topic; and   if the relevance score exceeds a predetermined threshold, releasing the notification to the proposed recipient.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising releasing the notification to at least one friend or neighbor of the proposed recipient, where the friend or neighbor is linked with the proposed recipient in the proposed recipient's social graph. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one friend or neighbor is selected based on degree of closeness to the proposed recipient as determined from the social graph. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein linkages are assessed using keyword matching. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein linkages are assessed using fuzzy logic. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining prior to evaluating the notification whether the notification is a public or private notification for the proposed recipient, and proceeding with the remaining method steps only if the notification is public. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein if the notification is private, releasing the notification directly to the proposed recipient without evaluating the notification against the social graph. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising discarding the notification if the relevance score does not exceed the threshold. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising holding the notification for further instructions or consent to release if the relevance score does not exceed the threshold. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the relevance score further includes a weighting of the relevance of the topic to at least one friend or neighbor of the proposed recipient in the proposed recipient's social graph. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the social graph is hosted by a social networking site. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the social graph is queried using a social graph API of the social networking site. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the linkages in the social graph are based on activities or settings related to the proposed recipient on the social networking site. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the linkages in the social graph are based on activities or settings related to the proposed recipient at other sites linked to or accessible via the social networking site. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the social graph is traversed to a distance of at least two degrees of separation from the proposed recipient. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the relevance score is increased to a greater extent for linkages with greater connectedness to the proposed recipient. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the relevance score is increased to a greater extent for linkages more proximate to the proposed recipient. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the relevance score takes into account the directionality of linkages. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the relevance score takes into account the recency of linkages. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the relevance score is increased to a greater extent for more recent linkages. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining prior to evaluating the notification whether the sender is on a black-list set by the proposed recipient, and proceeding with the remaining steps only if the sender if not on the black-list. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining prior to evaluating the notification whether the sender is on a white-list set by the proposed recipient, and if so, releasing the notification directly to the proposed recipient without evaluating the notification against the social graph.