System for targeting third party content to users based on social networks

Abstract

A method and system of providing Internet content to a user utilizing social networks is disclosed. The method comprises providing Internet usage data for a plurality of users, determining which users belong to the same social network, and providing at least one of the users access to Internet usage data for those other users who are in the same social network.

1 - 5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . A method of providing Internet content for or communicating with a user, the method comprising:
 providing at least one user access to Internet usage data;   enabling the at least one user and/or system to share communications regarding Internet content based on at least one of the following factors:
 group membership; 
 hometown; 
 interests; 
 school attended; 
 workplace; 
 current home location; 
 location; 
 affiliations; 
 communications; 
 user profile data; 
 social network data; 
 webpages visited; 
 content viewed and/or created; 
 friends; 
 friends of friends; 
 degree of connection between the users; 
 number of visits to a particular webpage by a user and/or other users who share at least one connection; 
 type of content; 
 the content of the file; 
 user views; 
 user comments; 
 user activities; 
 purchases; 
 votes; 
 ratings; 
 time a user spent on a site; 
 click order; 
 page enter/exit; 
 number of visits; 
 browser type; 
 screen resolution; 
 language; 
 operating system; 
 products/services put in shopping cart; 
 products/services purchased; 
 prices paid; 
 user activities feeds; 
 data shared by partner websites with the system about the users; 
 ISPs usage data; 
 user data shared by advertising networks; 
 response time to past communications; 
 how the user receiving the communication is connected to the user sharing the communication; 
 a number of communications the recipient has received and/or shared; 
 a number of communications the user and/or system sharing has received and/or shared; 
 the identity of a webmaster of a website on which the Internet content is available; 
 the identity of a person who created the Internet content; 
 the identity of a person who created other content on the same webpage and/or website on which the Internet content is available; 
 social network user profiles; 
 social network user profile data of other users; 
 a number of visits by one user to the other user's profile; 
 a number of communications shared from one user to the other user; 
 a number of responses from one user based on communications from the other user; 
 a number of connections existing between the users; 
 an e-mail; 
 a text message; 
 a hyperlink to the Internet content; 
 a message shared via an RSS feed; 
 a notification shared via an automated notification service; 
 an embedded object in a webpage including at least a portion of the Internet content; 
 a message; 
 an instant message; 
 a question; 
 an answer; 
 a comment; 
 a post; 
 an event; 
 an image; 
   searches; and   period of time.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one user can specifically list websites with which the user's name may be affiliated. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising presenting a set of links in response to a keyword search wherein the links are determined to be relevant based on the user's Internet usage data or a user's social networks user profile data. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein Internet usage data and/or likelihood of recipient interest is weighted by the strength of the connection. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the content is further automatically filtered at least in part based on the self-defined interests and/or interests identified based on Internet usage data of a user and/or the user's connections. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising determining the likelihood of recipient interest. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the likelihood of user interest is at least partially based on the Internet usage data for a user and/or for other users sharing at least one connection with the user. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein determining the likelihood of user response and/or strength of the connection includes calculating a metric. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the content and/or communication is shared anonymously. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the step of providing at least one of the users access to Internet usage data comprises, presenting a set of links based on aggregate numbers, including prioritizing, organizing, and/or filtering by one or more of user purchases, user views, user comments, user activities, user votes, and/or user ratings. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein providing at least one user access to Internet usage data includes providing the at least one user access to Internet usage data for at least one other user who shares at least one connection. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein determining which users share at least one connection. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein providing Internet usage data for a plurality of users. 
     
     
         19 . A method of providing Internet content for or communicating with a user, the method comprising:
 providing at least one user access to Internet usage data;   wherein recording and reporting of at least one website visited by the at least one user;   wherein the at least one user can specifically list websites with which the user's name may be affiliated.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the at least one piece of content and/or communication is shared anonymously. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the step of providing the at least one user access to Internet usage data comprises presenting at least one link anonymously without displaying the user's name or information. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the step of providing Internet usage data includes automatic recording and reporting of websites visited by the plurality of users. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein enabling the at least one user and/or system to share communications regarding Internet content based on at least one of the following factors:
 group membership;   hometown;   interests;   school attended;   workplace;   current home location;   location;   affiliations;   communications;   user profile data;   social network data;   webpages visited;   content viewed and/or created;   friends;   friends of friends;   degree of connection between the users;   number of visits to a particular webpage by a user and/or other users who share at least one connection;   type of content;   the content of the file;   user views;   user comments;   user activities;   purchases;   votes;   ratings;   time a user spent on a site;   click order;   page enter/exit;   number of visits;   browser type;   screen resolution;   language;   operating system;   products/services put in shopping cart;   products/services purchased;   prices paid;   user activities feeds;   data shared by partner websites with the system about the users;   ISPs usage data;   user data shared by advertising networks;   response time to past communications;   how the user receiving the communication is connected to the user sharing the communication;   a number of communications the recipient has received and/or shared;   a number of communications the user and/or system sharing has received and/or shared;   the identity of a webmaster of a website on which the Internet content is available;   the identity of a person who created the Internet content;   the identity of a person who created other content on the same webpage and/or website on which the Internet content is available;   social network user profiles;   social network user profile data of other users;   a number of visits by one user to the other user's profile;   a number of communications shared from one user to the other user;   a number of responses from one user based on communications from the other user;   a number of connections existing between the users;   an e-mail;   a text message;   a hyperlink to the Internet content;   a message shared via an RSS feed;   a notification shared via an automated notification service;   an embedded object in a webpage including at least a portion of the Internet content;   a message;   an instant message;   a question;   an answer;   a comment;   a post;   an event;   an image;   searches; and   period of time.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising presenting a set of links in response to a keyword search wherein the links are determined to be relevant based on the user's Internet usage data or a user's social networks user profile data. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein Internet usage data and/or likelihood of recipient interest is weighted by the strength of the connection. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the content is further automatically filtered at least in part based on the self-defined interests and/or interests identified based on Internet usage data of a user and/or the user's connections. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising determining the likelihood of recipient interest. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the likelihood of user interest is at least partially based on the Internet usage data for a user and/or for other users sharing at least one connection with the user. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising prioritizing, organizing, and/or filtering communications and/or content shared by the at least one user and/or system to the other user based on the likelihood of recipient interest. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the Internet usage data and/or factor for likelihood of recipient interest is weighted by the strength of the connection. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein providing at least one user access to Internet usage data includes providing the at least one user access to Internet usage data for at least one other user who shares at least one connection. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein determining which users share at least one connection. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein providing Internet usage data for a plurality of users. 
     
     
         34 . A method of providing Internet content for or communicating with a user, the method comprising:
 providing at least one user access to Internet usage data;   enabling at least one user and/or system to share communications regarding Internet content with at least one other user based on their at least one user's Internet usage data;
 wherein at least a portion of the communications that would be normally shared are not shared based on privacy settings selected by a user and/or system; 
 wherein at least one factor used in filtering the Internet usage data is selected from the group consisting of the following:
 response time to past communications; 
 how the user receiving the communication is connected to the user sharing the communication; 
 
 a communication topic, or one or more communication topics that garnered a response in the past; 
 a number of communications the recipient has received and/or shared; 
 a number of communications the user and/or system sharing has received and/or shared;
 Internet usage data of a user and/or possible recipients to identify users with topic area interest and/or expertise; 
 the identity of a webmaster of a website on which the Internet content is available; 
 the identity of a person who created the Internet content; 
 the identity of a person who created other content on the same webpage and/or website on which the Internet content is available; 
 the strength of the connection; 
 interest; 
 interests; 
 social network user profile; 
 social network user profile data of one or more other users; 
 a number of user comments, user activities, user votes, and/or user ratings; 
 a number of visits to a particular webpage by a user and/or other users who share at least one connection; 
 at least one piece of Internet usage data; 
 a degree of separation of the users in a social network; 
 a number of visits by one user to the other user's profile; 
 a number of communications shared from one user to the other user; 
 a number of responses from one user based on communications from the other user; 
 a number of connections existing between the users; 
 a number of similar interests between the users; 
 how a user is connected to one or more of the other users; or 
 likelihood of user and/or recipient interest. 
 
   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the communication is throttled. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the communication is shared with users who share at least one connection until a response to the communication is received. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the communication is shared until all users who share at least one connection have received the communication. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the at least one user can specifically list websites with which the user's name may be affiliated. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising presenting a set of links in response to a keyword search wherein the links are determined to be relevant based on the user's Internet usage data or a user's social networks user profile data. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein a set of links may be presented in response to a keyword search that is organized in any way that Internet usage data or user profile data can be sorted. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising enabling the at least one user and/or system to share communications regarding Internet content based on at least one of the following factors:
 group membership;   hometown;   interests;   school attended;   workplace;   current home location;   location;   affiliations;   communications;   user profile data;   social network data;   webpages visited;   content viewed and/or created;   friends;   friends of friends;   degree of connection between the users;   number of visits to a particular webpage by a user and/or other users who share at least one connection;   type of content;   the content of the file;   user views;   user comments;   user activities;   purchases;   votes;   ratings;   time a user spent on a site;   click order;   page enter/exit;   number of visits;   browser type;   screen resolution;   language;   operating system;   products/services put in shopping cart;   products/services purchased;   prices paid;   user activities feeds;   data shared by partner websites with the system about the users;   ISPs usage data;   user data shared by advertising networks;   response time to past communications;   how the user receiving the communication is connected to the user sharing the communication;   a number of communications the recipient has received and/or shared;   a number of communications the user and/or system sharing has received and/or shared;   the identity of a webmaster of a website on which the Internet content is available;   the identity of a person who created the Internet content;   the identity of a person who created other content on the same webpage and/or website on which the Internet content is available;   social network user profiles;   social network user profile data of other users;   a number of visits by one user to the other user's profile;   a number of communications shared from one user to the other user;   a number of responses from one user based on communications from the other user;   a number of connections existing between the users;   an e-mail;   a text message;   a hyperlink to the Internet content;   a message shared via an RSS feed;   a notification shared via an automated notification service;   an embedded object in a webpage including at least a portion of the Internet content;   a message;   an instant message;   a question;   an answer;   a comment;   a post;   an event;   an image;   searches; and   period of time.   
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the Internet usage data and/or factor for likelihood of recipient interest is weighted by the strength of the connection. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein providing at least one user access to Internet usage data includes providing the at least one user access to Internet usage data for at least one other user who shares at least one connection. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein determining which users share at least one connection. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein providing Internet usage data for a plurality of users. 
     
     
         46 . A method of providing Internet content for or communicating with a user, the method comprising:
 enabling the at least one user and/or system to share communications regarding Internet content with at least one other user based on their at least one user's Internet usage data;
 wherein any content is automatically ranked, prioritized, organized, and/or filtered based on at least one of the following factors of a user and/or the user's connections: 
 group membership; 
 hometown; 
 interests; 
 school attended; 
 workplace; 
 current home location; 
 location; 
 affiliations; 
 communications; 
 user profile data; 
 social network data; 
 webpages visited; 
 content viewed and/or created; 
 friends; 
 friends of friends; 
 degree of connection between the users; 
 number of visits to a particular webpage by a user and/or other users who share at least one connection; 
 type of content; 
 the content of the file; 
 user views; 
 user comments; 
 user activities; 
 purchases; 
 votes; 
 ratings; 
 time a user spent on a site; 
 click order; 
 page enter/exit; 
 number of visits; 
 browser type; 
 screen resolution; 
 language; 
 operating system; 
 products/services put in shopping cart; 
 products/services purchased; 
 prices paid; 
 user activities feeds; 
 data shared by partner websites with the system about the users; 
 ISPs usage data; 
 user data shared by advertising networks; 
 response time to past communications; 
 how the user receiving the communication is connected to the user sharing the communication; 
 a number of communications the recipient has received and/or shared; 
 a number of communications the user and/or system sharing has received and/or shared; 
 the identity of a webmaster of a website on which the Internet content is available; 
 the identity of a person who created the Internet content; 
 the identity of a person who created other content on the same webpage and/or website on which the Internet content is available; 
 social network user profiles; 
 social network user profile data of other users; 
 a number of visits by one user to the other user's profile; 
 a number of communications shared from one user to the other user; 
 a number of responses from one user based on communications from the other user; 
 a number of connections existing between the users; 
 an e-mail; 
 a text message; 
 a hyperlink to the Internet content; 
 a message shared via an RSS feed; 
 a notification shared via an automated notification service; 
 an embedded object in a webpage including at least a portion of the Internet content; 
 a message; 
 an instant message; 
 a question; 
 an answer; 
 a comment; 
 a post; 
 an event; 
 an image; 
 searches; and 
 period of time. 
   
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the at least one user can specifically list websites with which the user's name may be affiliated. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 46 , further comprising presenting a set of links in response to a keyword search wherein the links are determined to be relevant based on the user's Internet usage data or a user's social networks user profile data. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein at least a portion of the communications that would be normally shared are not shared based on privacy settings selected by a user and/or system. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 46 , further comprising filtering the Internet usage data such that data of a user that can be connected to the user based on Internet usage data and/or user profile data is not presented. 
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein providing at least one user access to Internet usage data. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 46 , further comprising determining the likelihood of recipient interest. 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the likelihood of user interest is at least partially based on the Internet usage data for a user and/or for other users sharing at least one connection with the user. 
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 46 , further comprising prioritizing, organizing, and/or filtering communications and/or content shared by the at least one user and/or system to the other user based on the likelihood of recipient interest. 
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the Internet usage data and/or factor for likelihood of recipient interest is weighted by the strength of the connection. 
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the likelihood of recipient interest is determined based on factors including at least one of the following:
 response time to past communications;   how the user receiving the communication is connected to the user sharing the communication;   a communication topic, or one or more communication topics that garnered a response in the past;   a number of communications the recipient has received and/or shared;   a number of communications the user and/or system sharing has received and/or shared;   Internet usage data of a user and/or possible recipients to identify users with topic area interest and/or expertise;   the identity of a webmaster of a website on which the Internet content is available;   the identity of a person who created the Internet content;   the identity of a person who created other content on the same webpage and/or website on which the Internet content is available;   the strength of the connection;   interests;   social network user profiles;   social network user profile data of other users;   a number of user comments, user activities, user votes, and/or user ratings;   a number of visits to a particular webpage by a user and/or other users who share at least one connection;   or at least one piece of Internet usage data.   
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein determining the likelihood of user response and/or strength of the connection includes calculating a metric. 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the content and/or communication is shared anonymously. 
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 46 , wherein the step of providing at least one of the users access to Internet usage data comprises, presenting a set of links based on aggregate numbers, including prioritizing, organizing, and/or filtering by one or more of user purchases, user views, user comments, user activities, user votes, and/or user ratings. 
     
     
         60 . A method of automatically providing Internet content for or communicating with a user, the method comprising:
 providing at least one user access to Internet usage data;   providing Internet search results to at least one user based on user input based on at least one of the following factors:   group membership;   hometown;   interests;   school attended;   workplace;   current home location;   location;   affiliations;   communications;   user profile data;   social network data;   webpages visited;   content viewed and/or created;   friends;   friends of friends;   degree of connection between the users;   number of visits to a particular webpage by a user and/or other users who share at least one connection;   type of content;   the content of the file;   user views;   user comments;   user activities;   purchases;   votes;   ratings;   time a user spent on a site;   click order;   page enter/exit;   number of visits;   browser type;   screen resolution;   language;   operating system;   products/services put in shopping cart;   products/services purchased;   prices paid;   user activities feeds;   data shared by partner websites with the system about the users;   ISPs usage data;   user data shared by advertising networks;   response time to past communications;   how the user receiving the communication is connected to the user sharing the communication;   a number of communications the recipient has received and/or shared;   a number of communications the user and/or system sharing has received and/or shared;   the identity of a webmaster of a website on which the Internet content is available;   the identity of a person who created the Internet content;   the identity of a person who created other content on the same webpage and/or website on which the Internet content is available;   social network user profiles;   social network user profile data of other users;   a number of visits by one user to the other user's profile;   a number of communications shared from one user to the other user;   a number of responses from one user based on communications from the other user;   a number of connections existing between the users;   an e-mail;   a text message;   a hyperlink to the Internet content;   a message shared via an RSS feed;   a notification shared via an automated notification service;   an embedded object in a webpage including at least a portion of the Internet content;   a message;   an instant message;   a question;   an answer;   a comment;   a post;   an event;   an image;   searches; and   period of time.   
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 60 , further comprising enabling the at least one user and/or system to share communications regarding Internet content. 
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 60 , further comprising enabling the at least one user and/or system to share communications regarding Internet content with at least one other user based on their at least one user's Internet usage data. 
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein search results are influenced based on webpages visited by users by using Internet usage data and other data collected to determine which results are most relevant. 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein search results are influenced based on webpages visited by users who share at least one connection by using Internet usage data and other data collected to determine which results are most relevant. 
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein the likelihood of user interest is at least partially based on the number of visits to a particular search result by a user. 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 65 , wherein the number of visits by another connected user is weighted according to the strength of the connection. 
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein a likelihood of user interest is at least partially based on the number of visits to a particular search result by a user and the number of visits by another connected user is weighted according to the strength of the connection. 
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein a likelihood of user interest is at least partially based on the number of visits to a particular search result by a user and/or other users who share at least one connection and the number of visits by another connected user is weighted according to the strength of the connection. 
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 60 , further comprising determining the likelihood of recipient interest. 
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein the likelihood of user interest is at least partially based on the Internet usage data for a user and/or for other users sharing at least one connection with the user. 
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 60 , further comprising prioritizing, organizing, and/or filtering communications and/or content shared by the at least one user and/or system to the other user based on the likelihood of recipient interest. 
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein the Internet usage data and/or factor for likelihood of recipient interest is weighted by the strength of the connection. 
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein providing at least one user access to Internet usage data includes providing the at least one user access to Internet usage data for at least one other user who shares at least one connection. 
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein determining which users share at least one connection. 
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 60 , wherein providing Internet usage data for a plurality of users.