Content sharing interface for sharing content in social networks

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for presenting, within a web page, a graphical representation of a content sharing interface including at least one button icon, receiving user input to the button icon, in response to the user input, expanding the content sharing interface to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface, the expanded content input area displaying a graphical representation of digital content that is to be distributed, receiving user input to the distribution interface, the user input indicating contact(s) to which the digital content is to be distributed, in response to receiving the user input, displaying icon(s) within the distribution interface, the icon(s) being a graphical representation of the contact(s), and transmitting a post data set including digital content data and distribution data to a server computing system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 .- 23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . A method, comprising:
 providing a graphical representation of a content sharing interface of a social networking service for display within a web page that is external to the social networking service, the content sharing interface including an user-selectable interface element;   receiving a user selection of the user-selectable interface element; and   in response to the user selection, i) identifying a graphical representation of digital content of the web page, and ii) populating a content input area of the content sharing interface with the graphical representation of the digital content of the web page.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein user selection of the user-selectable interface element indicates that the digital content of the web page is to be distributed using the social networking service. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , the method further comprising:
 in response to the user selection, expanding the content sharing interface within the web page to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising:
 receiving first user input to the distribution interface, the first user input indicating one or more contacts to which the digital content of the web page is to be distributed;   in response to receiving the first user input, displaying one or more icons within the distribution interface, each icon of the one or more icons being a graphical representation of the one or more contacts;   receiving second user input to the content sharing interface, the second user input comprising a user instruction to distribute the digital content of the web page; and   in response to the second user input, transmitting a post data set, the post data set comprising digital content data and distribution data.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein an icon of the one or more icons corresponds to a social circle of the user within the social networking service, the social circle defining a subset of the one or more contacts. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein an icon of the one or more icons corresponds to an additional social networking service that the user participates in. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein an icon of the one or more icons corresponds to at least one contact that is to receive the digital content via email. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein populating further comprises populating the expanded content input area with a summary of the digital content of the web page within the expanded content input area. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising displaying one or more digital content selection icons within the expanded content selection area. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , further comprising:
 receiving third user input, the third user input indicating a selection of an icon of the one or more digital content selection icons; and   in response to receiving the third user input, displaying a digital content selection interface through which a user can select additional digital content for distribution.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the one or more digital content selection icons are displayed in the content sharing interface prior to receiving the user selection. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising:
 receiving third user input, the third user input indicating a hover action over the user-selectable interface element; and   in response to the third user input, displaying a dialog box, the dialog box displaying data corresponding to contacts that have shared the digital content.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the user-selectable interface element includes a button icon. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the web page comprises a search results page and the user-selectable interface element is associated with a search result displayed within the web page. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the web page comprises a mapping service web page and the digital content comprises a map. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the post data set further comprises map data comprising scroll data and zoom data corresponding to a map view of the map, the scroll data and the zoom data being usable by the mapping service web page to replicate the map view. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the web page comprises a web page of a website that is external to a domain of the social networking service. 
     
     
         41 . A system comprising:
 one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
 providing a graphical representation of a content sharing interface of a social networking service for display within a web page that is external to the social networking service, the content sharing interface including an user-selectable interface element; 
 receiving a user selection of the user-selectable interface element; and 
 in response to the user selection, i) identifying a graphical representation of digital content of the web page, and ii) populating a content input area of the content sharing interface with the graphical representation of the digital content of the web page. 
   
     
     
         42 . A computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
 providing a graphical representation of a content sharing interface of a social networking service for display within a web page that is external to the social networking service, the content sharing interface including an user-selectable interface element;   receiving a user selection of the user-selectable interface element; and   in response to the user selection, i) identifying a graphical representation of digital content of the web page, and ii) populating a content input area of the content sharing interface with the graphical representation of the digital content of the web page.