System and method of creating unique profiles on a social networking site

Abstract

A social networking system enables users to join multiple user groups and create separate profiles for each group they join on the site. Each profile has a default set of user fields and a set of customized, administrator-created fields. Members of a group may create a profile when joining a particular group and may create the profile using a custom profile template generated for each group. Thus, if the same user joins a second group, they can create a new profile for the second group based on a profile template that is unique to the second group. The system may use information from the first profile to auto-populate the second profile if the second profile includes one or more of the same fields as the first profile. However, users may be able to edit the auto-populated information in the second profile to make it more specific to the second group.

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 forming, by at least one processor, a first group on a social networking site that allows users of the social networking site to join the first group;   enabling, by the at least one processor, the creation of a first member profile template that is unique to the first group;   forming, by at least one processor, a second group that allows users of the social media site to join the second group; and   enabling the creation of a second member profile template that is unique to the second group;   in response to a user joining the first group, enabling the creation of a first profile based on the first member profile template; and   in response to the user joining the second group, enabling the creation of a second profile based on the second member profile template,   wherein the first profile differs from the second profile.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein
 the first member profile template comprises a first group of fields that are unique to the first group, and   the second member profile template comprises a second group of fields that are unique to the second group.   
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein the first group of fields further comprises:
 at least one default field that is common to both the first member profile template and the second member profile template, and   a plurality of custom fields that is unique to the first group.   
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one default field is a name field. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one default field is an e-mail address field. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein the custom fields for the first member profile template are user-defined and created when the first user forms the first group. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one default field is automatically populated based on information a user enters when joining the social networking site. 
     
     
         8 . A computer system comprising at least one processor configured to:
 form a first group on a social networking site that allows users of the social networking site to join the first group;   enable the creation of a first member profile template that is unique to the first group;   form a second group that allows users of the social media site to join the second group; and   enable the creation of a second member profile template that is unique to the second group;   in response to a user joining the first group, enable the creation of a first profile based on the first member profile template; and   in response to the user joining the second group, enable the creation of a second profile based on the second member profile template,   wherein the first profile differs from the second profile.   
     
     
         9 . The computer system of  claim 8 , wherein the first set of profile information and the second set of profile information contain common data. 
     
     
         10 . The computer system of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to allow the user to maintain a plurality of group profiles, each group profile based on a respective group profile template, wherein each of the plurality of group profiles contains information that is unique to its respective group. 
     
     
         11 . The computer system of  claim 8 , wherein the first group profile contains a plurality of common fields and a plurality of custom fields that is unique to the first group. 
     
     
         12 . The computer system of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor being further configured to allow an administrator of the group to create a member profile template when the administrator creates the group on the social networking site. 
     
     
         13 . The computer system of  claim 8 , wherein all members of the first group complete the same first group profile template. 
     
     
         14 . A computer system comprising at least one processor configured to:
 receive, from a user, a first set of information from a first profile template for use in establishing a first profile for the user within a context of a first user group on a social networking site;   receive, from the user, a second set of information from a second profile template for use in establishing a second profile for the user within the context of a second user group on the social networking site;   enable the creation of a first profile for the user based on the first set of information; and   enable the creation of a second profile for the user based on the second set of information; and   at a particular time:
 use the first profile for the user within the context of the first user group; and 
 use the second profile for the user within the context of the second user group. 
   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the first profile contains different information from the second profile. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein receiving the first set of information comprises receiving the completed first member profile template from the user when the user joins the first group, and the step of receiving the second set of information comprises receiving the completed second member profile template from user when the user joins the second group. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the first member profile template comprises a set of default fields and a first set of custom fields that are unique to the first group; and   the second member profile template comprises the set of default fields and a second set of custom fields that are unique to the second group.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein:
 the first user group further comprises a first set of users of the social networking site,   the second user group further comprises a second set of users of the social networking site, and   at least one user of the first set of users is not a member of the second set of users.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to allow a user to change the information associated with the set of default fields. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein that at least one processor is further configured to require that all members of the first group complete the same first group profile template.