Method and apparatus for processing messages in a social network

Abstract

In one embodiment, the present invention is a method and apparatus for knowledge generation and deployment in a distributed network. In one embodiment, a method for processing messages in a social network includes receiving a new message from a first node in the network, the new message including a query, providing the first node with an answer to the query, if the answer is located in a repository, and initiating generation of the answer, if the answer is not located in the repository.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for routing messages to nodes of a computerized social network, the method performed by a computing device, the method comprising:
 computing an expertise measure for a node by comparing a local topic model of the node to a global topic set of the network, wherein the local topic model is derived from local content related to the node, and the global topic set is inferred from local topic models of a plurality of nodes of the network;   creating a profile for the node, the profile comprising a set of parameters including the expertise measure; and   determining to route a message to the node based on the profile.