Systems and methods to present messages in location-based social networking communities

Abstract

Systems and methods to let users connect authentically with new people anywhere nearby in homes, offices, classrooms, dorms, bars, etc., where the users can be who they really are, and also say what they want without fear, using periodic anonymized posting of expiring content from an otherwise attributed user profile. Users put out a broadcast message and get back personal communications. A one-to-many message from a user results in a one-to-one private communication, which feature may be referred to as “social to personal”.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method implemented on a mobile computing device, the method comprising:
 authenticating, by the mobile computing device, a user of a mobile application that is running in the mobile computing device under a first user profile;   presenting, via the mobile application, a user interface to compose a message, the user interface including:
 an option selectable to identify whether the message is to be posted under an anonymous profile or the first user profile; 
 an interface element to specify a range from a post location at which the mobile computing device posts the message in a computerized social network that connects mobile devices that run the mobile application under different user profiles; and 
 an interface element to specify a time duration from a post time instant at which the mobile computing device posts the message in the computerized social network; 
   wherein the message is presented in the computerized social network according to the range and the time duration, by:
 presenting, via the mobile application, the message to mobile devices that are currently running the mobile application at current locations that are within the range from the post location, but not to mobile devices that are running the mobile application at current locations that are outside of the range from the post location; 
 tracking a count of likes and a count of dislikes of the message from mobile devices that have received the message; 
 automatically adjusting the time duration based on the count of likes and the count of dislikes; and 
 deleting the message from the computerized social network upon expiration of the time duration from the post time instant. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the time duration from the post time instant is increased according to a function of the count of likes. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the time duration from the post time instant is decreased according to a function of the count of dislikes. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the message is presented in the computerized social network according to the range and the time duration, further by:
 automatically adjusting the range from the post location according to the count of likes and the count of dislikes.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the range from the post location is increased according to a function of the count of likes. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the range from the post location is decreased according to a function of the count of dislikes. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, as the post location, a geographical location of the mobile computing device at the post time instant.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein when the mobile computing device fails to determine a geographical location of the mobile computing device at the post time instant, a center of a community of users in which community the user is based is identified as the post location. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein when the mobile computing device fails to determine a geographical location of the mobile computing device at the post time instant, a home location of the user is identified as the post location. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein when the mobile computing device fails to determine a geographical location of the mobile computing device at the post time instant, a cell tower location is identified as the post location. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user interface further includes an interface element for specifying an audience filter based on a social networking relation between the user and an audience in the computerized social network. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user interface further includes an interface element for specifying an audience filter based on gender of an audience in the computerized social network. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user interface further includes an interface element for specifying an audience filter based on age of an audience in the computerized social network. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, via the mobile application, messages posted by users in a social networking system, the messages including messages posted anonymously and non-anonymously; and   presenting, via the mobile application, the messages, wherein each respective message presented in the mobile application includes:
 a like button selectable to increase a count of likes of the respective message; 
 a dislike button selectable to increase a count of dislikes of the respective message; and 
 an icon identifying the count of likes of the respective message. 
   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein:
 when the respective message is authored by the user, the icon is selectable to show a list of users who provided the likes of the respective message; and   when the respective message is not authored by the user, the icon is deactivated to prevent presentation of the list of users who provided the likes of the respective message.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the respective message presented in the mobile application further includes:
 a message button selectable to obtain a user interface to compose a response to the message.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the respective message presented in the mobile application further includes:
 a count of responses directed to the respective message; and   an indication of time to expiration of the respective message.   
     
     
         18 . A non-transitory computer storage media storing instructions configured to instruct a mobile computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:
 authenticating, by the mobile computing device, a user of a mobile application that is running in the mobile computing device under a first user profile;   presenting, via the mobile application, a user interface to compose a message, the user interface including:
 an option selectable to identify whether the message is to be posted under an anonymous profile or the first user profile; 
 an interface element to specify a range from a post location at which the mobile computing device posts the message in a computerized social network that connects mobile devices that run the mobile application under different user profiles; and 
 an interface element to specify a time duration from a post time instant at which the mobile computing device posts the message in the computerized social network; 
   wherein the message is presented in the computerized social network according to the range and the time duration, by:
 presenting, via the mobile application, the message to mobile devices that are currently running the mobile application at current locations that are within the range from the post location, but not to mobile devices that are running the mobile application at current locations that are outside of the range from the post location; 
 tracking a count of likes and a count of dislikes of the message from mobile devices that have received the message; 
 automatically adjusting the time duration based on the count of likes and the count of dislikes; and 
 deleting the message from the computerized social network upon expiration of the time duration from the post time instant. 
   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer storage media of  claim 18 , wherein the message is presented in the computerized social network according to the range and the time duration, further by:
 automatically adjusting the range from the post location according to the count of likes and the count of dislikes.   
     
     
         20 . A mobile computing apparatus, comprising:
 a set of input and output devices;   at least one microprocessor; and   a memory storing a mobile application having instructions configured to instruct the at least one microprocessor to:
 authenticate a user of the mobile application that is running in the mobile computing device under a first user profile; 
 presenting a user interface of the mobile application to compose a message, the user interface including:
 an option selectable to identify whether the message is to be posted under an anonymous profile or the first user profile; 
 an interface element to specify a range from a post location at which the mobile computing device posts the message in a computerized social network that connects mobile devices that run the mobile application under different user profiles; and 
 an interface element to specify a time duration from a post time instant at which the mobile computing device posts the message in the computerized social network; 
 
   wherein the message is presented in the computerized social network according to the range and the time duration, by:
 presenting, via the mobile application, the message to mobile devices that are currently running the mobile application at current locations that are within the range from the post location, but not to mobile devices that are running the mobile application at current locations that are outside of the range from the post location; 
 tracking a count of likes and a count of dislikes of the message from mobile devices that have received the message; 
 automatically adjusting the time duration based on the count of likes and the count of dislikes; and 
 deleting the message from the computerized social network upon expiration of the time duration from the post time instant.