Platform for third-party supplied calls-to-action

Abstract

A first computing system provides an API to a third-party computing system. The first computing system receives via the API, from the third-party computing system, a registration API call including a registration request to associate an information item with a call-to-action defined by the third-party computing system. The registration request specifies the information item, the call-to-action, an underlying action, and a URL associated with the call-to-action. In response, the first computing system registers the call-to-action. After registering the call-to-action, the first computing system receives a request from a client device associated with a user of the social network. The request indicates that the user interacted with the information item at the client device. In response, the first computing system determines whether the information item is associated with the call-to-action. When it is associated, the first computing system sends the call-to-action to the client device for display.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, performed by a first computing system of a social network, the method comprising:
 providing to a third-party computing system an Application Programming Interface (API);   receiving via the API, from the third-party computing system, a registration API function call including a registration request to associate an information item managed by the first computing system with a call-to-action defined by the third-party computing system, wherein the registration request specifies registration information that includes:
 the information item, 
 the call-to-action, 
 an underlying action, 
 a unique identifier of the third-party computing system, and 
 a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the call-to-action, wherein the URL references a network resource for the underlying action; 
   in response to receiving the registration API function call from the third-party computing system, registering the call-to-action based on the registration information;   after registering the call-to-action, receiving a first request from a client computing device associated with a user of the social network, wherein the first request indicates that the user interacted with the information item displayed on the client computing device;   in response to the first request, determining whether the information item with which the user interacted is associated with the call-to-action provided by the third-party computing system; and   in response to determining that the information item is associated with the call-to-action, sending the call-to-action to the client computing device to be displayed on the client computing device in connection with the information item.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the information item is one of a set of information items displayed on the client computing device, and the set of information items is organized in a hierarchy.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the hierarchy displayed on the screen of the client computing device is initially collapsed. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 by the first computing system, receiving a second request from the client computing device, wherein the second request indicates that the user interacted with the call-to-action displayed on the client computing device in connection with the information item; and   in response to the second request:
 by the first computing system, determining that the third-party computing system provides the call-to-action; 
 by the first computing system, sending a third request to the third-party computing system providing the call-to-action, the third request indicating the call-to-action; 
 by the first computing system, receiving a response to the third request from the third-party computing system providing the call-to-action, the response indicating a result of performing the underlying action for the call-to-action; and 
 by the first computing system, sending the result of performing the underlying action to the client computing device for display on the client computing device. 
   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the user interacting with the information item displayed on the mobile client device comprises the user clicking or tapping on the information item displayed on the screen of the mobile client device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether the information item with which the user interacted is associated with the call-to-action provided by the third-party computing system further includes determining whether the user of the client computing device previously rejected the call-to-action. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether the information item with which the user interacted is associated with the call-to-action provided by the third-party computing system further includes determining whether the user of the client computing device previously rejected one or more calls-to-action from the third-party computing system. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 by the first computing system, receiving via the API a registration request from a different third-party computing system, the registration request from the different third-party computing system comprising an identifier of the different third-party computing system, one or more calls-to-action provided by the different third-party computing system, and a list of one or more information items to be associated with each of the one or more calls-to-action provided by the different third-party computing system; and   by the first computing system, in response to the registration request from the different third-party computing system, associating the one or more calls-to-action provided by the different third-party computing system with the corresponding one or more information items indicated by the registration request from the different third-party computing system.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the registration request from the different third-party computing system further comprises, for each of the one or more calls-to-action provided by the different third-party computing system, a corresponding underlying action to be performed and a Uniform Resource Locator referencing a network resource associated with the different third-party computing system. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, in response to the first request:
 by the first computing system, determining whether the information item is associated with any call-to-action provided by the first computing system; and   by the first computing system, if the information item is associated with one or more calls-to-action provided by the first computing system, then sending the one or more calls-to-action provided by the first computing system to the client computing device for display in connection with the information item by expanding the information item.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the information item is a first information item, the call-to-action is a first call-to-action, and the method further comprises:
 by the first computing system, for each of a plurality of information items managed by the first computing system, including the first information item, maintaining a list of calls-to-action associated with each information item, wherein each call-to-action on the list of calls-to-action is provided by the first computing system or a third-party computing system,   wherein:
 the first call-to-action is part of a list of calls-to-action associated with the first information item; and 
 the list of calls-to-action associated with the first information item is displayed on a screen of the client computing device in connection with the first information item by expanding the first information item. 
   
     
     
         12 . A computer system comprising:
 one or more processors;   memory; and   one or more programs stored in the memory, wherein the one or more programs are configured for execution by the one or more processors and include instructions for:
 providing to a third-party computing system an Application Programming Interface (API); 
 receiving via the API, from the third-party computing system, a registration API function call including a registration request to associate an information item managed by the first computing system with a call-to-action defined by the third-party computing system, wherein the registration request specifies registration information that includes:
 the information item, 
 the call-to-action, 
 an underlying action, 
 a unique identifier of the third-party computing system, and 
 a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the call-to-action, wherein the URL references a network resource for the underlying action; 
 
 in response to receiving the registration API function call from the third-party computing system, registering the call-to-action based on the registration information; 
 after registering the call-to-action, receiving a first request from a client computing device associated with a user of the social network, wherein the first request indicates that the user interacted with the information item displayed on the client computing device; 
 in response to the first request, determining whether the information item with which the user interacted is associated with the call-to-action provided by the third-party computing system; and 
 in response to determining that the information item is associated with the call-to-action, sending the call-to-action to the client computing device to be displayed on the client computing device in connection with the information item. 
   
     
     
         13 . The computer system of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the information item is one of a set of information items displayed on the client computing device, and the set of information items is organized in a hierarchy.   
     
     
         14 . The computer system of  claim 13 , wherein the hierarchy displayed on the screen of the client computing device is initially collapsed. 
     
     
         15 . The computer system of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:
 by the first computing system, receiving a second request from the client computing device, wherein the second request indicates that the user interacted with the call-to-action displayed on the client computing device in connection with the information item; and   in response to the second request:
 by the first computing system, determining that the third-party computing system provides the call-to-action; 
 by the first computing system, sending a third request to the third-party computing system providing the call-to-action, the third request indicating the call-to-action; 
 by the first computing system, receiving a response to the third request from the third-party computing system providing the call-to-action, the response indicating a result of performing the underlying action for the call-to-action; and 
 by the first computing system, sending the result of performing the underlying action to the client computing device for display on the client computing device. 
   
     
     
         16 . The computer system of  claim 12 , wherein the user interacting with the information item displayed on the mobile client device comprises the user clicking or tapping on the information item displayed on the screen of the mobile client device. 
     
     
         17 . The computer system of  claim 12 , wherein determining whether the information item with which the user interacted is associated with the call-to-action provided by the third-party computing system further includes determining whether the user of the client computing device previously rejected the call-to-action. 
     
     
         18 . The computer system of  claim 12 , wherein determining whether the information item with which the user interacted is associated with the call-to-action provided by the third-party computing system further includes determining whether the user of the client computing device previously rejected one or more calls-to-action from the third-party computing system. 
     
     
         19 . The computer system of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:
 by the first computing system, receiving via the API a registration request from a different third-party computing system, the registration request from the different third-party computing system comprising an identifier of the different third-party computing system, one or more calls-to-action provided by the different third-party computing system, and a list of one or more information items to be associated with each of the one or more calls-to-action provided by the different third-party computing system; and   by the first computing system, in response to the registration request from the different third-party computing system, associating the one or more calls-to-action provided by the different third-party computing system with the corresponding one or more information items indicated by the registration request from the different third-party computing system.   
     
     
         20 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution by one or more processors of a server system, the one or more programs including instructions for:
 providing to a third-party computing system an Application Programming Interface (API);   receiving via the API, from the third-party computing system, a registration API function call including a registration request to associate an information item managed by the first computing system with a call-to-action defined by the third-party computing system, wherein the registration request specifies registration information that includes:
 the information item, 
 the call-to-action, 
 an underlying action, 
 a unique identifier of the third-party computing system, and 
 a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the call-to-action, wherein the URL references a network resource for the underlying action; 
   in response to receiving the registration API function call from the third-party computing system, registering the call-to-action based on the registration information;   after registering the call-to-action, receiving a first request from a client computing device associated with a user of the social network, wherein the first request indicates that the user interacted with the information item displayed on the client computing device;   in response to the first request, determining whether the information item with which the user interacted is associated with the call-to-action provided by the third-party computing system; and   in response to determining that the information item is associated with the call-to-action, sending the call-to-action to the client computing device to be displayed on the client computing device in connection with the information item.