Video-Production System With Social-Media Features

Abstract

In one aspect, a method of retrieving a social media (SM) content item by a computing system operable to access a plurality of SM platforms. The computing system stores multiple sets of platform-specific rules for retrieving SM content items from multiple SM platforms. Each set corresponds to a respective one of the SM platforms. The method includes (i) accessing, by a computing system, one of the SM platforms, (ii) selecting, by the computing system, a SM content item published on the accessed SM platform, (iii) responsive to selecting the SM content item, selecting, by the computing system, from among the sets of platform-specific rules, a set of platform-specific rules corresponding to the accessed SM platform, (iv) using, by the computing system, the selected set of platform-specific rules to retrieve the selected SM content item, and (v) integrating, by the computing system, the retrieved SM content item into a video program.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of retrieving a social media (SM) content item by a computing system operable to access a plurality of SM platforms, wherein the computing system stores a plurality of sets of platform-specific rules for retrieving SM content items from the plurality of SM platforms, wherein each set of platform-specific rules corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of SM platforms, the method comprising:
 accessing, by a computing system, one SM platform of the plurality of SM platforms;   selecting, by the computing system, a SM content item published on the accessed SM platform;   responsive to selecting the SM content item on the SM platform, selecting, by the computing system, from among the plurality of sets of platform-specific rules, a set of platform-specific rules corresponding to the accessed SM platform;   using, by the computing system, the selected set of platform-specific rules to retrieve the selected SM content item, wherein using the selected set of platform-specific rules comprises:
 detecting that the selected SM content item includes a particular type of data, and 
 responsive to detecting that the selected SM content item includes the particular type of data, the computing system using a particular rule corresponding to the particular type of data to retrieve the selected SM content item, wherein the selected set of platform-specific rules comprises the particular rule corresponding to the particular type of data; and 
   integrating, by the computing system, the retrieved SM content item into a video program.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein detecting that the selected SM content item includes the particular type of data comprises identifying a file extension of the selected SM content item corresponding to the particular type of data. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each set of platform-specific rules is different than at least one of the other sets of the plurality of sets of platform-specific rules. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the selected set of platform-specific rules causes the computing system to retrieve the selected SM content item using a link corresponding to the selected SM content item, and wherein the at least one other set of platform-specific rules causes the computing system to retrieve another SM content item using an account identifier and a timestamp corresponding to the other SM content item. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the particular type of data comprises an image, and wherein using the particular rule corresponding to the particular type of data to retrieve the SM content item comprises:
 responsive to detecting that the selected SM content item includes the particular type of data, the computing system navigating from a first webpage on the SM platform to a second webpage on the SM platform corresponding to the selected SM content item; and   retrieving data corresponding to the particular type of data from the second webpage.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the first webpage comprises the image having a first resolution, the second webpage comprises the image having a second resolution, and the second resolution is higher than the first resolution. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein using the particular rule corresponding to the particular type of data to retrieve the SM content item comprises:
 navigating from a first webpage corresponding to a published version of the selected SM content item to a second webpage corresponding to an unpublished version of the selected SM content item; and   retrieving the selected SM content item from the second webpage.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein using the particular rule corresponding to the particular type of data to retrieve the SM content item comprises:
 (a) accessing a webpage on the SM platform;   (b) detecting that the webpage contains a nested link object on the webpage, wherein the nested link object is selectable to display one or more hidden SM content items on the webpage;   (c) selecting the nested link object on the webpage to display the one or more hidden SM content items on the webpage;   (d) responsive to selecting the nested link object, the computing system evaluating the displayed one or more hidden SM content items on the webpage to determine whether the selected SM content item is displayed on the webpage;   (e) repeating acts (b)-(d) until the computing system determines that the selected SM content item is displayed on the webpage; and   (f) responsive to determining that the selected SM content item is displayed on the webpage, retrieving the selected SM content item from the webpage.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein using the particular rule corresponding to the particular type of data to retrieve the SM content item further comprises:
 (g) responsive to selecting the SM content item, the computing system receiving an account identifier and a timestamp each corresponding to the selected SM content item,   wherein accessing the webpage on the SM platform comprises accessing the webpage using the received account identifier,   wherein evaluating the displayed one or more hidden SM content items comprises evaluating the displayed one or more hidden SM content items using the received timestamp, and   wherein determining that the selected SM content is displayed on the webpage comprises determining, based on the evaluation, that one of the displayed hidden SM content items has a timestamp that matches the received timestamp corresponding to the selected SM content item.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein integrating the retrieved SM content item comprises executing a digital-video effect (DVE). 
     
     
         10 . A method of retrieving a social media (SM) content item by a computing system operable to access a plurality of SM platforms, wherein the computing system stores a plurality of sets of platform-specific rules for retrieving SM content items from the plurality of SM platforms, wherein each set of platform-specific rules corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of SM platforms, the method comprising:
 retrieving a first SM content item from a first SM platform of the plurality of SM platforms by:   (i) accessing, by the computing system, the first SM platform,   (ii) selecting, by the computing system, the first SM content item published on the first SM platform,   (iii) responsive to selecting the first SM content item on the first SM platform, selecting, by the computing system, from among the plurality of sets of platform-specific rules, a first set of platform-specific rules corresponding to the first SM platform, and   (iv) using, by the computing system, the first set of platform-specific rules to retrieve the first SM content item from the first SM platform, wherein using the first set of platform-specific rules comprises:
 detecting that the first SM content item includes a first type of data, and 
 responsive to detecting that the first SM content item includes the first type of data, the computing system using a first rule corresponding to the first type of data to retrieve the first SM content item, wherein the first set of platform-specific rules comprises the first rule corresponding to the particular type of data; and 
   retrieving a second SM content item from a second SM platform of the plurality of SM platforms by:   (v) accessing, by the computing system, the second SM platform, wherein the second SM platform is different than the first SM platform,   (vi) selecting, by the computing system, the second SM content item published on the second SM platform,   (vii) responsive to selecting the second SM content item on the second SM platform, selecting, by the computing system, from among the plurality of sets of platform-specific rules, a second set of platform-specific rules corresponding to the second SM platform, wherein the first set of platform-specific rules is different than the second set of platform-specific rules,   (viii) using, by the computing system, the second set of platform-specific rules to retrieve the second SM content item from the second SM platform; and   integrating the first SM content item and the second SM content item into a video program.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein detecting that the first SM content item includes the first type of data comprises identifying a file extension of the first SM content item corresponding to the first type of data. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein using the second set of platform-specific rules comprises:
 detecting that the second SM content item includes a second type of data, wherein the second type of data is different from the first type of data, and   responsive to detecting that the second SM content item includes the second type of data, the computing system using a second rule corresponding to the second type of data to retrieve the second SM content item, wherein the second rule is different from the first rule, and wherein the second set of the platform-specific rules comprises the second rule corresponding to the particular type of data.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein using the second rule corresponding to the second type of data to retrieve the second SM content item comprises:
 receiving, by the computing system, an account identifier and a timestamp each corresponding to the second SM content item; and   using, by the computing system, the received account identifier and timestamp to retrieve the second SM content item from the second SM platform.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein using the second rule corresponding to the second type of data to retrieve the second SM content item comprises:
 (a) accessing a webpage on the second SM platform corresponding to the received account identifier;   (b) detecting that the webpage contains a nested link object on the webpage, wherein the nested link object is selectable to display one or more hidden SM content items on the webpage;   (c) selecting the nested link object on the webpage to display the one or more hidden SM content items on the webpage;   (d) responsive to selecting the nested link object, the computing system evaluating the displayed one or more hidden SM content items on the webpage to determine whether the second SM content item is displayed on the webpage;   (e) repeating acts (b)-(d) until the computing system determines that the second SM content item is displayed on the webpage; and   (f) responsive to determining that the second SM content item is displayed on the webpage, retrieving the second SM content item from the webpage.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein evaluating the displayed one or more hidden SM content items comprises evaluating the displayed one or more hidden SM content items using the received timestamp, and
 wherein determining that the selected SM content is displayed on the webpage comprises determining, based on the evaluation, that one of the displayed hidden SM content items has a timestamp that matches the received timestamp corresponding to the selected SM content item.   
     
     
         16 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, program instructions that when executed by a processor, cause a computing system to perform a set of acts, wherein the computing system stores a plurality of sets of platform-specific rules for retrieving social media (SM) content items from a plurality of SM platforms, wherein each set of platform-specific rules corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of SM platforms, the acts comprising:
 accessing one SM platform of the plurality of SM platforms;   selecting a SM content item published on the accessed SM platform;   responsive to selecting the SM content item on the SM platform, selecting, from among the plurality of sets of platform-specific rules, a set of platform-specific rules corresponding to the accessed SM platform;   using, by the computing system, the selected set of platform-specific rules to retrieve the selected SM content item, wherein using the selected set of platform-specific rules comprises:
 detecting that the selected SM content item includes a particular type of data, and 
 responsive to detecting that the selected SM content item includes the particular type of data, the computing system using a particular rule corresponding to the particular type of data to retrieve the selected SM content item, wherein the selected set of platform-specific rules comprises the particular rule corresponding to the particular type of data; and 
   integrating, by the computing system, the retrieved SM content item into a video program.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein detecting that the selected SM content item includes the particular type of data comprises identifying a file extension of the selected SM content item corresponding to the particular type of data. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the particular type of data comprises an image, and wherein using the particular rule corresponding to the particular type of data to retrieve the SM content item comprises:
 responsive to detecting that the selected SM content item includes the particular type of data, the computing system navigating from a first webpage on the SM platform to a second webpage on the SM platform corresponding to the selected SM content item; and   retrieving data corresponding to the particular type of data from the second webpage.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein the first webpage comprises the image having a first resolution, the second webpage comprises the image having a second resolution, and the second resolution is higher than the first resolution. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein using the particular rule corresponding to the particular type of data to retrieve the SM content item comprises:
 navigating from a first webpage corresponding to a published version of the selected SM content item to a second webpage corresponding to an unpublished version of the selected SM content item; and   retrieving the selected SM content item from the second webpage.