Eliciting event-driven feedback in a social network

Abstract

Particular embodiments detect an indication of an event that is initiated on an online social network by a user and that is related to an entity associated with an activity that the user has engaged in. Based on the received indication, a social-networking system sends the user a request for follow-up information about the activity. After the follow-up information is received, the social-networking system retrieves contacts of the user and identifies contacts that have engaged in social activities on the online social network related to the entity. Recommendations for the entity are then sent to those identified contacts.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising, by one or more computing devices of an online social network:
 receiving an indication of an event initiated by a first user, wherein the event is related to an entity associated with an activity;   sending, to the first user, a request for further information about the activity;   receiving, from the first user, a response with the further information;   retrieving contacts of the first user in the online social network;   determining that one or more of the retrieved contacts have engaged in social activities on the online social network related to the entity; and   sending, to the one or more contacts, a recommendation for the entity based on the received further information.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the entity is represented by a first concept node of a social graph of the online social network. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the request for further information about the activity comprises a request to perform an action associated with the first concept node. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 storing the received further information in association with the first concept node in the social graph.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the social activities are actions taken on the online social network by the one or more contacts with respect to the first concept node. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the first user is represented by a first user node of the social graph. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 storing the event in association with an edge connecting the first concept node and the first user node in the social graph.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining that the first user may be able to provide the further information based on a type of the event.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating content of the recommendation based on the received further information.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the content of the recommendation is further based on information associated with the event. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the recommendation comprises an advertisement, a sponsored story, a recommendation, or a suggestion. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the social activities comprise a same type as a type of the event. 
     
     
         13 . One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:
 receive an indication of an event initiated by a first user, wherein the event is related to an entity associated with an activity;   send, to the first user, a request for further information about the activity;   receive, from the first user, a response with the further information;   retrieve contacts of the first user in an online social network;   determine that one or more of the retrieved contacts have engaged in social activities on the online social network related to the entity; and   send, to the one or more contacts, a recommendation for the entity based on the received further information.   
     
     
         14 . The media of  claim 13 , wherein the entity is represented by a first concept node of a social graph of the online social network. 
     
     
         15 . The media of  claim 14 , wherein the social activities are actions taken on the online social network by the one or more contacts with respect to the first concept node. 
     
     
         16 . The media of  claim 13 , wherein the software is further operable when executed to:
 generate content of the recommendation based on the received further information and on information associated with the event.   
     
     
         17 . A system comprising:
 one or more processors associated with one or more computer servers associated with a social networking system; and   a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to:
 receive an indication of an event initiated by a first user, wherein the event is related to an entity associated with an activity; 
 send, to the first user, a request for further information about the activity; 
 receive, from the first user, a response with the further information; 
 retrieve contacts of the first user in an online social network; 
 determine that one or more of the retrieved contacts have engaged in social activities on the online social network related to the entity; and
 send, to the one or more contacts, a recommendation for the entity based on the received further information. 
 
   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the entity is represented by a first concept node of a social graph of the online social network, and wherein the social activities are actions taken on the online social network by the one or more contacts with respect to the first concept node. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:
 generate content of the recommendation based on the received further information and on information associated with the event.