Social network driven indexing system for instantly clustering people with concurrent focus on same topic into on topic chat rooms and/or for generating on-topic search results tailored to user preferences regarding topic

Abstract

A machine-implemented social networking system builds up and repeatedly refreshes a hierarchy tree containing topic nodes. New nodes are added as new topics emerge in online public forums. Each topic node can link to an on-topic real time chat room whose occupants are currently discussing the topic of the node. A chat room can be pointed to by more than one node if the room is discussing multiple topics. Rooms can migrate from node to node as room topic dynamically changes. A system user who explicitly or inferentially wishes to be invited into a chat room which is on-topic with what the user is currently focused upon can do so by use of a node-seeking automated process. The process operates in the background and seeks out nodes of the hierarchy tree that currently have topics appearing to be the same as or similar to what topics the user appears to have in mind. Content browsing experience of the user is enhanced by addition of an invitations displaying subsystem that automatically invites him or her to co-compatible chat rooms currently discussing the topic(s) the user appears to have in mind. One of the many topics that a user may inferentially have in mind is that of being at a given location as reported by the user's GPS and wondering what best to do at that location and time.

1 - 25 : (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . A method implemented by a digital machine and further comprising:
 (a) maintaining in computer readable storage a plurality of first data objects each representing a respective topic node in a hierarchical tree of logically interconnected nodes; and   (b) maintaining as an integrated part of each given one of the first data objects, one or more logical links to respective data resources that provide on-topic data corresponding to a given topic associated with the topic node of the given first data object.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the data resources include an online real time communications exchange forum having recent exchanges directed to the topic of the topic node or expected to soon have exchanges directed to the topic of the topic node, where the recentness of the recent exchanges and the sooness of the soon to-be expected exchange are defined by prespecified time durations. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the data resources include an online web page that provides content corresponding to the topic of the first data object. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26  wherein the data resources include an online proposal for a meeting between two or more users where the proposed meeting is defined as covering the topic of the first data object. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29  wherein the proposed meeting results from buried content that could have but was not displayed to one or more of the users. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29  wherein the buried content includes a scheduling calendar of the one of the users. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29  wherein the buried content includes a pressing contacts list of the one of the users. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 26  wherein said maintaining of the one or more logical links to respective data resources includes for each of at least some of the given first data objects, repeatedly pruning from the linked-to data resources those resources that no longer provide on-topic data corresponding to the given topic associated with the topic node of the given first data object. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 26  wherein said maintaining of the one or more logical links to respective data resources includes for each of at least some of the given first data objects, repeatedly adding to the linked-to data resources, additional data resources that provide on-topic data corresponding to the given topic associated with the topic node of the given first data object. 
     
     
         35 - 37 : (canceled) 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 26  wherein said maintaining of the first data objects includes maintaining respectively stored collections of one or more topic hints respectively used for each of at least some of the given first data objects where the topic hints are derived from current focus information records (CFi's) of users whose topic lookup mechanisms touch upon the respective first data objects when seeking out on-topic communication exchange forums for their respective users. 
     
     
         39 : (canceled) 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 38  wherein the respectively stored collections of one or more topic hints include credential-supported URL hints that are popularly provided in the CFi's of topic-credentialed ones of the users whose topic lookup mechanisms touch upon the respective first data objects, the topic-credentialed users being those who have validated or unvalidated credentials in the current topic or topics covered by the respective first data objects. 
     
     
         41 - 42 : (canceled) 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 38  wherein the respectively stored collections of one or more topic hints include credential-supported keyword hints that are popularly provided in the CFi's of topic-credentialed ones of the users whose topic lookup mechanisms touch upon the respective first data objects, the topic-credentialed users being those who have validated or unvalidated credentials in the current topic or topics covered by the respective first data objects. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 38  wherein the respectively stored collections of one or more topic hints include common meta-tag hints that are popularly provided in the CFi's of average ones of the users whose topic lookup mechanisms touch upon the respective first data objects. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 38  wherein the respectively stored collections of one or more topic hints include common dominant word hints that are popularly provided in the CFi's of average ones of the users whose topic lookup mechanisms touch upon the respective first data objects. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 26  wherein said maintaining of the first data objects includes maintaining respectively stored and system modifiable logical links between parent and respective child node representing ones of the given first data objects. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 26  wherein said maintaining of the first data objects includes maintaining respectively stored and system modifiable logical links between parent and respective distant progeny node representing ones of the given first data objects. 
     
     
         48 : (canceled) 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 26  wherein said maintaining of the first data objects includes maintaining respectively stored and topic space wise unique ones of positioning coordinates in a given topic space for substantially all of the first data objects. 
     
     
         50 - 80 : (canceled) 
     
     
         81 . A content worthwhileness scoring method that automatically scores shareable content according to how worthwhile it may be for respective users of a machine system to give attention to the shareable content, the method comprising:
 (a) automatically repeatedly determining one or more demographic attributes of respective, information contributing users of the machine system whose respective visitations to a respective cognition representing node maintained by the machine system and/or to a respective information exchange forum maintained by the machine system brings contributable data to the respectively visited node and/or forum as part of informational content automatically brought with the visitation due to node and forum maintaining operations of the machine system; and   (b) automatically associating with a given item of contributable data, the determined demographic attributes of the respective, one or more information contributing users whose visitations automatically brought the respective item of contributable data to the respectively visited node and/or forum;   
     
     
         82 . An automated method for creating a community of users who are currently or recently focusing on a common cognition, the method comprising:
 (a) automatically repeatedly determining likely cognitions of current or recent focus of respective online users of a machine system, the cognitions being respectively represented by respective cognition-representing data objects stored by the machine system, the determining of likely cognitions of current or recent focus including automatically repeatedly determining that respective clues gathered about current or recent states of the respective users correspond to respective ones of the cognition-representing data objects; and   (b) automatically recommending to two or more of the online users whose likely cognitions are determined to currently or recently correspond to a same one of the cognition-representing data objects that they join with one another and/or into an ongoing forum where the forum has other users who have been determined to be likely currently or recently focusing on a same cognition represented by the same one of the cognition-representing data objects.   
     
     
         83 . The method of claim  367  wherein the cognition-representing data objects include topic-representing data objects organized hierarchically and/or spatially within a cognitions representing space.