Detecting content consumption

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing content are disclosed. In one aspect, a set of interaction data specifying one or more types of user interactions with a resource is received for a user. A determination is made, based on the interaction data, that the user is in a first engagement category from at least two different engagement categories. A request for a content item to be provided to the user is received. A content item having a bid specifying an amount that a content item provider is willing to pay for distribution of the content item to a user in the first engagement category is identified. A determination is made, based on the outcome of an auction performed using the bid, that the bid is a winning bid. The content item is provided for presentation in response to the request.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 receiving, for a user, interaction data generated by a script embedded in a resource based on interactions with content of the resource, wherein the interaction data is associated with interactions occurring during a first period of time; 
 determining, using the interaction data generated by the script, at least one of an amount of time that the content was on-screen or an amount of the resource viewed; 
 determining, using the interaction data generated by the script, input device interactions comprising at least one of cursor interaction with the content, selection of the content, or scrolling of the resource; and 
 determining a first rate of engagement with the resource based at least in part on the input device interactions and the at least one of the amount of time that the content was on-screen or the amount of the resource viewed; 
 receiving a request for a content item that can be read by the user, wherein the request comprises a second period of time associated with the request; 
 determining, based on the interaction data, the user as being in a first engagement category from at least two different engagement categories by matching the first rate of engagement to a rate of engagement associated with the first engagement category; and 
 selecting a content item to present to the user in response to the request based at least in part on determining that the user is in the first engagement category; and 
 comparing the first period of time to the second period of time, wherein the step of determining the user as being in the first engagement category is performed in response to identifying a correlation between the first period of time and the second period of time. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 receiving, from the a content item provider, distribution criteria specifying that the content item is eligible to be provided to users that are associated with the first engagement category; 
 receiving, from the content item provider, a first bid specifying a first amount that the content item provider is willing to pay for distribution of the content item to the user in the first engagement category; 
 receiving, from the content item provider, distribution criteria specifying that the content item is eligible to be provided to users that are associated with a second engagement category, the second engagement category corresponding to a lower level of engagement with content of the resource than the first engagement category; and 
 receiving, from the content item provider, a second bid specifying a second amount that the content item provider is willing to pay for distribution of the content item to a user in the second engagement category, the second bid being different than the first bid. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , comprising:
 receiving updated interaction data indicating interactions of the user with the resource or a second resource; 
 determining, based on the updated interaction data, that the user is in the second engagement category; 
 receiving a second request for a content item to be provided to the user; 
 determining whether the second bid is a winning bid for a second auction; and 
 providing, in response to the second request, a content item associated with the winning bid for the second auction. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein:
 receiving updated interaction data comprises receiving interaction data that deviates from a reference set of interaction data for the user; and 
 determining that the user is in a second engagement category comprises determining, based on the deviation, that the user is in the second engagement category. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising providing a campaign management interface that enables a content item provider to select, for the first content item one or more engagement categories to be associated with the content item, the association of an engagement category with the content item indicating that the content item is eligible for distribution to users determined to be in the engagement category. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining that the user is in the first engagement category comprises:
 determining, based on the interaction data, a first set of user interactions that preceded a particular interaction with a content item provided in response to a previous content item request; 
 determining that a matching set of user interactions were performed within a pre-specified amount of time prior to the request, the matching set of user interactions being user interactions that match the first set of user interactions; and 
 determining that the user is in the first engagement category based on the determination that the matching set of user interactions were performed within the pre-specified amount of time prior to the request. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving presentation data for two or more presentations of a document, the presentation data for each presentation specifying a portion of the document that were presented at a user device; 
 receiving user interaction data representing user interactions with a portion of content presented in the portion of the document, the user interaction data specifying a type of user interaction with the portion of content and a rate at which at least one of the user interaction types occurred while the document was presented at the user device; 
 determining, based on the interaction data, a measure of readership for the portion of content, the measure of readership for the portion specifying a portion of users that read the portion of content, the determination being based, at least in part, on a speed of occurrence for at least one user interaction being within a range corresponding to content being read; and 
 providing a reader profile for the document based on the measure of readership for the portion of content. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the interaction data is associated with interactions occurring during a first period of time;   the request comprises a second period of time associated with the request; and   the method further comprises comparing the first period of time to the second period of time, wherein the step of determining the user as being in the first engagement category is performed in response to identifying a correlation between the first period of time and the second period of time.   
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the engagement categories are each associated with context information, the request for the content item includes first context information describing the context of the request, and determining that the user is in the first engagement category comprises matching the first context information to second context information associated with the first engagement category. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the first context information includes at least one of a time of day of the request, a day of week of the request, a time of year of the request, a location of the request, or a type of content included in the resource. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the first set of interaction data specifies aggregate user interaction data for multiple different users. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising modifying content of the resource based on determining that the user is in the first engagement category. 
     
     
       13. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more data processing apparatus cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, for a user, interaction data generated by a script embedded in a resource based on interactions with content of the resource, wherein the interaction data is associated with interactions occurring during a first period of time; 
 determining, using the interaction data generated by the script, at least one of an amount of time that the content was on-screen or an amount of the resource viewed; 
 determining, using the interaction data generated by the script, input device interactions comprising at least one of cursor interaction with the content, selection of the content, or scrolling of the resource; and 
 determining a first rate of engagement with the resource based at least in part on the input device interactions and the at least one of the amount of time that the content was on-screen or the amount of the resource viewed; 
 receiving a request for a content item to be provided to the user, wherein the request comprises a second period of time associated with the request; 
 determining, based on the interaction data, the user as being in a first engagement category from at least two different engagement categories by matching the first rate of engagement to a rate of engagement associated with the first engagement category; and 
 selecting a content item to present to the user in response to the request based at least in part on determining that the user is in the first engagement category; and 
 comparing the first period of time to the second period of time, wherein the step of determining the user as being in the first engagement category is performed in response to identifying a correlation between the first period of time and the second period of time. 
 
     
     
       14. The computer storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, from the content item provider, distribution criteria specifying that the content item is eligible to be provided to users that are associated with the first engagement category; 
 receiving, from the content item provider, a first bid specifying a first amount that the content item provider is willing to pay for distribution of the content item to the user in the first engagement category; 
 receiving, from the content item provider, distribution criteria specifying that the content item is eligible to be provided to users that are associated with a second engagement category, the second engagement category corresponding to a lower level of engagement with content of the resource than the first engagement category; and 
 receiving, from the content item provider, a second bid specifying a second amount that the content item provider is willing to pay for distribution of the content item to a user in the second engagement category, the second bid being different than the first bid. 
 
     
     
       15. The computer storage medium of claim  13  14, wherein the instructions cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 receiving updated interaction data indicating interactions of the user with the resource or a second resource; 
 determining, based on the updated interaction data, that the user is in the second engagement category; 
 receiving a second request for a content item to be provided to the user; 
 determining whether the second bid is a winning bid for a second auction; and 
 providing, in response to the second request, a content item associated with the winning bid for the second auction. 
 
     
     
       16. The computer storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 providing a campaign management interface that enables a content item provider to select, for the content item, one or more engagement categories to be associated with the content item, the association of an engagement category with the content item indicating that the content item is eligible for distribution to users determined to be in the engagement category. 
 
     
     
       17. A system comprising:
 a data storage device storing a content item provided by a content item provider; and 
 one or more data processing apparatus that interact with the data storage device and execute instructions that cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, for a user, interaction data generated by a script embedded in a resource based on interactions with content of the resource, wherein the interaction data is associated with interactions occurring during a first period of time; 
 determining, using the interaction data generated by the script, at least one of an amount of time that the content was on-screen or an amount of the resource viewed; 
 determining, using the interaction data generated by the script, input device interactions comprising at least one of cursor interaction with the content, selection of the content, or scrolling of the resource; and 
 determining a first rate of engagement with the resource based at least in part on the input device interactions and the at least one of the amount of time that the content was on-screen or the amount of the resource viewed; 
 receiving a request for a content item to be provided to the user, wherein the request comprises a second period of time associated with the request; 
 determining, based on the interaction data, the user as being in a first engagement category from at least two different engagement categories by matching the first rate of engagement to a rate of engagement associated with the first engagement category; and 
 selecting a content item to present to the user in response to the request based at least in part on determining that the user is in the first engagement category; and 
 comparing the first period of time to the second period of time, wherein the step of determining the user as being in the first engagement category is performed in response to identifying a correlation between the first period of time and the second period of time. 
 
 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, from the content item provider, distribution criteria specifying that the content item is eligible to be provided to users that are associated with the first engagement category; 
 receiving, from the content item provider, a first bid specifying a first amount that the content item provider is willing to pay for distribution of the content item to the user in the first engagement category; 
 receiving, from the content item provider, distribution criteria specifying that the content item is eligible to be provided to users that are associated with a second engagement category, the second engagement category corresponding to a lower level of engagement with content of the resource than the first engagement category; and 
 receiving, from the content item provider, a second bid specifying a second amount that the content item provider is willing to pay for distribution of the content item to a user in the second engagement category, the second bid being different than the first bid. 
 
     
     
       19. The system of claim  17  18, wherein the instructions cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 receiving updated interaction data indicating interactions of the user with the resource or a second resource; 
 determining, based on the updated interaction data, that the user is in the second engagement category; 
 receiving a second request for a content item to be provided to the user; 
 determining whether the second bid is a winning bid for a second auction; and 
 providing, in response to the second request, a content item associated with the winning bid for the second auction. 
 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 providing a campaign management interface that enables a content item provider to select, for the content item, one or more engagement categories to be associated with the content item, the association of an engagement category with the content item indicating that the content item is eligible for distribution to users determined to be in the engagement category. 
 
     
     
       21. A method, comprising:
 receiving, for a user, interaction data generated by a script embedded in a resource based on user interactions with content, wherein the interaction data is associated with interactions occurring during a first period of time;   determining, using the interaction data generated by the script, at least one of an amount of time that the content was on-screen or an amount of the resource viewed;   classifying an engagement of the user with the content as a first rate of engagement based at least in part on the at least one of the amount of time that the content was on-screen or the amount of the resource viewed;   receiving a request for a content item that can be displayed to the user, wherein the request comprises a second period of time associated with the request;   determining, based on the interaction data, the user as being in a first engagement category from at least two different engagement categories by matching the first rate of engagement to a rate of engagement associated with the first engagement category;   selecting a content item to present to the user in response to the request based at least in part on determining that the user is in the first engagement category receiving, from a content item provider, distribution criteria specifying that the content item is eligible to be provided to users that are associated with the first engagement category; and   comparing the first period of time to the second period of time, wherein the step of determining the user as being in the first engagement category is performed in response to identifying a correlation between the first period of time and the second period of time.   
     
     
       22. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving from a content item provider a rule specifying one or more characteristics that the content item provider wishes to use to select an audience and selecting the content item based on the rule. 
     
     
       23. The method of claim 22, wherein the rule is an inclusive rule specifying one or more target characteristics. 
     
     
       24. The method of claim 22, wherein the rule is an exclusive rule specifying one or more excluded characteristics.