ADAPTABLE RELEVANCE TECHNIQUES FOR SOCIAL ACTIVITY STREAMS
BACKGROUND
[0001] Network-based communities are comprised of people who share a common interest
or affiliation. Network-based communities (and their members) with which a person is
affiliated are referred to as the person's "social network."
[0002] Community members often share content via computing resources (generally,
server- or service-based resources), which are referred to as "social networking resources."
Social networking resources are generally identified and/or accessed by uniform resource
identifiers ("URIs"). The audio, video, image, text, data, and/or multimedia content that
is legally made available via social networking resources is referred to as social
networking content. Examples of personal and commercial social networking resources
include but are not limited to: applications such as email, games, and the like; blogs;
discussion forums; and websites or web pages. Examples of commercial websites include
but are not limited to Facebook.com, Twitter.com, Linkedin.com, Flixster.com,
Myspace.com, Tagged.com, Classmates.com, and the like.
[0003] Often a person using a particular client-side electronic device (for example, a
personal computer, a mobile phone, a gaming device, a personal digital assistant, a media
player, or a navigation device) would like to be notified when new social networking
content is published via social networking resources within his or her social network. The
person may also desire to reduce the chore of looking through new and/or older content in
chronological order and/or on a resource-by-resource basis to find the content of most
interest to him or her.
SUMMARY
[0004] A social networking activity reporting system ("SNARS"), aspects of which may
be implemented in a network-based or a client-based operating environment, notifies a
user of a client-side electronic device about certain social networking content (referred to
as one or more "activity items") published within the user's social network. Each
activity item has a publisher and a publishing time.
[0005] From time to time, the SNARS uses a relevance formula, which is based on a
number of metrics, to calculate a relevance score for each activity item in a predetermined
set of activity items. The relevance score is a measure of interestingness of the activity
item to the user.
[0006] The metrics of the relevance formula include at least one time-dependent portion
and at least one time-independent portion, both of which include one or more factors. The
portions and/or factors thereof may be weighted. Various time-independent and timedependent
factors and factor selection criteria are possible and are discussed herein.
Exemplary factors of the time-independent portion include but are not limited to the
subject of the activity item and the publisher of the activity item.
[0007] The time-dependent portion includes at least one factor based on a dynamic
relationship between the user and the particular activity item. Examples of a dynamic
relationship include but are not limited to: the relationship between the user (or others in
the user's social network) and the publisher of the activity item; an explicit or inferred
interest of the user in the subject; and the amount of interaction the user or others in the
user's social network have had with the activity item or the subject of the activity item.
The time-dependent portion also generally includes at least one factor based on the
publishing time of the activity item. In one exemplary scenario, factors based on the
dynamic relationship between the user and the activity item are weighted such that they
have more influence over the relevance score than other factors.
[0008] The activity items are presented to the user via the client-side electronic device in
an ascending or descending order based on the relevance scores.
[0009] From time-to-time the relevance formula and/or factors or weightings thereof may
be updated automatically or manually and received by the client-side electronic device,
and the updated relevance formula may be used to calculate new relevance scores for the
same or a different set of activity items. Updated relevance formulas may be requested by
client-based applications either as executable code or as a set of inputs to a function when
retrieving new activity items.
[0010] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified
form. The concepts are further described in the Detailed Description section. Elements or
steps other than those described in this Summary are possible, and no element or step is
necessarily required. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential
features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use as an aid in determining
the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to
implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this document.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG.l is a simplified functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary
communication architecture within which aspects of a social networking activity reporting
system ("SNARS") may be implemented or used.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for using aspects of the SNARS
shown in FIG. 1.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a simplified functional block diagram of an exemplary operating
environment in which aspects of the SNARS shown in FIG. 1 and/or the method(s) shown
in FIG. 2 may be implemented or used.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] The social networking activity reporting system ("SNARS") and techniques
described herein operate in client- and/or network-based devices to notify a user of a
client-side electronic device about new social networking content ("activity items")
published within the user's social network. Exemplary operation of the SNARS is
described with reference to certain factors of a relevance formula used to calculate a
relevance score for each activity item in a particular set of activity items. The relevance
score is a measure of interestingness of the activity item to the user. More specifically, the
relevance score is determined based on one or more dynamic relationships between the
user and a particular activity item. It will be appreciated, however, that there are many
other time-independent and time-dependent factors and factor selection criteria that may
be used to calculate the relevance score, and with which the system and techniques
described herein may be implemented or used.
[0015] Turning now to the drawings, where like numerals designate like components,
FIG. 1 is a simplified functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary communication
architecture 100 within which aspects of a network- and/or client-based SNARS 101 are
implemented or used. In general, design choices and/or operating environments dictate
how and where specific functions of SNARS 101 are implemented (for example, it will be
appreciated that operations that involve use of aggregate data are generally performed on a
server). Such functions may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or
combinations thereof. As shown, network-based SNARS 101 is implemented as a
server/service 130 within network(s) 110, which represent any existing or future, public or
private, wired or wireless, wide-area or local-area, packet-switched or circuit-switched
communication infrastructures or technologies. Client-based SNARS 101 is implemented
within client-side electronic device 120. Examples of client-side electronic devices 120
include but are not limited to personal computers, home entertainment devices such as settop
boxes, mobile phones, gaming devices, personal digital assistants, media players,
navigation devices or any known or later-developed combination thereof.
[0016] SNARS 101 is responsible for identifying, retrieving, aggregating, ordering and
presenting (via user interface(s) 116) activity items 105 to a user 111 of a client-side
electronic device 120. As shown, SNARS 101 includes: an activity item collector 140;
and a relevance calculator 142.
[0017] Activity items 105 represent items of social networking content 195 that are legally
published from time-to-time via a particular group 103 of two or more social networking
resources ("SNRs") 102. Each item of social networking content 195 (and thus activity
item 105) has a publisher 131 and a subject (not shown).
[0018] SNRs 102 represent any known or later-developed computing resources that are
accessible by people who share a common interest or affiliation, such as people drawn
together by family, work, or hobbies. Social networking resources are generally
identified, directly or indirectly, by uniform resource identifiers ("URIs"), such as
addresses of files or pages on the World Wide Web ("WWW"; pages on the WWW are
also referred to as "web pages" or "websites"). It will be appreciated, however, that social
networking resource may be identified by any known or later developed construct or
technique. SNRs 102 are accessed via network(s) 110 by user 111 via client-side
electronic device 120, which is configured for communication with network(s) 110.
Examples of social networking resources include but are not limited to: personal blogs,
websites, or files; and commercial websites such as Facebook.com, Twitter.com,
Linkedin.com, Flixster.com, Myspace.com, Tagged.com, Classmates.com, and others.
[0019] Social networking content 195 represents audio, video, image, text, data, and/or
multimedia content that is legally published and/or distributed via a particular social
networking resource, for personal consumption by users of client-side electronic devices
that access the particular social networking resource. Social networking content 195 may
exist in any known or later developed format or combination thereof. Social networking
content may be protected by one or more enforceable intellectual property rights (such as
copyrights, patent rights, trademark rights, or trade secret rights) of the publisher/
distributor or one or more third parties. A recipient such as user 111 may be, but is not
necessarily, required to be authorized to access a particular social networking resource 102
or item of social networking content 195.
[0020] Publishers 131 represent the distributors or authors of social networking content
195. For example, publishers 131 may be entities authorized to control social networking
resources 102, via which activity items 105 that user 111may be interested in learning
about are published, or publishers 131 may be the creators and/or original sources, or redistributors,
of social networking content 195. User 111may be referred to as having a
"social network" (not shown), which is a group of publishers 131 and/or social networking
resources 102. A user's social network may be dynamic, changing over time as user's
contact with social networking resources 102 is increased, decreased, or otherwise
modified.
[0021] Turning again to the discussion of the functions of SNARS 101 shown in FIG. 1,
activity item collector 140 is responsible for retrieving/receiving activity items 105 from
group 103 of SNRs 102. In some scenarios it is useful to refer to activity items 105 as
being "new" activity items 115, or "old" activity items 106. New activity items 115 are
those activity items that have not been previously presented to user 111. Old activity
items 106 are those activity items that have been previously presented to the user and/or
stored in a computer-readable storage medium (such as a computer-readable storage
medium 304, discussed further in connection with FIG. 3).
[0022] One exemplary technique for retrieving/receiving activity items 105 from social
networking resources 102 involves a network- or client-based implementation of SNARS
101 retrieving information on a resource-by-resource basis, via application programming
interfaces 107, which facilitate programmatic communication with specific social
networking resources (as shown, application programming interfaces 107 are usable by
network-based implementation of SNARS 101) . Really simple syndication ("RSS") is a
family of web feed formats commonly used to publish and accept subscriptions to
frequently updated social networking resources and/or social networking content. Any
known or later developed service, protocol or technique, however, may be used retrieve or
receive activity items 105.
[0023] Relevance calculator 142 is responsible for using a relevance formula 180 to
calculate a relevance score 163 for each activity item 105 in a predetermined set of activity
items. Relevance formula 180 includes at least two portions— a time-dependent portion
161 and a time-independent portion 162—each of which is a metric that may be based on
a number of factors. The relevance score is a measure of interestingness of the activity
item to the user. Activity items in the set are presented to user 111 via user interface(s)
116 associated with client-side electronic device 120 in an ascending or descending order
based on the relevance scores.
[0024] Various time-independent and time-dependent factors are possible. The factors
(individually or in groups) may be weighted to arrive at the relevance scores. Exemplary
relevance factors include but are not limited to: the content type of the activity item (e.g.,
text, multimedia, game-related, etc.); the relationship of the publisher of the activity item
to the user; the amount of interaction people have had with the activity item (e.g.,
comments, views, ratings, etc.); and the age of the activity item. In an exemplary
relevance formula, a relevance score of the activity item would be calculated by summing
sub-scores based on each relevance factor. Activity items that end up with the same score
may be further sorted chronologically. In one exemplary implementation, each relevance
factor adds up to three (3) points to the relevance score of an activity item. For example, a
content type factor may increase the score of an activity item by one (1) if it is a "low"
value activity item, and as much as three (3) if it is a "high" value activity item. Similarly,
based on whether the publisher is a close friend, acquaintance, or in another personal
relationship to the user, up to three points may be added to the relevance score of the
activity item. With respect to the amount of interaction (comments, for example), certain
numbers of comments may be associated with certain numbers of additional points being
added to the relevance score of the activity item—in one possible scenario, one comment
equals one point, between two and four comments equals two points, and five or more
comments equals three points. Points may be deducted from the relevance score as the
age of the activity item increases—in one possible scenario, activity items lose one point
per day
[0025] Factor selection criteria 164 may be useful in establishing relevance formula 180.
Factor selection criteria 164 represent any information usable by SNARS 101 or user 111
for decision-making regarding interestingness of activity items 105. As such, factor
selection criteria 164 may be received from user 111, or received in other ways, such as by
being programmed into SNARS 101, obtained by SNARS 101 using heuristics, or
received from a third party (for example, a local or remote service). Examples of factor
selection criteria 164 include but are not limited to: information about user 111 (such as
user profiles, user preferences, user identities, information collected based on previous
activities of the user with respect to SNARS 101 or other services, and electronic
affiliations of user 111 with other people or services as determined by user communities,
buddy lists or service subscriptions); temporal references (such as times, dates, or time
zone data); and information related to activity items (such as data item type/format,
subject, publisher, parental control ratings, presentation formats or quality,
price/promotions, genre, source, titles, artists, and the like.) To address privacy concerns,
user 111may have control over whether and/or which information about user 111 is
collected and used by SNARS 101.
[0026] With respect to the time-dependent portion of relevance formula 180, at least one
factor is based on a dynamic relationship between user 111 and the particular activity item
105. Examples of such dynamic relationships include but are not limited to: the
relationship between the user (or others in the user's social network) and the publisher of
the activity item; an explicit or inferred interest of the user in the subject; and the amount
of interaction the user or others in the user's social network have had with the activity item
or the subject of the activity item. The time-dependent portion also generally includes at
least one factor based on the publishing time of the activity item.
[0027] In one exemplary scenario, the dynamic relationship factor is weighted such that it
has more influence over the relevance score than other factors of the relevance formula.
In an exemplary scenario that illustrates the effect of such increased weighting, consider
the following: user 111 communicates frequently with a publisher or subject of a
particular activity item 105, or places the publisher or subject in a particular explicit
relationship with him/herself (e.g., "family"); this dynamic relationship is weighted such
that it is more influential on the relevance score 163 of the activity item than, for example,
the statically-defined subject of the activity item.
[0028] From time-to-time relevance formula 180 and/or factors or weightings thereof may
be updated automatically or manually, and the updated relevance formula may be used to
calculate new relevance scores 163 for the same or a different set of activity items, which
may be re-presented to the user in the new relevance order. The sets of activity items may
include new activity items 115, old activity items 106, or combinations thereof. Updated
relevance formulas may be requested by client-based applications either as executable
code or as data to a function when retrieving activity items 105.
[0029] With continuing reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an
exemplary method for using aspects of SNARS 101 to present certain activity items to a
particular user of a client-side electronic device (such as certain activity items 105
published via a particular group 103 of social networking resources 102 within the social
network of a particular user, such as user 111, of client-side electronic 120) in an order
related to a notion of relevance, or interestingness, to the particular user. Specifically, a
relevance formula, such as relevance formula 180, is identified and evaluated to calculate
a relevance score, such as relevance score 163, for each activity item. The relevance score
is used to determine the order of presentation of the activity item to the user.
[0030] The method illustrated in FIG. 2 may be implemented by computer-executable
instructions (such as computer-executable instructions 306, shown and discussed in
connection with FIG. 3) that are stored in a computer-readable storage medium (computerreadable
storage media 304 are also shown and discussed in connection with FIG. 3) and
executed by one or more general, multi-purpose, or single-purpose processors (such as
processor 302, also shown and discussed in connection with FIG. 3). Unless specifically
stated, the methods or steps thereof are not constrained to a particular order or sequence.
In addition, some of the methods or steps thereof can occur or be performed concurrently.
[0031] The method begins at block 202, where a group of online social networking
resources, such as group 103 of social networking resources 102, is identified. The group
of social networking resources may be all or a portion of the social network (not shown) of
user 111 of CED 120.
[0032] Next, at block 204, activity items that are published from time-to-time via at least
some of the social networking resources within the group of block 202 are identified. In
an exemplary scenario, network- or client-based SNARS 101 uses one or more APIs 107
to identify and retrieve (in a push or pull manner) activity items 105 that have been
published in a certain timeframe from server(s)/service(s) 130. A client-side electronic
device may store the set of retrieved activity items. Generally, an entity (the activity item
publisher or another entity) responsible for controlling social networking resources
provides APIs 107 and/or network- or client-based interfaces (not shown), which facilitate
retrieval of activity items and provide information about such activity items in the form of
metadata. Exemplary information includes but is not limited to information about
publishers and times of publication.
[0033] At block 206, at a selected time, a set of activity items is formed. The set includes
activity items having different publishers, which were published via different online social
networking resources. The selected time may be periodic (for example, a set of activity
items may be formed automatically at regular intervals, such as a certain number of
minutes, hours, or days), or may occur at irregular time intervals, such as upon user
request or the accumulation of a certain number of new activity items. The set of activity
items may include new activity items 115), old activity items 106, or any combination
thereof.
[0034] As indicated at block 208, for each activity item in the set formed at block 206, a
dynamic relationship between the user of the client-side electronic device and either the
subject of the activity item or the publisher activity item or both is identified. Generally,
the dynamic relationship is one of a possible number of factors (which may be
individually or collectively weighted) that form a time-dependent metric of a selected
relevance formula. Another example of a time-dependent factor is the publishing time of
the activity item. As discussed above, it will be appreciated that there are many possible
time-independent and time-dependent factors, as well as factor selection criteria and
sources thereof, which may be used/combined to define relevance formula 180.
Relevance formula 180 may also be modified or replaced from time-to-time, such as when
new relevance factors are determined, or the weights of various factors are adjusted based
on heuristics or user feedback.
[0035] Examples of the dynamic relationship include but are not limited to: the
relationship between the user (or others in the user's social network) and the publisher of
the activity item; an explicit or inferred interest of the user in the subject; and the amount
of interaction the user (or others in the user's social network) have had with the activity
item or the subject of the activity item. In one possible implementation, factors based on
the dynamic relationship are weighted such that they have more influence on the timedependent
metric. For example, encoding the fact that a user communicates frequently
with a publisher of an activity item or a subject of an activity item, or a publisher or
subject that has a relatively high status (such as "family" status) in the context of certain
social networking resources, may result in the dynamic relationship factor of activity items
having that publisher or subject receiving a relatively larger weight than other factors of a
selected relevance formula.
[0036] Using the relevance formula 180, as indicated at block 210, a relevance score 163
is calculated for each activity item in the set. In the case where a client-based SNARS 101
receives (for example, requests) activity items 105 from server(s)/service(s) 130, in one
possible implementation the current relevance formula 180 is also retrieved (from a
server-based SNARS 101, for example), and inputs to the relevance formula 180 for each
activity item are generated. If the relevance formula has changed since the client last
received or ordered activity items, the relevance scores of older activity items may be r e
determined using the current relevance formula, either separately or relative to the newlyretrieved
activity items.
[0037] At block 212, based on the calculated relevance scores, a presentation order for
each activity item in the set is determined. Activity items may be presented in order of
ascending or descending relevance scores. Finally, as indicated at block 214, the activity
items are presented to the user in accordance with the presentation order determined at
block 212.
[0038] With continuing reference to FIGs. 1 and 2, FIG. 3 is a simplified functional block
diagram of an exemplary operating environment 300, with which aspects of SNARS 101
may be implemented or used. Operating environment 300 is indicative of a wide variety
of general-purpose, special-purpose, client- or server-based, stand-alone or networked
computing environments. Operating environment 300 may be, for example, a type of
computer, such as a workstation, a server, a client-side electronic device, or any other type
of stand-alone or networked computing device or component thereof now known or later
developed. Operating environment 300 may also be a distributed computing network or
Internet-based service, for example.
[0039] One or more components shown in FIG. 3 may be packaged together or separately
to implement functions of operating environment 300 (in whole or in part) in a variety of
ways. As shown, bus(es) 321 carries data, addresses, control signals and other
information within, to, or from computing environment 300 or components thereof.
[0040] Communication interface(s) 310 are one or more physical or logical elements that
enhance the ability of operating environment 300 to receive information from, or transmit
information to, another operating environment (not shown) via a communication medium.
Examples of communication media include but are not limited to: wireless or wired
signals; computer-readable storage media; computer-executable instructions;
communication hardware or firmware; and communication protocols or techniques.
[0041] Specialized hardware/firmware342 represents any hardware or firmware that
implements functions of operating environment 300. Examples of specialized
hardware/firmware 342 include encoder/decoders ("CODECs"), decrypters, applicationspecific
integrated circuits, secure clocks, and the like.
[0042] A processor 302, which may be one or more real or virtual processors, controls
functions of operating environment 300 by executing computer-executable instructions
306 (discussed further below).
[0043] Computer-readable storage media 304 represent any number and combination of
local or remote components, in any form, now known or later developed, capable of
recording or storing computer-readable data, such as instructions 306 (discussed further
below) executable by processor 302, and including but not limited to activity items 105
and 106, relevance scores 160, relevance algorithms 180, factor selection criteria 164, and
factors 161/162. In particular, computer-readable media 304 may be, or may include
persistent memory or main memory, and may be in the form of: a semiconductor memory
(such as a read only memory ("ROM"), any type of programmable ROM ("PROM"), a
random access memory ("RAM"), or a flash memory, for example); a magnetic storage
device (such as a floppy disk drive, a hard disk drive, a magnetic drum, a magnetic tape, or
a magneto-optical disk); an optical storage device (such as any type of compact disk or
digital versatile disk); a bubble memory; a cache memory; a core memory; a holographic
memory; a memory stick; or any combination thereof.
[0044] Computer-executable instructions 306 represent any signal processing methods or
stored instructions that electronically control predetermined operations on data. In
general, computer-executable instructions 306 are implemented as software programs
according to well-known practices for component-based software development, and
encoded in computer-readable media (such as one or more types of computer-readable
storage media 304). Software programs may be combined or distributed in various ways.
Among other things, functional aspects of activity item collector 140 and relevance
calculator 142 are implemented using computer-executable instructions.
[0045] User interface(s) 316 represent a combination of presentation tools and controls
that define the way a user, such as a user of a client-side electronic device, interacts with
operating environment 300. One type of user interface 316 is a graphical user interface
("GUI"), although any known or later developed type of user interface is possible.
Presentation tools are used to receive input from, or provide output to, a user. An example
of a physical presentation tool is a display such as a monitor device. An example of a
logical presentation tool is a data organization technique (for example, a window, a menu,
or a layout thereof). Controls facilitate the receipt of input from a user. An example of a
physical control is an input device such as a remote control, a display, a mouse, a pen, a
stylus, a trackball, a keyboard, a microphone, or a scanning device. An example of a
logical control is a data organization technique (for example, a window, a menu, or a
layout thereof) via which a user may issue commands. It will be appreciated that the same
physical device or logical construct may function as an interface for both inputs to, and
outputs from, a user.
[0046] Various aspects of an operating environment and an architecture/techniques that
are used to implement aspects of SNARS 101 have been described. It will be understood,
however, that all of the described elements need not be used, nor must the elements, when
used, be present concurrently. Elements described as being computer programs are not
limited to implementation by any specific embodiments of computer programs, and rather
are processes that convey or transform data, and may generally be implemented by, or
executed in, hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.
[0047] Although the subject matter herein has been described in language specific to
structural features and/or methodological acts, it is also to be understood that the subject
matter defined in the claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts
described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as
example forms of implementing the claims.
[0048] It will further be understood that when one element is indicated as being
responsive to another element, the elements may be directly or indirectly coupled.
Connections depicted herein may be logical or physical in practice to achieve a coupling
or communicative interface between elements. Connections may be implemented, among
other ways, as inter-process communications among software processes, or inter-machine
communications among networked computers.
[0049] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or
illustration. Any implementation or aspect thereof described herein as "exemplary" is not
necessarily to be constructed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations or
aspects thereof.
[0050] As it is understood that embodiments other than the specific embodiments
described above may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the
appended claims, it is intended that the scope of the subject matter herein will be governed
by the following claims.
CLAIMS
What is claimed is:
1. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer-executable
instructions which, when executed by a processor associated with a client-side electronic
device, perform a method comprising:
identifying a group of online social networking resources;
from time to time, identifying activity items comprising items of social networking
content that have been published via online social networking resources within the group
of online social networking resources, each activity item having a publisher and a subject,
and having been published at a publishing time;
at a selected time, forming a set of identified activity items, the set including
activity items having different publishers and published via different online social
networking resources;
for each activity item in the set, identifying a dynamic relationship between a user
of the client-side electronic device and either the subject of the activity item or the
publisher of the activity item or both;
for each activity item in the set, calculating a relevance score using a relevance
formula based on the dynamic relationship;
based on the calculated relevance score, determining a presentation order for each
activity item in the set; and
via the client-side electronic device, presenting each activity item in the set to the
user in accordance with the determined presentation order.
2. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the method
further comprises:
storing the set;
at a time after the selected time, identifying an updated relevance formula,
different from the relevance formula; and
for each activity item in the stored set, calculating a new relevance score using the
new relevance formula;
based on the calculated new relevance scores, determining a new presentation
order for each activity item in the stored set; and
presenting each activity item in the stored set to the user of the client-side
electronic device in accordance with the determined new presentation order.
3. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the method
further comprises:
at a subsequent time after the selected time, identifying at least one new activity
item comprising an item of social networking content that was published via an online
social networking resource within the group of online social networking resources, the
new activity item having a publisher and a subject, and having been published at a
publishing time after the publishing times of each of the activity items of the set;
forming a new set of activity items, the new set including the set of identified
activity items and the new activity item;
for each activity item in the new set, identifying the dynamic relationship between
the user of the client-side electronic device and either the subject of the activity item or the
publisher of the activity item or both;
for each activity item in the new set, calculating a relevance score using the
relevance formula;
based on the calculated relevance scores, determining a new presentation order for
each activity item in the new set; and
presenting each activity item in the new set to the user of the client-side electronic
device in accordance with the new presentation order.
4. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1,
wherein the relevance formula includes at least one time-dependent portion and at
least one time-independent portion, the dynamic relationship a factor associated with the
time-dependent portion.
5. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 4, wherein the method
further comprises:
assigning a first weight to the at least one time-independent portion; and
assigning a second weight to the at least one time-dependent portion,
the relevance scores calculated based on the assigned first and second weights.
6. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein for each
activity item, the dynamic relationship is selected from the group comprising: an online
relationship between the publisher and the user; an explicit or inferred interest of the user
in the subject; and an amount of online interaction other people in the user's social
network have had with the activity item or subject.
7. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the plurality
of online publishers comprise members of the user's social network.
8. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein identifying
activity items comprises receiving activity items from an online server, and wherein the
relevance formula is received from the online server.
9. A system for reporting social networking activity to a user of a client-side
electronic device, the system comprising:
a computer-readable storage medium; and
a processor responsive to the computer-readable storage medium and to one or
more computer programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium, the one or
more computer programs, when loaded into the processor, operable to perform a method
comprising:
identifying a group of online social networking resources,
from time to time, receiving from an online server activity items comprising items
of social networking content that have been published via online social networking
resources within the group of online social networking resources, each activity item
having a publisher and a subject, and having been published at a publishing time,
at a selected time, forming a set of identified activity items, the set including
activity items having different publishers and published via different online social
networking resources,
for each activity item in the set, identifying a dynamic relationship between a user
of the client-side electronic device and either the subject of the activity item or the
publisher of the activity item or both,
receiving a relevance formula from the online server, the relevance formula
including at least one time-dependent portion and at least one time-independent portion,
the dynamic relationship a factor associated with the time-dependent portion,
for each activity item in the set, calculating a relevance score using the relevance
formula,
based on the calculated relevance score, determining a presentation order for each
activity item in the set, and
via the client-side electronic device, presenting each activity item in the set to the
user in accordance with the determined presentation order.
10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the method further comprises
storing the set,
at a time after the selected time, identifying an updated relevance formula,
different from the relevance formula, and
for each activity item in the stored set, calculating a new relevance score using the
new relevance formula,
based on the calculated new relevance scores, determining a new presentation
order for each activity item in the stored set, and
presenting each activity item in the stored set to the user of the client-side
electronic device in accordance with the determined new presentation order.
11. The system according to claim 9, wherein time-independent portion includes a
factor based on the subject of the activity item.
12. The system according to claim 9, wherein for each activity item, the dynamic
relationship is selected from the group comprising: an online relationship between the
publisher and the user; an explicit or inferred interest of the user in the subject; and an
amount of online interaction other people have had with the activity item or subject.