Claims:1. A method to expand a website, the method comprising:
a. receiving a filter set
b. determining a reputation associated with the first user; and
c. adding the reputation associated with the first user is high, the second filter to the filter set for the website such that a second online message may be tagged with the second filter to describe the second online message.
2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the usage having one or more users tagging one or more online messages with at least one filter; and removing any filters for the website that have not been used to tag one or more online messages.
3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the displaying an online poll corresponding to the second filter on the website to one or more users with a high reputation.
4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the receiving a second user input corresponding to a poll from a second user
5. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein the displaying the poll from the second user to one or more users with a high reputation for a subject matter associated with the poll.
, Description:Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to data searching methods and systems and, more particularly concerns systems utilizing them.
Background of the Invention
The Internet, and particularly the Worldwide Web, has caused a virtual information explosion. An average user, making use of a conventional web browser, now has available to him a mass of information that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. This includes information available from professional and commercial sources, individuals, and message boards or forums, where users “congregate” to discuss every imaginable topic, and some that are not. With the wealth of information that is available, a new problem has arisen: How can that information be found?
This problem has been addressed by a plethora of “search engines”, which are software programs and information systems that are specifically designed to assist users in finding information. While existing search engines have been adequate, they are limited in their ability to uncover useful information when users are searching. The primary reason is that search engines tend to be language based, and a searcher is not always familiar with the common terminology in his field of search. Also, there may be useful information available which does not conform to the common terminology. It also takes substantial skill or experience to formulate queries that will produce meaningful results. In accordance with the present invention, search results are achieved that are broader and more intelligent than basic keyword searching. This is achieved by imposing a structure on data being searched and utilizing the same structure for search queries. Relevant information is then uncovered by correlating the structure of the data being searched and the structure of the query. Items to be searched can include anything: messages, discussions, articles, polls, transcripts, or anything else that can be linked to or pulled from a database. Search results can be included that are less than 100% relevant, and not just 100% relevant. In the absence of, or in addition to, results that would be generated by a Boolean keyword-only-search, users can retrieve results of some relevance, for example as determined by a set of selectable filter criteria. Consequently, merchants can sell inventory which might otherwise be unseen and/or users can find information which might otherwise stay hidden in an overly strict Boolean search.
The method of the present invention is the glue that holds online speakers together as they seek to use the Worldwide Web to communicate as they do in life. It lets users speak without seeing the spam that fills most message boards; allows interesting conversations to take place without interruption; and gives users the anonymity to talk candidly without fear that their identities may be revealed.
Object of the Invention
The object of the present invention is to elaborate the information in a website.
Another object of the present invention is the disclosure of superior information, then ranks and organizes that information in a way that allows it to be easily packaged and sold to different audiences at different price points.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention transforms ordinary sites into profitable “para-sites.” Para-sites are sites that feed off the work of their own users. A para-site powered by the present invention collects interesting, relevant information by harnessing users to post and organize content, at no cost to the site-operator. Methods and systems embodying the present invention will hereafter be referred to by use of the assignee's trademark TRANSPARENSEE™. Users find sites stickier than other sites because of the high quality of information generated by the present invention. Site owners can restrict access to this information in different ways, allowing the most valuable information to be repackaged and resold to different markets at different price points.
As repositories of filtered information, TRANSPARENSEE™ sites attract users with specific interests. Users who speak intelligently about subjects they know soon find that their opinions on that subject carry more weight—and are heard by more people—than the opinions of others. The weight given to a user’s thoughts on a subject is quantified as the user's “reputation” for knowing that subject.
TRANSPARENSEE™ sites allow users to develop and maintain complex, multi-variable reputations for a wide variety of different subjects. As users develop high reputations for knowing a subject, they gain privileges on the site as a result; as they gain privileges, their investment in the site grows. High-reputation users become reluctant to move conversations off-site because, by leaving, they'll lose the benefits they've gained as high-reputation users.
The high-reputation users tend to remain on TRANSPARENSEE™ sites, and communities develop. These communities are deeply rooted in the site due to the investments their members have made by building reputations. For this reason, community members (and communities) cannot easily be lured away to non-TRANSPARENSEE™ sites. A sticky community of experts sharing information in a highly accessible way attracts new users. New users generate content, develop reputations, and become community members, thus adding to the attractive pull of the community.
These network effects feed upon themselves, building small communities into large ones. The larger a community grows, the more information it has under discussion, the greater the number and expertise of its users, and the stronger a pull it exerts on new members. When a community grows large enough and vibrant enough, it becomes the only logical place for a new user to go in order to learn about or discuss a subject.
The present invention makes it easier for people to communicate, sites that use the present invention quickly attract users. As these users gain reputations, they develop into communities that are hard to displace. Network effects cause these communities to grow quickly. Taken together, this means that the first company to use the reputation feature of the present invention in any market has a substantial first-mover advantage. The bulk of users in that market will end up on TRANSPARENSEE™ sites and will form deep-rooted communities. TRANSPARENSEE™ site reputations are portable. Reputation values are stored at and administered from a central location, allowing users to carry their reputations with them from TRANSPARENSEE™ site to TRANSPARENSEE™ site. In other embodiments, reputation values are stored in a partly or wholly distributed fashion. As the number of TRANSPARENSEE™ sites grows, the company's proprietary database of reputations also grows. When this database has reached a critical mass, it will have tremendous value. Companies that choose to power their sites with the present invention will automatically become members of the TRANSPARENSEE™ Network, allowing them access to a large user base of individuals who may start using their pre-built reputations on the new site right away. Web-site operators to inexpensively gather and distribute “insider speech,” The present invention fill a demand which, though strong, has not been met by any other product.
The invention is equally unique in the way that it allows licensees to precisely target users based on detailed information without invading their individual privacy. The present invention provides several immediate benefits. It promotes the disclosure of superior information, then ranks and organizes that information in a way that allows it to be easily packaged and sold to different audiences at different price points. It makes sites stickier while at the same time allowing licensees to provide advertisers with far more narrowly targeted advertisements than they otherwise could, substantially increasing advertising revenues. And it allows companies to lessen (or eliminate) the cost of hiring moderators to monitor online discussion.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of determining a discussion rating based on multiple factors
Detailed Description of Invention
FIG.1 shows an example of determining a discussion rating based on multiple factors. Fewer, more, and/or different factors can be used. Such factors can also be used to rate filters and other features of the software.
In addition to messages, the Present invention supports polls, articles, transcripts, faxes, Word files, photos, audio and video clips and any other type of data. These types of content can be posted to the system, indexed, searched for, filtered and rated, just like messages.
Posting an interesting fax, photo or Word file would result in a substantial boost to a user's reputation. Indeed, certain types of content are more likely to result in a reputation boost than others. If a user posts an internal memo about bonuses at “Firm 1” to the ““Firm 1”” and “Salary Information” board, his reputation in those areas will skyrocket. It will be clear to everyone using the board that this person works at “Firm 1” and is doing his best to feed good information to others. This effect creates a strong incentive for people to post information proving that they are “insiders.” Polls can only be posted to the system by high-reputation users. At the discretion of the poster, they may be seen only by other high-reputation users. Thus, a user with a high reputation for ““Firm 1”” could create a poll asking other “Firm 1” people questions about the firm. After all, who better to know the best questions to ask than someone who works there? People with high reputations for “Firm 1” might see the following poll the next time they login:
Daffodil asks: “What's the worst thing about
Firm 1's new offices?
o not enough closet space
o horrible shag carpeting
o other _____________
When enough people have answered this poll, Daffodil will have the option of allowing others to see poll results. Allowing only users with high reputations to post and answer polls gives people a substantial incentive to try to obtain a high reputation. Giving them the discretion to send such polls only to other high reputation users provides a way for high reputation users to communicate only among themselves, thus enhancing the prestige—and reward—of having a high reputation.
Users who achieve a high reputation may also publish articles. An article is more complex than a message and can contain images (such as graphs) and other complex attachments. More importantly, an article is posted in a prominent and fixed position on a page, making users more likely to read articles than messages.
As with polls, allowing only users with high reputations to write articles enhances people's desire to obtain a high reputation. Since people raise their reputation by posting good content to the site, this encourages the posting of interesting content.
The Present invention has a “chat” option, but with a difference. Any user party to a chat can choose to push the “record” button at any time. If a chat is being recorded, a red light appears in a corner of the chat window. Recorded chats can be posted to the system just like messages. Chats may be restricted to only high reputation users. Other users won't even be aware that a chat is taking place. Furthermore, when a chat is posted, it may take on the average reputation values of the user’s party to the chat. This encourages users to invite only high reputation people to chat with them if they want their transcripts to be widely seen.
Pending consideration of copyright-related concerns, the software can easily be modified to accept faxes. If this function is implemented, users will be able to fax documents to TRANSPARENSEE™ sites from any location. After the fax goes through, the user's fax machine will print a slip containing a confirmation number.
The next time the user goes to the site they can receive the fax that they sent by clicking the “Receive Fax” button and entering the confirmation number. The fax will then appear on the user's screen and can be posted to the system. It is not necessary to login to receive a fax, and faxes can be posted to the system using any level of anonymity. Again, pending consideration of copyright-related concerns, the software can be modified to accept Word files, photos, and video clips. Just as posting a fax can demonstrate one's insider status and raise one's reputation, so can posting an interesting file, photo, or clip.
One of the greatest advantages of the Present invention lies in the filter selection mechanism. It feeds information to users as they make choices, allowing them to extract information from the database on areas they may know little about.
Consider a law student trying to decide which firms to interview with. The student knows nothing about law firms but knows that he would like to work at a firm with offices in New York, Palo Alto and London.
To obtain information, the student would set his filters as follows:
• Industries=Law
• Locations=New York
• Palo Alto
• London
If he now selects the “Firms” filter, the system will show him a list of law firms with offices in New York, Palo Alto and London. The list might look like this:
• Firms=Brobeck, Phleger
• Coudert Brothers
• Davis Polk
• Gibson Dunn
• Morrison & Foerster
• Shearman & Sterling
• Skadden Arps
• White & Case
These are all law firms with offices in New York, Palo Alto and London. On a conventional bulletin-board system the user would have had to determine for himself which firms have offices in all three locations. This could take hours, but only after doing this research would he know which boards are of interest to him. On a TRANSPARENSEE™ system, the relevant firms are pre-selected.
J. Wireless Clients Supported
The Present invention has been built to accommodate multiple front-ends. Thus, as wireless PDAs (such as Palm Pilots and Blackberries) become more commonly available, a front-end can be provided to make TRANSPARENSEE™ sites accessible from such devices.
The present invention will be particularly useful for PDA users, since the small screen and low bandwidth of PDAs places a premium on the ability to retrieve high quality information quickly. Discussion boards, in their current form, will be virtually inaccessible from PDAs due to the amount of time it takes to find worthwhile information on them, even when using a high bandwidth client. By eliminating low quality information from such boards, the Present invention will make PDAs a viable device for the exchange of information between large numbers of online users.
Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many additions, modifications and substitutions are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims.