Abstract: The present invention relates generally to messaging platforms, and relates more particularly to data storage such that random sampling can be accomplished in real-time in messaging platforms. Aspects of the present invention include storing a bipartite graph with associations of two node types. The graph can be stored as a power law graph. The graph can be used to provide real-time content recommendations in a messaging platform. The content recommendations can be provided using random sampling of the node types stored in the graph.

Abstract: A messaging system automatically populates a stream of messages using only a seed selected by the requesting account holder. In one embodiment, the seed includes the streams of one or more of the “top” accounts of the messaging system . Here, “top” is according to any one of a number of different metrics stored in the messaging system. With knowledge of the seed, the messaging system automatically populates a stream for the requesting account holder, without requiring any other input. As a result, an account holder is provided with a fully functioning stream with very little effort or knowledge required on their part.

Abstract: In one general aspect, a method can include receiving a video loop portion included in a video file and receiving an audio loop portion included in an audio file. The method can include analyzing at least a portion of the audio file based on a musical characteristic and identifying a plurality of segment locations within the audio file based on the analyzing where the plurality of segment locations define a plurality of audio segments of the audio file. The method can also include modifying the video loop portion based on one of the plurality of segment locations in the audio file.

Abstract: Two different user spaces can be mapped to each other based on one or more categories of information that are common to both. The mapping is based on hash values generated by applying the same hash function to the same information of the categories of information that identifies users in each user space.

Abstract: Techniques of the disclosure are directed to sending and receiving messages that allow for content providers to interact with potential recipients and customers. An information distribution system may receive a first message from a content provider via a first client device that includes targeted content, such as a string of characters, an image, a video, and/or some other form of media. The targeted content may also include tags, such as hashtags, which identify or otherwise associate a particular topic with the user-generated content. Further, the targeted content may include a selectable graphical user interface element that a user reading the content may interact with on a second client device. If the user selects the selectable graphical user interface element, the information distribution system may generate a custom message that may be sent on behalf of the user, which may also include a tag, such as a hashtag.

Abstract: Techniques of the disclosure are directed to a computing device creating and outputting, for display at client devices accessing a social media platform, targeted content. The computing device may receive candidate messages composed by users of a group of client devices, where the candidate messages each include a reference to the requisite product, brand, or market. If a candidate message has a determined interest score that satisfies a threshold interest score, the computing device includes the candidate message into a group of brand messages. The computing device may then send the targeted message to be output for display at another group of client devices, where the targeted message includes both an original portion and a carousel portion. The carousel portion includes a group of transitional windows, where each transitional window includes one of the brand messages from the group of brand messages.

Abstract: A method for message selection, including: receiving a request for unviewed messages, the request identifying a context account, ranking the set of unviewed messages according to ranking criteria, where the ranking criteria is used to rank each of the set of unviewed messages based on an engagement history between the context account and an authoring account of the unviewed messages; generating, based on ranking the set of unviewed messages, a result set identifying a subset of the set of unviewed messages, and providing the result set in response to the request.

Abstract: Systems (e.g. data centers) having composable infrastructure, in which computing devices (e.g., servers) access disk drives organized into storage groups over a network or other communications mechanism, devices for implementing such systems, methods for configuring and operating such systems, and a computer readable medium which stores (in non-transitory fashion) code for performing any embodiment of the inventive method or steps thereof. Typically, the storage groups are determined such that the drives in each storage group have at least one coupled failure mechanism, and the drives are allocated to servers (and typically also, data items are placed in the servers) in accordance with storage group membership of the drives. In some embodiments, data from a server is stored in redundant fashion on at least two of the drives, e.g., in accordance a RAID technique.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for providing images in the form of tiny previews in messages of a message stream sent to user devices in an online social messaging platform.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to streaming real-time messages over time to client applications according to query subscriptions that match content from a large stream of messages exchanged on a messaging platform in a manner that increases the speed of message delivery, effectively controls the management of computer resources to handle the fluctuation of the number of active query subscriptions, and/or increases the security of matching the query subscriptions against messages generated from the perspective of the authors while delivering those messages in real-time from the perspective of the users that initiated the query subscriptions.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for reducing unwanted messages or spam within a real-time social networking service. According to certain aspects, a synchronous analysis module may operate in coordination with an asynchronous analysis module. Each of the synchronous analysis module and the asynchronous analysis module analyzes an incoming message from a user account to determine whether the incoming message has characteristics of spam, whereby the synchronous analysis is at a lower latency than the asynchronous analysis. The asynchronous analysis is afforded the ability to identify certain spam characteristics that the synchronous analysis may identify during its lower latency analysis.

Abstract: An example system includes a memory store of aggregate definitions. Each aggregate definition specifies a key value, an output store, a feature, a half-life value, and an aggregate operation metric to apply to a cross of the feature and the half-life value to generate aggregate metrics. The system also includes an aggregation engine that generates aggregate feature records from the input source based on the aggregate definitions and stores the aggregate feature records in the output store. An aggregate feature record includes an aggregate of the metric for the feature decayed over time using the half-life. The system also includes a query service that identifies, using the aggregate definitions, responsive aggregate feature records that satisfy parameters of a received request, applies the half-life to the responsive feature records, and provides the responsive feature records to a requester, the requester using the responsive feature records as input for a neural network.

Abstract: According to an aspect, a method includes receiving, by a client application, a video stream of a live broadcast from a messaging platform, displaying, by the client application, the video stream of the live broadcast on a user interface of the client application, receiving, via a timestamp selector on the user interface, a selection of a time location in a time window of a timeline of the video stream of the live broadcast, generating, by the client application, a timestamp based on the time location received via the timestamp selector, and sending, by the client application, a message that includes the timestamp to the messaging platform to share the video stream of the live broadcast on the messaging platform such that playback of the shared video stream of the live broadcast is configured to start at the time location indicated by the timestamp.

Abstract: A real-time messaging platform allows advertiser accounts to pay to insert candidate messages into the message streams requested by account holders. To accommodate multiple advertisers, the messaging platform controls an auction process that determines which candidate messages are selected for inclusion in a requested account holder's message stream. Selection is based on a bid for the candidate message, the message stream that is requested, and a variety of other factors that vary depending upon the implementation. The process for selection of candidate messages generally includes the following steps, though any given step may be omitted or combined into another step in a different implementation: targeting, filtering, prediction, ranking, and selection.

Abstract: A method includes generating a quadratic penalty based on a first version of a parameter, a first version of the anchor point and a set of Hessian values, training a task using the quadratic penalty, determining a second version of the parameter based on the trained task, determining a second version of the anchor point for the task based a trained task, generating Hessian values for the task based on the trained task, calculating a loss value for a portion of the plurality of tasks based on the second version of the parameter, calculating a loss value for each of the remainder of the plurality of tasks, determining if the loss value satisfies a condition, and in response to determining the loss value satisfies the condition, replace the first version of the parameter with the second version of the parameter in a parameter datastore and in the version control datastore.

Abstract: A system and method for feature switching in software applications. A feature switching action (FSA) is received and at least one user device is identified based on the received FSA. At least one feature switching instruction (FSI) is generated based on the received FSA and the FSI is sent to at least one of the identified user devices. A feature switching instruction response (FSIR) is received from each user device that received a FSI and a feature switching action response (FSAR) is generated based on the received FSIRs.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for audio messaging interface for messaging platform. One of the methods includes receiving, by a first client on a first user device, a request to record an audio message, wherein the first client is configured to provide a user interface for the platform for a user using the first user device who is logged in to a user account on the platform; recording audio through a microphone of the first user device; generating a platform message by (i) generating a video file that includes the recorded audio as an audio portion of the video file and programmatically generated minimal video content as a video portion of the video file, and (ii) including the video file in the platform message; and posting, by the first client, the platform message to the platform, in response to a post request.

Abstract: A method for developing visual data using source data, target data, and a hierarchical algorithm. According to a first aspect, there is provided a method for developing visual data from source data, target data and using a hierarchical algorithm, the method comprising the steps of: determining an alignment between the target data and the source data; and producing the visual data by transferring one or more features of the source data onto one or more features of the target data; wherein, the visual data is produced after the step of determining the alignment between the target data and the source data; and wherein the visual data is produced using the hierarchical algorithm.