Abstract: A social networking system generates socially-relevant stories for a user based on actions taken by other users to whom the user is connected. The social networking system may receive a request for a sponsored story for a viewing user and may select information about one or more actions performed by one or more users to whom the viewing user is connected to identify one of a plurality of candidate information for a sponsored story based on one or more criteria (e.g., affinity of the viewing user for the candidates, expected value for the candidates, etc.). The social networking system may also generate the sponsored story and generate a feed comprising the sponsored story and news stories (e.g., non-sponsored stories) about one or more users of the social networking system with whom the viewing user is connected. This feed may be provided for display to the viewing user.

Abstract: A social networking system generates socially-relevant stories for a user based on actions taken by other users to whom the user is connected. The social networking system may receive a request for a sponsored story for a viewing user and may select information about one or more actions performed by one or more users to whom the viewing user is connected to identify one of a plurality of candidate information for a sponsored story based on one or more criteria (e.g., affinity of the viewing user for the candidates, expected value for the candidates, etc.). The social networking system may also generate the sponsored story and generate a feed comprising the sponsored story and news stories (e.g., non-sponsored stories) about one or more users of the social networking system with whom the viewing user is connected. This feed may be provided for display to the viewing user.

Abstract: A social networking website logs information about actions taken by members of the website. For a particular member of the website, the website generates socially relevant ads for the member based on the actions logged for other members on the website to whom the member is connected (i.e., the member's online friends). The advertiser associated with the social ad may compensate the social networking website for publishing the ad on the website. When presenting a member with a social ad, the website may optimize advertising revenue by selecting an ad from the received ads that will maximize the expected value of the social ad. The expected value may be computed according to a function that includes the member's affinity for the ad content and the bid amount. The technique is also applied for providing socially relevant information off the social networking website.

Abstract: A social networking website logs information about actions taken by members of the website. For a particular member of the website, the website generates socially relevant ads for the member based on the actions logged for other members on the website to whom the member is connected (i.e., the member's online friends). The advertiser associated with the social ad may compensate the social networking website for publishing the ad on the website. When presenting a member with a social ad, the website may optimize advertising revenue by selecting an ad from the received ads that will maximize the expected value of the social ad. The expected value may be computed according to a function that includes the member's affinity for the ad content and the bid amount. The technique is also applied for providing socially relevant information off the social networking website.

Abstract: A web page is composed using a browser that displays an authoring web page containing an authoring tool embedded in the authoring web page. The authoring web page, as displayed in a browser window, includes a web page editing region that displays a web page under construction. The web page editing region further includes one or more user-specified instances of structured fields, each instance responsible for hosting content entered directly by the web page author through the browser window or identified by the web page authoring using the authoring tool. A composed web page is published, for example on the Internet. Thereafter, the composed web page can be rendered in a browser window of any client computer or device in a style consistent with the user-entered content in the web page editing region.

Abstract: A server stores server metadata entries corresponding to data objects, each server metadata entry including a server file name and an identifier, distinct from the server file name, for a respective data object. The server receives client metadata entries from a client, each client metadata entry corresponding to a data object for which at least one metadata parameter has changed since a prior execution of a synchronization process. Each client metadata entry includes a client file name and an identifier, distinct from the client file name, for a respective data object corresponding to the client metadata entry. The server synchronizes the received client metadata entries with corresponding server metadata entries, if any, having identifiers that match said identifiers in the received client metadata entries, without regard to whether the corresponding server metadata entries include server file names that match the client file names in the received client metadata entries.

Abstract: A locally cached file system provides disconnected operation and universal access to data stored on a server system over a network. Changes to files made on a client system are synchronized to the server system asynchronously. A client system operating in synchronized mode maintains copies of files stored on the server system, or at least in user-defined folders of a virtual hard drive established on the server system. Asynchronous file upload and/or download operations are made transparent to the user through an automated background process, whereby in some embodiments meta-data for files to be transferred is sent to the server system first, followed by the files. In some embodiments, transfer order is governed by a user-defined priority policy based on one or more parameters, such as when the files were last modified directory location, file size and/or file type.

Abstract: A method of registering a partner for an advertising program is described. The method includes receiving advertising partner information and creating a partner web page having a format for the partner in accordance with the advertising partner information. The creating may include presenting a plurality of partner web page formats to the partner and receiving a selection of the format from the plurality of partner web page formats.

Abstract: A social networking system generates socially-relevant ads for a user based on actions taken by other users to whom the user is connected. These may be actions taken on, and determined by, an external system, information about which actions can be received by the social networking system and used for matching to an advertisement request. The social networking system may determine a social context for advertising to a user based on the action and may generate an advertisement for the matched ad request that includes an informational message communicating the social context (i.e., an ad with the information message appended to it, a news story for the informational message, etc.). The ad may be targeted to the user based on user affinity for the ad, based on an object interacted with or an action taken by the user's connections on or external to the social networking system, among other criteria.

Abstract: A social networking website logs information about actions taken by members of the website. For a particular member of the website, the website generates socially relevant ads for the member based on the actions logged for other members on the website to whom the member is connected (i.e., the member's online friends). The advertiser associated with the social ad may compensate the social networking website for publishing the ad on the website. When presenting a member with a social ad, the website may optimize advertising revenue by selecting an ad from the received ads that will maximize the expected value of the social ad. The expected value may be computed according to a function that includes the member's affinity for the ad content and the bid amount. The technique is also applied for providing socially relevant information off the social networking website.

Abstract: A social networking system generates socially-relevant stories for a user based on other users (e.g., based on actions taken by other users) to whom the user is connected. These socially-relevant stories, including news stories, social advertisements, etc., may be presented on a web page within a domain of an external system that is different from the domain of the social networking system. When a web page from an external system is requested for a viewing user, the social content about other users who are connected to the viewing user may be provided by the social networking system for that viewing user. This personalized social content may be presented in a frame (e.g., an iframe) of the external web page rendered and provided for display to the viewing user.

Abstract: A social networking system generates socially-relevant stories for a user based on other users (e.g., based on actions taken by other users) to whom the user is connected. These socially-relevant stories, including news stories, social advertisements, etc., may be presented on a web page within a domain of an external system that is different from the domain of the social networking system. When a web page from an external system is requested for a viewing user, the social content about other users who are connected to the viewing user may be provided by the social networking system for that viewing user. This personalized social content may be presented in a frame (e.g., an iframe) of the external web page rendered and provided for display to the viewing user.

Abstract: A social networking website logs information about actions taken by members of the website. For a particular member of the website, the website generates socially relevant ads for the member based on the actions logged for other members on the website to whom the member is connected (i.e., the member's online friends). The advertiser associated with the social ad may compensate the social networking website for publishing the ad on the website. When presenting a member with a social ad, the website may optimize advertising revenue by selecting an ad from the received ads that will maximize the expected value of the social ad. The expected value may be computed according to a function that includes the member's affinity for the ad content and the bid amount. The technique is also applied for providing socially relevant information off the social networking website.

Abstract: A social networking website logs information about actions taken by members of the website. For a particular member of the website, the website generates socially relevant ads for the member based on the actions logged for other members on the website to whom the member is connected (i.e., the member's online friends). The advertiser associated with the social ad may compensate the social networking website for publishing the ad on the website. When presenting a member with a social ad, the website may optimize advertising revenue by selecting an ad from the received ads that will maximize the expected value of the social ad. The expected value may be computed according to a function that includes the member's affinity for the ad content and the bid amount. The technique is also applied for providing socially relevant information off the social networking website.

Abstract: A server stores server metadata entries corresponding to data objects, each server metadata entry including a server file name and an identifier, distinct from the server file name, for a respective data object. The server receives client metadata entries from a client, each client metadata entry corresponding to a data object for which at least one metadata parameter has changed since a prior execution of a synchronization process. Each client metadata entry includes a client file name and an identifier, distinct from the client file name, for a respective data object corresponding to the client metadata entry. The server synchronizes the received client metadata entries with corresponding server metadata entries, if any, having identifiers that match said identifiers in the received client metadata entries, without regard to whether the corresponding server metadata entries include server file names that match the client file names in the received client metadata entries.

Abstract: A client stores client metadata entries corresponding to a plurality of data objects. During a first phase of a synchronization process, the client sends one or more client metadata entries to a server. Each client metadata entry sent corresponds to a data object for which at least one metadata parameter has changed since a prior execution of the synchronization process. During a second phase of the synchronization process, the client receives from the server one or more server metadata entries, each having at least one parameter that has changed since a prior execution of the synchronization process. The client identifies any received server metadata entry that conflicts with a corresponding client metadata entry, requests a user to select from among a predefined set of conflict resolutions to resolve the conflict, and the performs an action in accordance with the conflict resolution selected by the user.

Abstract: A social networking system generates socially-relevant stories for a user based on actions taken by other users to whom the user is connected. The social networking system may receive a request for a sponsored story for a viewing user and may select information about one or more actions performed by one or more users to whom the viewing user is connected to identify one of a plurality of candidate information for a sponsored story based on one or more criteria (e.g., affinity of the viewing user for the candidates, expected value for the candidates, etc.). The social networking system may also generate the sponsored story and generate a feed comprising the sponsored story and news stories (e.g., non-sponsored stories) about one or more users of the social networking system with whom the viewing user is connected. This feed may be provided for display to the viewing user.

Abstract: A social networking system generates socially-relevant stories for a user based on other users (e.g., based on actions taken by other users) to whom the user is connected. These socially-relevant stories, including news stories, social advertisements, etc., may be presented on a web page within a domain of an external system that is different from the domain of the social networking system. When a web page from an external system is requested for a viewing user, the social content about other users who are connected to the viewing user may be provided by the social networking system for that viewing user. This personalized social content may be presented in a frame (e.g., an iframe) of the external web page rendered and provided for display to the viewing user.

Abstract: A method of composing a web page is described. The method includes transmitting an authoring web page including an embedded authoring tool to a client computer using a network. The authoring tool may be used to compose the web page. Web-page content corresponding to the composed web page is received from the client computer. The composed web page may include one or more regions for displaying one or more advertisements having one or more links to one or more content locations. In another aspect of the disclosure, an advertising program registration module may include a link or other mechanism for sending the authoring web page to a publisher registering to participate in the advertising program.

Abstract: A social networking system generates socially-relevant stories for a user based on actions taken by other users to whom the user is connected. The social networking system may receive a request for a sponsored story for a viewing user and may select information about one or more actions performed by one or more users to whom the viewing user is connected to identify one of a plurality of candidate information for a sponsored story based on one or more criteria (e.g., affinity of the viewing user for the candidates, expected value for the candidates, etc.). The social networking system may also generate the sponsored story and generate a feed comprising the sponsored story and news stories (e.g., non-sponsored stories) about one or more users of the social networking system with whom the viewing user is connected. This feed may be provided for display to the viewing user.