Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a reputation system. The reputation system includes a scoring apparatus that provides a matrix of reputation scores for a set of items and a set of dimensions of the items in the reputation system, wherein the matrix comprises unknown values for a subset of the reputation scores. The reputation system also includes an inference apparatus that calculates a factorization of the matrix and uses the factorization to update the matrix with a set of inferred values for the set of reputation scores. Finally, the reputation system includes a ranking apparatus that uses the updated matrix to obtain a ranking of the items by one or more of the dimensions.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method are provided for dynamically generating decorated data for presenting a web page, at the time of rendering the web page. A request for the web page is received at a front-end server, and a template for generating the page's markup language is retrieved (e.g., a template generated using the Dust templating language), which has embedded one or more directives for decorating specified data in an indicated manner. Raw (e.g., undecorated) domain data for the page are received from a back-end store. A decoration engine parses the template, identifies the directives and applies them to generate decorated data in context. Directives may include metadata used by the decoration engine and/or a directives library. A render process is then applied to combine the template and the decorated data to produce the page's markup language (e.g., in HTML), which is transmitted to the client that requested the page.

Abstract: A user may activate an embedded advertisement in an embedded window in a document, such as a web page. This embedded advertisement may be associated with a domain (a granddaughter domain) that is different than the domain associated with the embedded window (a daughter domain) and the domain associated with the document (a parent domain). In older browsers, cross-domain communication may not be supported in this circumstance. This problem is solved by opening a series of windows from the granddaughter domain, each of which is associated with a candidate origin of the document. Then, access commands associated with the windows are communicated to the domain of the document. Only the access command for the window having the correct origin of the domain of the document is processed, which results in content associated with the embedded advertisement being linked at a source and presented or displayed in the embedded advertisement.

Abstract: Techniques for predicting a user response to content are described. According to various embodiments, a configuration file is accessed, where the configuration file includes a user-specification of raw data accessible via external data sources and raw data encoding rules. In some embodiments, the raw data includes raw member data associated with a particular member and raw content data associated with a particular content item. Thereafter, source modules encode the raw data from the external data sources into feature vectors, based on the raw data encoding rules. An assembler module assembles one or more of the feature vectors into an assembled feature vector, based on user-specified assembly rules included in the configuration file. A prediction module performs a prediction modeling process based on the assembled feature vector and a prediction model, to predict a likelihood of the particular member performing a particular user action on the particular content item.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods and systems for providing personal connection alerts. The user desires to have a personal connection with a target person. An indicator for a target is provided by the user. The indicator is often the name of the target, but can also be a picture of the target, or other information. A record for the target is created based on the received indicator. The target record is stored. A variety of additional information regarding the target may be obtained from external or internal sources and also stored in the target record. Then the target record is periodically compared with the user's social sphere of influence, which comprises the user's primary and secondary connections. The comparison includes at least comparing the target with the user's secondary connections. When the target record matches at least one of the user's secondary connections, an alert is provided.

Abstract: A system for visualizing the reach of a post by a member of an on-line social networking system may be designed to increase awareness of the members, as to which degree their posted updates are noticed and reacted to by other members. When a member creates a post, either through the on-line social networking website itself or through an application programming interface (API) that allows to include a share user interface (UI) control on a third web party site, the system monitors events associated with the post, collects statistics with respect to the monitored events and uses this data to generate a visualization of the reach of that post. Example visualization provides the creator of the a sense of how many other members interacted with the post.

Abstract: In one example, a first group of users is selected among a plurality of possible groups based on a score generated for the first group, the score indicating appropriateness of the first group for the first user, the first group of users having a plurality of users. A first user is then added to the first group of users. Then, affinity levels between the first user and other users in the first group of users are measured, the affinity levels indicating how strong logical relationships are between the first user and the other users in the first group of users. The first user is then removed from the first group of users in response to a determination that the affinity level between the first user and the other users in the first group of users has dropped below a preset threshold over time.

Abstract: During a targeting technique, a machine model is generated based on content-interaction data that specifies interactions of users of a social network, with categorical content corresponding to predefined interest segments. The content-interaction data may include viewing of the categorical content and sharing of the categorical content with other users of the social network. This machine-learning model is then used to calculate scores for the users based on the attributes in their profiles that indicate probabilities of their interest in additional categorical content. Moreover, based on the calculated scores, a subset of the users is associated with an interest segment. For example, the users may be ranked based on their calculated scores, and the subset may be those users having scores exceeding a threshold or a predefined value. Furthermore, advertisements may be targeted to the users in the subset based on the association with the interest segment.

Abstract: A technique for determining the impact of multiple users' actions is described. According to this technique, information specifying multiple users' actions is aggregated. This information includes linkages that indicate the initiators of the multiple users' actions. Then, the impacts of the multiple users' actions are determined based on the aggregated information. In particular, the impact of a given user's action includes a direct component performed by the given user and an indirect component performed by other users in a social graph in response to the given user's action, where the social graph includes relationships between the other users and the given user. For example, the multiple users' actions and the social graph may be associated with a website, and the determined impacts may allow traffic and/or revenue of the website to be increased.

Abstract: A fact checking system verifies the correctness of information and/or characterizes the information by comparing the information with one or more sources. The fact checking system automatically monitors, processes, fact checks information and indicates a status of the information.

Abstract: A product deployment system of an electronic document is described. An example product deployment system includes a deployment processor, a remote execution module, and a plan manager. The deployment processor may be configured to receive a request to deploy an application, generated a deployment plan, provide the deployment plan to the plan manager, and trigger a command to be sent from the remote execution module to the target hosts in the target host set. The plan manager provides the deployment plan to the target host set in response to receiving the identification of the deployment plan from the target host set. The plan manager may also monitor execution of the deployment plan by the target host set without saving a state of deployment process that is being performed at the target host set. The plan manager may also react to perceived failures that may occur at the target host set.

Abstract: Disclosed in some examples are methods, systems, and machine-readable mediums which provide a relevance engine for determining a relevance of an individual (either a non-member or another member) to another individual (either a non-member or another member). This relevance engine may use signals in the form of data that the social networking service may learn about the individuals to determine how relevant the individuals are to each other.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a system for analyzing performance in an online professional network. During operation, the system receives time series data for user actions, wherein for each user action, the time series data comprises a series of numbers associated with consecutive time intervals, wherein a given number indicates a number of times the user action occurred during the time interval. The system also receives time series data for performance metrics, wherein for each performance metric, the time series data comprises a series of numbers associated with consecutive time intervals, wherein a given number indicates the number of times the performance metric occurred during the time interval. The system then performs a time series analysis on the received time series data for user actions and performance metrics to determine relationships between the user actions and the performance metrics.

Abstract: Systems and methods for the forming of user device groups are presented. Tuning parameters are pushed to a first user device operated by a first user the tuning parameters specifying weights and/or functions to be applied to data from one or more sensors on the first user device. Tuned data is received from the first user device, the tuned data representing data from the one or more sensors that has been tuned in accordance with the tuning parameters. Then potential membership of the first user in a first group of users is determined based on logical relationship information, by selecting the first group from a plurality of possible groups, the selecting being based on scores generated, for each of the plurality of possible groups, by a candidate scorer module using the tuned data.

Abstract: Example systems and methods of content sharing via social networking are presented. In one example, availability of a first user device to provide media content over a communication network is detected. A second user device is identified via an association of the first user device with the second user device that is specified in a social network. An acceptance by the second user device to receive the media content from the first user device is determined. In response to the acceptance, transmission of the media content provided by the first user device over the communication network to the second user device is initiated.

Abstract: Systems and methods providing users with a rich web experience are disclosed. In one embodiment, a client and at least one server are in communication using a dual communication link. In another embodiment, a markup language based instant messaging application is disclosed. The instant messaging application may include group instant messaging. The instant messaging application may also provide group member persistence and message persistence at the server. In another embodiment, a card based web application is disclosed, where the card information and character may be shared with other users or within a group. The cards may also be configurable by users.

Abstract: During a communication technique, an individual is identified based on a signal that includes vocal sounds of the individual and a voice print of the individual. For example, the voice print may include features characteristic of the individual's voice. Alternatively or additionally, the identification may be based on context information associated with a conversation that includes the individual and/or based on pronunciation of the individual's name. After the individual is identified, content in a social graph, which is associated with the individual, may be accessed and provided. This content may include business information, such as: contact information, education information, a job title, an organization associated with the individual, and/or connections of the individual to other individuals in the social graph.

Abstract: Systems and methods for the forming of user device groups are presented. Logical relationship information describing one-to-one logical relationships among a first user and other users are recorded. Then content from a first user device of the first user and content from a second user device of the second user are received. Based on a determination that the content from the first user device and the content from the second user device were received within a preset amount of time of each other, a first user group in which to add the first user and the second user is created. Then it is determined whether to remove the first or second user from the first user group based on the logical relationship information and the content.

Abstract: Indicating preference for a content contribution is disclosed. A request for information associated with the content contribution is received from a first entity. The status of the content contribution is determined. A response is provided to the first entity. Determining the status of the content contribution includes determining whether a submission of the content contribution was previously received.

Abstract: A statistically overrepresented token in the descriptions of users associated with a target entity may be descriptive of the target entity. This may be true regardless of whether a primary description of the entity includes the overrepresented token. Accordingly, the entity description machine may access multiple descriptions of multiple users associated with the target entity. A portion of the multiple descriptions may each include a token descriptive of the target entity and of a subset of the multiple users. The entity description machine may determine that the token is overrepresented among the tokens within the multiple descriptions and generate a supplemental description of the target entity, where the supplemental description includes the overrepresented token. Once the supplemental description is generated, the entity description machine may use the supplemental description in referencing the target entity.