Abstract: A social networking system presents suggestions to a user of a social networking system to use or install one or more applications accessible in the system. The social networking system offers suggestions by ranking candidate applications for a particular user and selecting applications to recommend based on the rankings. Advertisers associated with some applications may bid to boost the rankings of an application, making it more likely to appear for a given user.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically locating web-based social network members are provided. According to one embodiment, contact content including an associated GPS identifier and status for web-based social network members located at or near the same location automatically appears on a GPS-enabled device. A further exemplary system includes a GPS-enabled device configured to receive a GPS identifier and a status representing a location and a current state for a web-based social network member, a processing module that associates the received GPS-identifier and the received status, and a communications module that sends the associated GPS-identifier and status to a server comprising a web-based social network database. Contact content in a web-based social network database record in the web-based social network database is updated to include the associated GPS identifier and status for the web-based social network member.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a geo-social networking system determines a user's current location, calculates a novelty score for the location representing the user's degree of familiarity, and surfaces content within a geographic and temporal radius based on the novelty score for display to the user.

Abstract: When a request to connected a requesting user to a target user is received by the social networking system, information associated with the requesting user and with users connected to the target user is retrieved. A fraud probability score indicating a probability that the requesting user is impersonating a user connected to the target user is determined based on the information associated with the requesting user and with users connected to the target user. Based on the fraud probability score, a determination is made whether the requesting user is a suspected imposter and remedial action is taken if imposter is suspected.

Abstract: A social networking system associates a wish list with a user's profile on the system. Additional users connected to the user may add products to the user to the user's wish list. The user is notified of products added to its wish list, allowing the user to approve or reject addition of the products to its wish list. Allowing other users to add products to a user's wish list creates a dialog between users around the added products. Users may also comment on products presented via a wish list page, allowing conversations to be created between users about various products on a user's wish list, enabling further conversation between users.

Abstract: A social networking system generates stories based on actions taken by entities of the social networking system. The system applies a set of rules to the stories to categorize each story and displays the news feed as multiple sections, each displaying a category of generated stories. A story may be categorized according to its content and/or the user associated with the story. In addition to stories about a user's direct connections, stories may be generated by the user's soft connections. Supplemental content may be generated based on a section of the newsfeed currently being accessed and displayed in a related content unit adjacent to a news feed section.

Abstract: A sponsored interface of a social networking system includes links to different items accessible in the system, arranged by category. Each of the items is associated with a category from a plurality of categories. The social networking system may enable advertisers to boost the ranking of an item in the interface per user, such as a bookmark in a menu of bookmarks, a notification in a menu of notifications, and/or a message in a menu of messages, based on a fee arrangement. The items in the interface are then ranked based on expected fee maximization, taking into account an expected click-through rate.

Abstract: Tooling and methods for co-molding a body with two different materials. An internal die assembly comprising at least two parts allows for placement of a component and co-molding of the body around the component and then removal of the internal die assembly without disturbing the body.

Abstract: A social network allows its members to regulate what data is accessible to other members using one or more privacy settings. A particular member of the social network can modify the one or privacy settings to grant or deny different users access to different data. When a member modifies a privacy setting, the social network determines which information pathways communicating data between members are affected. The affected information pathways are then modified responsive to the privacy setting to communicate data identified by the modified privacy setting and enforce the new privacy restrictions.

Abstract: Markup language documents including server side scripting code using PHP syntax are executed efficiently in response to requests received by a server. The processing of the markup language document results in generation of a transformed markup language document that is returned in response to the request. The server side script code is input to a compiler that generates C++ code (or code in any object-based language based on C language) implementing the functionality of the server side script code. The C++ code is compiled to generated object code which is executed in order to process the markup language document. The generated C++ code includes functionality supported by PHP language including redeclaration of functions, dynamic variables, global variables, and the like. The generated C++ code invokes memory allocation code that allocates and deallocates objects obtained by instantiating the generated C++ classes.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and system for recovering a distributed system from a failure of a data storage unit. The distributed system includes a plurality of computer systems, each having a read-write computer and a data storage unit. Data is replicated from a particular data storage unit to other data storage units using publish-subscribe model. A read-write computer receives the replicated data, processes the data for any conflicts and stores it in the data storage unit. If a data storage unit fails, another data storage unit that has latest data corresponding to the failed data storage unit is determined and the latest data is replicated to other data storage units. Accordingly, the distributed system continues to have the data of the failed data storage unit. The failed data storage unit may be reconstructed using data from one of the other data storage units in the distributed system.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes determining a power consumption profile for a device. Status information for the device may be received, wherein the status information comprises power status and network connectivity status. Using a resource-control algorithm and based on the status information and the power consumption profile, a schedule for sending push events to the device may be determined. Content to be provisioned to the device may be identified, and the scheduled push events may be sent to the device, in order to provision the identified content to the device. The resource-control algorithm may be further based on one or more device-based consumption factors, such as a periodic data usage transfer limit with respect to a specified network and a data usage status with respect to the specified network, or system-wide consumption factors, such as a power threshold that applies across all devices.

Abstract: A social networking system leverages information obtained regarding user interactions with applications hosted through the social networking system as well as information obtained regarding purchases of application-related digital items and digital currencies to provide insight into user behavior. The social networking system can use these insights to enhance the user's experience of the applications, purchases, and the social networking system generally. For example, the social networking system can customize transaction flows, provide credit referrals, and provide users with aggregated yet personally tailored sales information.

Abstract: The functionality of a browser application is enhanced using a browser plug-in, which enables the browser application to access portions of a file system not otherwise accessible to the browser application. The enhanced functionality provided by the browser plug-in is used in one example by an image uploading web application. The browser application may also start a task in the background, such as a task for uploading several images, and then monitor the progress of the task even when the browser application navigates away from the page that initiated the task. The browser application may use a local web server running on the client device to perform tasks, including the rendering of images and monitoring progress of long running tasks.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a cover feed interaction history from a device associated with a user of a social-networking system. An order for a plurality of content boards may be determined based on the cover feed interaction history (e.g., viewing history, download status, the current order of content boards in the cover feed, user interaction history, whether the user bookmarked or pinned a particular content board), user information related to the user, and device information about device-based events and device status. Finally, the order for the content boards may be sent to the device. The determination of the order for the content boards may be based on the cover feed interaction history, recency of content included in the content boards, popularity of the content, relevance of content to the user, or device-based events.

Abstract: In one embodiment, user information for a user of a social-networking system is retrieved. Device information is determined for a device associated with the user. Based on the device information or the user information, content associated with the user is retrieved. Using the retrieved content, a content board is composed for use in a cover feed displayed on the device The content board may comprise a background image. Finally, the content board is sent to the device. In one embodiment, updated information for content associated with the user is retrieved. The updated information may be associated with content that was included in a previously-provided content board. Using the updated information, an update to the previously-provided content boards is composed. Finally, the updates may be sent to the previously-provided content boards to the device.

Abstract: A method includes: determining a first user interaction on a social network system; identifying a social network object in the social network system associated with the first user interaction by traversing a social graph of the social network system; identifying a user account based on the first user interaction; generating an implicit social graph connection between the user account and the social network object; and selecting a content entry for displaying to a user device signed-in under the user account or a friend account based on the implicit social graph connection, the friend account socially connected to the user account via the social graph of the social network system.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes accessing local storage on the computing device. The local storage includes multiple local-storage slots that each currently correspond to a domain or sub-domain and includes one or more resources for a structured document associated with the particular domain or sub-domain. Each of the resources has a timestamp indicating when it was last used by the computing device. The method further includes identifying based on the timestamps one or more resources to be discarded from the local storage.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes accessing local storage on a computing device to render a structured document. The structured document corresponds to a first domain or sub-domain and includes an inline-frame element that corresponds to a second domain or sub-domain. The local storage includes one or more first local-storage slots that are reserved for resources associated with the first domain or sub-domain and one or more second local-storage slots that are reserved for resources associated with the second domain or sub-domain. The method further includes loading one or more resources for rendering the structured document from the first local-storage slots and loading one or more resources for rendering the structured document from the second local-storage slots.

Abstract: In particular embodiments, a method comprises maintaining a database of connections between a plurality of members of an online social network, creating a new entry for a new user in the database responsive to the new user joining the online social network, determining whether the new user joined the online social network in response to a request from an existing user of the online social network, and if the new user joined the online social network in response to a request from the existing user, then sending a prompt to the new user to confirm the relationship between the new user and the existing user.

Abstract: A messaging system facilitates communication between users through various messaging channels. The messaging system supports multiple communication channels and includes a messaging module that automatically selects one or more of the messaging channels for delivering a message to a recipient of the message using, for example, a set of policy rules or a trained model. The messaging module may also provide, in a user interface for sending and receiving messages, a visual indication of the selected messaging channel to the sender of the message to provide the user with transparency about how the message will be delivered. Additionally, the message may be delivered via multiple messaging channels, where the messaging module may rescind messages from some of the messaging channels upon receiving a reply from the recipient of the message or other confirmation that the recipient has seen the message via one of the communication channels.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a user of a social networking system requests to look up a contact's communication channel information in the user's address book. The social networking system provides to the user the contact's communication channels in an ordered sequence based on the user's social graph and communication information.

Abstract: A social networking system notifies its users of different events and actions taking place inside the social networking system. To present notifications that are most likely to be of interest to the user, the social networking system observes the interactions of the user with notifications presented to the user and suggests an option to opt-out of notifications associated with a source based on the observed interactions. The option to opt-out of notifications associated with the source may be presented if the users interactions with the notifications presented are below a threshold. Notifications associated with a social group are presented to the user based on factors describing the group and the relation between the user and other users of the social group, for example, seniority of the user, size of the group, and the rate at which user actions associated with the group are received.

Abstract: A system forms sub-groups from a given user group of a social networking system and form descriptions of the sub-groups that provide an intuitive understanding of sub-group composition, such as likings of the sub-groups. In one embodiment, a given user group of a social networking system is clustered into a plurality of sub-groups, and representative characteristics—such as the characteristics of a composite or actual member of the sub-group—are determined for each sub-group. In order to form sub-group descriptions, a set of objects, such as pages of the social networking system, is ranked with respect to the representative characteristics of the sub-group. The highest-ranking objects for a sub-group are then used to form the description of that sub-group. For example, the topics associated with each of the highest-ranking pages can be combined into the sub-group description.

Abstract: A social networking system stores a plurality of objects and displays advertisements related to the objects to users of the system. If a user dislikes an advertisement, the user may provide explicit negative feedback for the advertisement. When the social networking system receives the negative feedback, a list of reasons for the user's dislike is presented to the user, who may select one or more of the reasons. If the user selects a user-specific reason, the object represented by the advertisement is added to a negative interests list for the user. If the user selects an advertisement-specific reason, the negative feedback is used to determine a quality score for the advertisement.

Abstract: A social networking system generates metrics for one or more advertisements based on client device ownership. Social networking system users are identified as owners of client devices. For example, a social networking system user is identified as owning a client device if the user's user account was accessed using a native software application or a web browsing application associated with the client device. Exposures to one or more advertisements by the identified owners are determined and used to generate advertising metrics with respect to the client devices owned by the owners. The metrics may be segmented or organized based on various client device types.

Abstract: Advertisements in a social networking system may be targeted to searching users in relation with a real-time search engine operated by a social networking system. Ads are targeted to users based in part on social information included in a structured search query and/or search results on a page. In a typeahead search, a user of the social networking system may receive prefix search results of objects in the search box. The prefix search results are ranked by relevance to the user, and advertisers may bid for particular objects to increase their ranking in the results list. An option may be provided to a viewer of search query results to buy an ad that would be seen by other users who performed the same search query, received a targeted search result, or based on targeting criteria as determined by the viewer bidding on the ad.

Abstract: Advertisements in a social networking system may be targeted to searching users in relation with a real-time search engine operated by a social networking system. Ads are targeted to users based in part on social information included in a structured search query and/or search results on a page. In a typeahead search, a user of the social networking system may receive prefix search results of objects in the search box. The prefix search results are ranked by relevance to the user, and advertisers may bid for particular objects to increase their ranking in the results list. An option may be provided to a viewer of search query results to buy an ad that would be seen by other users who performed the same search query, received a targeted search result, or based on targeting criteria as determined by the viewer bidding on the ad.

Abstract: Advertisements in a social networking system may be targeted to searching users in relation with a real-time search engine operated by a social networking system. Ads are targeted to users based in part on social information included in a structured search query and/or search results on a page. In a typeahead search, a user of the social networking system may receive prefix search results of objects in the search box. The prefix search results are ranked by relevance to the user, and advertisers may bid for particular objects to increase their ranking in the results list. An option may be provided to a viewer of search query results to buy an ad that would be seen by other users who performed the same search query, received a targeted search result, or based on targeting criteria as determined by the viewer bidding on the ad.

Abstract: An analysis system analyzes known user affinities to identify particular objects that serve as useful predictors of whether a given user will have an affinity for a given topic, even if the user has not previously expressly specified an affinity for that topic. Specifically, both the topic group of users associated with a given topic and the category group of users associated with the topic's more general category are identified. For each of a set of objects, degrees of divergence between the topic group and the category group are evaluated for a criterion evaluated with respect to the object. A topic profile is created based on objects for which there is a high degree of divergence.

Abstract: A social networking system generates a newsfeed for a user to view when accessing the social networking system. Candidate stories associated with users of the social networking system are selected and an expected value score for each candidate story is determined. An expected value score is based on the probability of a user performing various types of interactions with a candidate story and a numerical value for each type of interaction. The numerical value for a type of interaction represents a value to the social networking system of the type of interaction. Based on the expected value scores, the candidate stories are ranked and the ranking used to select candidate stories for the newsfeed.

Abstract: A social networking system notifies its users of different events and actions taking place inside the social networking system. To present notifications that are most likely to be of interest to the user, the social networking system observes the interactions of the user with notifications presented to the user and suggests an option to opt-out of notifications associated with a source based on the observed interactions. The option to opt-out of notifications associated with the source may be presented if the users interactions with the notifications presented are below a threshold. Notifications associated with a social group are presented to the user based on factors describing the group and the relation between the user and other users of the social group, for example, seniority of the user, size of the group, and the rate at which user actions associated with the group are received.

Abstract: A system and method of detecting cache inconsistencies among distributed data centers is described. Key-based sampling captures a complete history of a key for comparing cache values across data centers. In one phase of a cache inconsistency detection algorithm, a log of operations performed on a sampled key is compared in reverse chronological order for inconsistent cache values. In another phase, a log of operations performed on a candidate key having inconsistent cache values as identified in the previous phase is evaluated in near real time in forward chronological order for inconsistent cache values. In a confirmation phase, a real time comparison of actual cache values stored in the data centers is performed on the candidate keys identified by both the previous phases as having inconsistent cache values. An alert is issued that identifies the data centers in which the inconsistent cache values were reported.

Abstract: Social networking system users generate news stories including a link to news content external to the social networking system. The news stories may be filtered based on filter criteria allowing a viewing user to more easily identify news stories of interest. For example, the news stories may be filtered to identify news stories associated with a user connected to the viewing user, to identify news stories associated with a news source, to identify news stories associated with a key word, or based on previous interactions by the viewing user. The identified news stories may be ranked based on popularity of the identified news stories among other users, chronological data, and the viewing user's own interest and activity associated with a news source or news story.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a social-networking system, a query for content that has been changed, added to, or updated on the social-networking system by a first user of the social-networking system, wherein the query is received from a third-party system that is separate from and external to the social-networking system; determining, by the social-networking system, whether content associated with the first user has been changed, added to, or updated on the social-networking system; and sending information to the third-party system responsive to the query.

Abstract: Based on a request for an advertisement, a social networking system retrieves information about a user and identifies candidate advertisement (“ad”) objects having targeting criteria satisfied by the information about the user. The social networking system selects a candidate ad object based on associated bid prices and sends a description of the selected candidate ad object to an external system including a bid price for the candidate ad object. Based on bid prices of advertisements stored by the external system and bid price from the description, the external system determines an external clearing price for the candidate ad object and communicates the external clearing price to the social networking system. The social networking system determines a fee for serving an advertisement from the selected candidate ad object based on an internal clearing price for the selected candidate ad object and the external clearing price.

Abstract: Systems and methods for digital video stabilization via constraint-based rotation smoothing are provided. Digital video data including a set of image frames having associated time stamps and a set of camera orientation data having associated time stamps may be provided. A smoothed set of camera orientation data may be generated by minimizing a rate of rotation between successive image frames while minimizing an amount of empty regions in a resulting set of smoothed image frames reoriented based on the smoothed set of camera orientation data.

Abstract: Online systems, for example, social networking systems store features describing relations between entities represented in the online system. The information describing the features is represented as a graph. The online system maintains a cumulative feature graph and an incremental feature graph. Feature values based on recent user actions are stored in the incremental graph and feature values based on previous actions are stored in the cumulative graph. Periodically, the information stored in the incremental feature graph is merged with the information stored in the cumulative feature graph. The incremental graph is marked as inactive during the merge and information based on new user actions is stored in an active incremental feature graph. If a request for feature information is received, the feature information obtained from the cumulative feature graph, inactive incremental feature graph and the active incremental feature graph are combined to determine the feature information.

Abstract: In the slideshow which reproduces a content associated with comment information, the reproduction timing of the content can be controlled according to the reproduction timing of the comment information. In a reproduction table, the following are associated with each other: reproduction order; image-document combinations indicated by an image (or the identification information of the image, such as a JPEG file name) and a document (or the identification information of the document, such as a TXT file name); the number of characters in the document; and reproduction time of the image and the document identified by the identification information of the image and the document respectively. The greater the number of characters the document has, the longer the reproduction time the image associated with the document has. Not every image needs to be associated with the document. For example, basic reproduction time of 5 seconds is assigned to image No. 3.

Abstract: Online systems, for example, social networking systems evaluate expressions based on features describing relations between entities represented in the online system. These expressions are represented using an expression language. The expression language allows features to be specified as functions of attributes from user accounts. The expressions support use of variables to represent computations, for example, sub-expressions. The expressions are dynamic, since expressions can be specified and executed at call time. The same set of expressions is used many times, e.g., to compute the same function for multiple feature sets, for example, user accounts. Expressions are preferably represented using postfix representation. However some expressions, for example, expressions using variables are represented as trees. To optimize the expressions at runtime, the expressions are cached using a representation determined to be efficient for executing the expression.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a computing device dynamically determines a current viewing direction with respect to a display of the computing device; the computing device also dynamically directs at least some light emitted by at least a portion of the display toward the current viewing direction.

Abstract: A social networking system generates advertising metrics based on location information. Advertisers provide the social networking system with location information identifying geographic locations of physical sites and/or offline advertisements. Location information received by the social networking system for its users is compared to the location information provided by the advertiser to identify users visiting a physical site or exposed to an offline advertisement. Hence, user visitations to physical sites may be identified and analyzed in order to generate conversion metrics. User exposures to offline advertisements may also be identified and analyzed in order to generate exposure metrics.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and system for implementing an array data type of a programming language using various data structures. The disclosed method includes a plurality of implementations in which the array data type may be implemented. The implementations provide an efficient way to retrieve elements from the array, especially in the order they are inserted into the array. The data structures also minimize the computing resources required to manage and access the array. The disclosed technique also selects one of the many implementations based on criteria such as access pattern or size of the array.

Abstract: Online systems generate predictors for predicting actions of users of the online system. The online system receives requests to generate predictor models for predicting whether a user is likely to take an action of a particular action type. The request specifies the type of action and criteria for identifying a successful instance of the action type and a failure instance of the action type. The online system collects data including successful and failure instances of the action type. The online system generates one or more predictors of different types using the generated data. The online system evaluates and compares the performance of the different predictors generated and selects a predictor based on the performance. The online system returns a handle to access the generated predictor to the requester of the predictor.

Abstract: Physical social actions are conveniently detected, characterized, and provided to a social networking system. This improves the user experience of the social networking system by more thoroughly recording the social actions of users occurring outside a social graph. This has the effect of extending an open social graph, which typically refers to social actions taken outside the social networking system but within a computer network, to physical social actions. By providing characterized physical social actions to the social networking system, the open social graph is extended to include physical social actions.

Abstract: Based on information used by the external system to identify a target user, the external system generates a target user hash identifier that is communicated to the social networking system along with a message. Using information from user profiles maintained by the social networking system, the social networking system generates hash identifiers for its users and compares the target user hash identifier to the generated hash identifiers hash identifiers for social networking system users are generated. The social networking system sends the message to a user associated with a hash identifier generated from user profile information that matches the target user hash identifier. Hence, an external application may communicate with social networking system users without accessing access information about the users maintained by the social networking system.

Abstract: When a user having an age less than a threshold age (a child user) attempts to access an online service or perform actions using the online service, the online service obtains parental authorization from an additional user having a parental relationship to the user. The child user may identify the user having the parental relationship and the online service verifies the validity of the identified user's account, the age of the identified user, and/or a connection between the identified user and the child user having a parental relationship type. The online service may make these verifications based in part social and transactional information associated with the identified user's account. Upon successful verification, the online service allows the identified user to authorize account creation for the child user, and/or manage the account and actions of the child user.

Abstract: A notification system provides notifications to a user associated with multiple user devices. The notification system selects a user device to receive a notification based on user behavior, such as user interactions with the notification system via the user device or acknowledgments of notifications received from user devices. The notification is sent to the selected user device, and the notification system waits for an acknowledgment from the selected notification system for an acknowledgement delay period. If no acknowledgment is received within the acknowledgment delay period, an additional user device is selected and the notification is sent to the additional user device.

Abstract: An influence metric describing the influence of a social networking system object on social networking system users is determined based on affinities between the users and the object. For example, affinities between the associated users and the object are combined to determine the influence metric. Content may be selected for presentation to users based in part on influence metrics of the content. Additionally, influence metrics of objects associated with a user may be combined to determine the relevance of objects associated with the user, which may also be used to select content for presentation to the user.

Abstract: An intelligent synchronization tool ensures access to desired content in a manner that automatically keeps the content current on the portable media device. A variation threshold or user-specified degree of content variation may be introduced among content downloaded to a user's mobile device to prevent the user from becoming bored. Furthermore, intelligent synchronization may automatically populate the portable media device with popular content to save a user time and/or use passive monitoring techniques to ascertain a user's preferences for subsequent population.