Abstract: Methods, systems, and media are directed to the creation of a user-controlled, pre-populated personal information profile to be used in conjunction with social networks. The creation of the personal profile information includes electronically transmitting first instructions requesting entry of unique personal identification information of the potential new user, determining the validity of the received unique personal identifier information, and electronically transmitting second instructions requesting entry of profile information of the new user. Furthermore, processing the received profile information to generate a pre-populated personal profile of the new user, electronically transmitting the pre-populated personal profile in a form that is viewable and revisable to facilitate changes thereof, completing the registration process and establishing the newly-registered user personal information profile in the social network site.

Abstract: A method for use in populating a user profile comprises the steps of: determining that a first person within a database of people is associated with a given award within a database of awards; determining that a first project within a database of projects is associated with the given award within a database of awards; and populating the profile for the first person with information associated with the first project.

Abstract: A verticalized collaborative network system for eliciting collaborative participation for a project that includes a communications module to establish communications with verified collaborators and candidate collaborators, a collaborative tagging module to process project and candidate collaborator information identifying potential participants corresponding to the project and their respective contact information, and one or more storage devices configured to store attributes of the project and contact information.

Abstract: A method includes obtaining an identifier of an individual. The individual is associated with an entity such that the individual has an email address in a domain corresponding to the entity. The method also includes determining one or more candidate domains such that: the one or more candidate domains potentially correspond to the entity; and the individual potentially has the email address in at least one of the one or more candidate domains. The method further includes determining one or more candidate email addresses in at least one of the one or more candidate domains. The method additionally includes testing the one or more candidate email addresses and the one or more candidate domains to determine the email address of the individual in the domain corresponding to the entity.

Abstract: A method of presenting a set of search results includes the steps of: receiving a query input by a user, the query comprising one or more search terms; generating the set of search results; filtering the generated set of search results; ranking the filtered set of search results; displaying the ranked set of search results. At least one of the generating, filtering, ranking, and displaying are based on the one or more search terms and are further based on at least one additional stored item. The additional stored item is related to the user and/or the query. The additional stored item includes at least one of: an ontology of the one or more search terms, a personal profile of the user, and a search history of the user.

Abstract: A system, method, and media for dynamically controlling rankings and privacy settings for a social network is presented. Upon receipt of an electronic communication from a second user of the social network directed to a first user of the social network, determining whether the first and second users of the social network are connected and determining whether the second user has been blocked from electronically communicating with the first user. in response to determining that the second user is not blocked, executing a ranking process on the second user, based on privacy level settings criteria pre-specified by the first user. The privacy level settings criteria includes preferred attributes of communicating users and a threshold ranking score and the ranking process compares the attributes of the second user to the privacy level settings criteria.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media are directed to outbound messaging for a social networking site. A server stores profile information and project information of users of the social networking site and a targeted outbound messaging template. The targeted outbound messaging template includes a recipient section that lists intended recipients of a message, a messaging text section that accommodates entry of text, a hyperlinked source section containing hyperlinked preview images of user projects to be included and displayed in the message, and a ranked collaborators section that identifies and ranks collaborative relationships associated with a sender and the recipients of the message.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media are directed to the creation of a user-controlled, pre-populated personal information profile to be used in conjunction with social networks. The creation of the personal profile information includes electronically transmitting first instructions requesting entry of unique personal identification information of the potential new user, determining the validity of the received unique personal identifier information, and electronically transmitting second instructions requesting entry of profile information of the new user. Furthermore, processing the received profile information to generate a pre-populated personal profile of the new user, electronically transmitting the pre-populated personal profile in a form that is viewable and revisable to facilitate changes thereof, completing the registration process and establishing the newly-registered user personal information profile in the social network site.

Abstract: A method includes obtaining an identifier of an individual. The individual is associated with an entity such that the individual has an email address in a domain corresponding to the entity. The method also includes determining one or more candidate domains such that: the one or more candidate domains potentially correspond to the entity; and the individual potentially has the email address in at least one of the one or more candidate domains. The method further includes determining one or more candidate email addresses in at least one of the one or more candidate domains. The method additionally includes testing the one or more candidate email addresses and the one or more candidate domains to determine the email address of the individual in the domain corresponding to the entity.

Abstract: A system, method, and media for dynamically controlling rankings and privacy settings for a social network is presented. Upon receipt of an electronic communication from a second user of the social network directed to a first user of the social network, determining whether the first and second users of the social network are connected and determining whether the second user has been blocked from electronically communicating with the first user. in response to determining that the second user is not blocked, executing a ranking process on the second user, based on privacy level settings criteria pre-specified by the first user. The privacy level settings criteria includes preferred attributes of communicating users and a threshold ranking score and the ranking process compares the attributes of the second user to the privacy level settings criteria.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media are directed to providing a pop-up display having dynamically updated summary data on a website, is presented. In particular, electronically submitting updated informational content to a third party source repository and providing a graphical item having embedding linking instructions configured to bilaterally communicate with the third party source repository and render a pop-up display containing the updated informational content. Thus, upon actuation of the graphical item, the embedded linking instructions causes establishment of bilateral communications with the third party source repository, accesses the corresponding updated informational content stored in the third party source repository, retrieves the updated informational content, and automatically displays the updated informational content in a pop-up display.

Abstract: A method for answering at least one query directed by a user to a target comprises: obtaining a set of data from the target; obtaining at least a first term of a query from the user; searching within the set of data for at least the first term; categorizing the query, wherein the categorization is based at least in part on the search within the set of data for at least the first term; obtaining an initial set of one or more results for the query based at least in part on the first term; filtering the initial set of one or more results for the query based at least in part on the categorization of the query; and displaying the filtered initial set of one or more results to the user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media are directed to providing dynamically optimized search results in conjunction with a social networking site. The dynamically optimized search includes a search utility of the social networking site to receive search criteria, a processing unit configured to execute a profile search of profile pages that match the search criteria, to rank the profile search results, in view of the search criteria, and to compile an interim list of relevant profile information. The processing unit is also configured to select highest ranking results of the interim list of relevant profile information and extract associated profile information therefrom, and to rank the extracted profile information, in view of the search criteria, to provide optimized content. A display unit displays the customized profile pages to present the optimized content, in which the customized profile pages are configured to prominently display the optimized content in accordance with the search criteria.

Abstract: A method for use in populating a personal portfolio of projects of a member on a social network includes: registering, by a registration module, a candidate with the social network, the candidate, once registered, becoming the member; accessing stored assets associated with the member based on information provided by the member, the stored assets comprising work product corresponding to the member that is relevant to the member's online presence on the social network; building one or more projects by scanning and curating the stored assets associated with the member from at least one data source; and adding at least a subset of the projects to the personal portfolio of projects of the member.

Abstract: A method includes obtaining an identifier of an individual. The individual is associated with an entity such that the individual has an email address in a domain corresponding to the entity. The method also includes determining one or more candidate domains such that: the one or more candidate domains potentially correspond to the entity; and the individual potentially has the email address in at least one of the one or more candidate domains. The method further includes determining one or more candidate email addresses in at least one of the one or more candidate domains. The method additionally includes testing the one or more candidate email addresses and the one or more candidate domains to determine the email address of the individual in the domain corresponding to the entity.

Abstract: A method for use in populating a user profile comprises the steps of: determining that a first person within a database of people is associated with a given award within a database of awards; determining that a first project within a database of projects is associated with the given award within a database of awards; and populating the profile for the first person with information associated with the first project.

Abstract: A method of presenting a set of search results includes the steps of: receiving a query input by a user, the query comprising one or more search terms; generating the set of search results; filtering the generated set of search results; ranking the filtered set of search results; displaying the ranked set of search results. At least one of the generating, filtering, ranking, and displaying are based on the one or more search terms and are further based on at least one additional stored item. The additional stored item is related to the user and/or the query. The additional stored item includes at least one of: an ontology of the one or more search terms, a personal profile of the user, and a search history of the user.

Abstract: A method for answering at least one query directed by a user to a target comprises: obtaining a set of data from the target; obtaining at least a first term of a query from the user; searching within the set of data for at least the first term; categorizing the query, wherein the categorization is based at least in part on the search within the set of data for at least the first term; obtaining an initial set of one or more results for the query based at least in part on the first term; filtering the initial set of one or more results for the query based at least in part on the categorization of the query; and displaying the filtered initial set of one or more results to the user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media are directed to providing dynamically optimized search results in conjunction with a social networking site. The dynamically optimized search includes a search utility of the social networking site to receive search criteria, a processing unit configured to execute a profile search of profile pages that match the search criteria, to rank the profile search results, in view of the search criteria, and to compile an interim list of relevant profile information. The processing unit is also configured to select highest ranking results of the interim list of relevant profile information and extract associated profile information therefrom, and to rank the extracted profile information, in view of the search criteria, to provide optimized content. A display unit displays the customized profile pages to present the optimized content, in which the customized profile pages are configured to prominently display the optimized content in accordance with the search criteria.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media are directed to outbound messaging for a social networking site. A server stores profile information and project information of users of the social networking site and a targeted outbound messaging template. The targeted outbound messaging template includes a recipient section that lists intended recipients of a message, a messaging text section that accommodates entry of text, a hyperlinked source section containing hyperlinked preview images of user projects to be included and displayed in the message, and a ranked collaborators section that identifies and ranks collaborative relationships associated with a sender and the recipients of the message.