Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for popularity prediction of user-generated content are provided. The method includes measuring the novelty of a user-generated content and predicting the popularity of the user-generated content based on the measured novelty. Predicting the popularity of the user-generated content includes: extracting basic features of the user-generated content; measuring novelty features of the user-generated content; and predicting the popularity based on the basic features and novelty features.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for measuring web site satisfaction of information needs are provided. The method includes: selecting a page for analysis; generating a page profile in the form of a list of keywords representing the page; generating a page traffic profile in the form of lists of keywords representing information needs of users, wherein the page traffic profile is generated from keywords used by users to visit the page; determining the success of users' visits to the page; and analyzing whether a page satisfies users' information needs by applying a distance measure between the keywords of the page profile and the keywords of the page traffic profile and combining the distance measure result with a success rate of the keywords.

Abstract: A method for information retrieval with unified search between heterogeneous objects includes indexing a first object as a document in a search index; referencing a second object related to the first object in a facet of the document; and storing a relationship strength between the first and second objects in the facet of the document in the search index. Multiple heterogeneous objects can be related to the first object and referenced in multiple facets of the document, each with its relationship strength to the first object. Scoring an indirect object by indirect relation to a query object can be carried out by aggregating the relationship strengths between the indirect object and the retrieved objects multiplied by the retrieved objects' direct scores of relationship strength to the query object.

Abstract: A method and system for using social bookmarks wherein a social bookmark is a triplet of the entities of user, document, and tag. The method including: collecting multiple bookmarks; representing the bookmarks as a three-dimensional space or matrix of the number of times a user u, used tag t to bookmark document d; measuring the similarity of two entities of the same type; and using the similarity to weight bookmarks or entities. The weightings may be used to provide a measure of a usefulness of a bookmark for describing a document for retrieval purposes. Two-dimensions of the bookmark space may also be used to predict the third-dimension.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for maintaining profiles of information channels available on the Web, wherein the information channels are accessed via pull-only protocols. The method includes monitoring one or more channels by a channel pull action at a monitoring rate, wherein the monitoring rate is determined for the one or more channels based on the number of update events in a previous time period. The method may optimally include filtering the update events in the time period by a novelty measure, wherein the filtering disregards events that do not include significant novel information. The monitoring rate is adapted based on reinforcement learning applying iterative learning rules over time.

Abstract: A method and system are provided of merging results in distributed information retrieval. A search manager is in communication with a plurality of components, wherein a component is a search engine working on a document collection and returning results in the form of a list of documents to a search query. The search manager submits a query to the plurality of components, receives results from each component in the form of a list of documents; estimates the success of a component in handling the query to generate a merit score for a component per query; applies the merit score to the results for the component; and merges results from the plurality of components by ranking in order of the applied merit score.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for maintaining profiles of information channels available on the Web, wherein the information channels are accessed via pull-only protocols. The method includes monitoring one or more channels by a channel pull action at a monitoring rate, wherein the monitoring rate is determined for the one or more channels based on the number of update events in a previous time period. The method may optimally include filtering the update events in the time period by a novelty measure, wherein the filtering disregards events that do not include significant novel information. The monitoring rate is adapted based on reinforcement learning applying iterative learning rules over time.

Abstract: A method and system for improved query expansion in faceted search are provided. The method includes: receiving a search query; expanding the search query to obtain query expansion terms; and receiving a facet selection for the search query. A facet profile is retrieved in the form of collected important terms for the facet; and the query expansion terms are weighted by comparing them to the facet profile. The query expansion terms are re-ranked and the method includes executing the re-weighted query expansion terms whilst filtering for the facet.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for measuring web site satisfaction of information needs are provided. The method includes: selecting a page for analysis; generating a page profile in the form of a list of keywords representing the page; generating a page traffic profile in the form of lists of keywords representing information needs of users, wherein the page traffic profile is generated from keywords used by users to visit the page; determining the success of users' visits to the page; and analyzing whether a page satisfies users' information needs by applying a distance measure between the keywords of the page profile and the keywords of the page traffic profile and combining the distance measure result with a success rate of the keywords.

Abstract: Efficient presentation of related messages in a computer network-based messaging system, including a message parser for parsing related messages into sub-messages, a comparator for comparing each sub-message identified by the parser to each sub-message in a set of unique sub-messages previously identified by the parser within any of the related messages, and adding to the set any of the sub-messages identified by the parser that are not members of the set, and a message presenter for marking with a visual indicator each of the related messages that contributes any sub-messages to the set, where the marked messages are visually distinguishable from all other of the related messages that do not contribute any sub-messages to the set.

Abstract: A method and system for searching numerical terms are provided. The method includes processing a numerical term to a stem, the stem being in the form of a number, and a distance measurement of the numerical term to the stem, wherein a numerical term is a string of characters identified as a number by a numeric parser, and indexing the numerical term in a search index by the stem for search retrieval. The method includes receiving a query and processing the query to divide it into terms, including a numerical term. The numerical terms of the query are also processed to a stem and a distance measurement and document results are retrieved for the stem from an index.

Abstract: A method and system for prioritising operations on network objects are provided. The method includes gathering Web 2.0 available relationship data on the relationships between network entities, wherein network entities are network users and network objects. The relationship data for a network entity is analysed and a first relative score is determined based on the relationship data. For a network object, a second relative score is determined which is a dynamic score based on user interactions with the network object and formed using the first relative scores of network entities interacting with the object. The method then prioritizes an operation on a network object using the second relative score.

Abstract: A method for searching a corpus of documents, such as the World Wide Web, includes defining a knowledge domain and identifying a set of reference documents in the corpus pertinent to the domain. Upon inputting a query, the corpus is searched using the set of reference documents to find one or more of the documents in the corpus that contain information in the domain relevant to the query. The set of reference documents is updated with the found documents that are most relevant to the domain. The updated set is used in searching the corpus for information in the domain relevant to subsequent queries.

Abstract: A method and system for analyzing a document set (202, 420) are provided. The method includes determining a set of terms (312) from the terms of the document set that minimizes a distance measurement (405) from the given set of documents (420). The method includes using a greedy algorithm to build the set of terms incrementally, at each stage finding a single word that is closest to the document set (202, 420). The set of terms is evaluated to assess the ability to find the document set (202, 420). The set of terms are compared with expected terms to evaluate the ability to find the document set (202, 420). A measure of the ability to find a document set (202, 420) is provided by computing a distance measure (403) between a document set and an entire collection.

Abstract: A method for gathering and recording temporal information for a linked entity, the method including identifying a link related activity within a linked source entity, and recording a time stamp in association with the link related activity.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an email application that includes a subject evaluation engine, which is able to automatically generate a subject heading suggestion for an email message based upon content contained in the email message. The subject evaluation engine can also compare a pre-existing subject heading of the email message against content contained in the email message. User selectable interface elements can be included in the email application for invoking the suggestion and comparison functions of the subject evaluation engine. Further, the subject evaluation can automatically be initiated before an email message is sent, can be used to notify a user when the message's subject is inconsistent with the message's content, and can suggest one or more replacement subject headings for the current heading.

Abstract: A system for generation of personalized Web feed views in accordance with pre-defined profile parameters, is presented. The system including a user definition interface for receiving at least one user parameter and sending the parameter to a content provider and a feed view personalization unit operable to receive the user parameter and customize feed content in accordance with the at least one user parameter for displaying to the user.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for conversation detection in email systems. Multiple email messages are provided and grouped as relating to a conversation. The grouping is carried out by applying a similarity function based on a similarity of the email messages' attributes, the similarity function including a similarity between the email messages' participants and at least one of a similarity between the email messages' subjects or a similarity between the email messages' contents. The similarity function may also include the similarity between the email messages' dates. The similarity function may also include weightings for the contributions of the email messages' attributes. A graphical user interface is provided in an email client which includes means for viewing email messages by conversation.

Abstract: A system and method including a simulator operating in conjunction with a search-engine, for improving document and site findability. Users input their content (pages or sites) and the simulator will analyze the site in terms of structure and content. It will then give the user a ranked list of suggestions about how the user might improve his/her site's findability. The user will then be able to apply some or all of these suggestions, or any other changes, by virtually modifying the site, and then immediately receive feedback both on how the pages look and a sense of the degree of findability improvement. The interactive process allows users to simulate modifications in their site structure and content in order to improve its findability. When the user completes the modifications and is satisfied with the new findability of his site, the user will be able then to replace his/her current site in the repository with the modified one.

Abstract: Efficient presentation of related messages in a computer network-based messaging system, including a message parser for parsing related messages into sub-messages, a comparator for comparing each sub-message identified by the parser to each sub-message in a set of unique sub-messages previously identified by the parser within any of the related messages, and adding to the set any of the sub-messages identified by the parser that are not members of the set, and a message presenter for marking with a visual indicator each of the related messages that contributes any sub-messages to the set, where the marked messages are visually distinguishable from all other of the related messages that do not contribute any sub-messages to the set.