Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides a system that trains or evaluates ranking techniques by employing or obtaining relative preference judgments. The system can include mechanisms that retrieve a set of documents from a storage device, combine the set of documents with a query orjudgment task received via an interface to form a comparative selection panel, and present the comparative selection panel for evaluation by an assessor. The system further requests the assessor to make a selection as to which document included in the set of documents and presented in the comparative selection panel most satisfies the query or judgment task, and thereafter produces a comparative assessment of the set of documents based on the selections elicited from the assessor and associated with the set of documents.

Abstract: Enhancements to Bayesian prediction models for network location traffic provide increased accuracy in web traffic predictions. The enhancements include implementing user advertising target queries to determine preferred edges of a Bayesian model, employing hierarchical data structures to cleanse training data for a Bayesian model, and/or augmenting existing data with new training data to enhance a previously constructed Bayesian model. Preferred edge enhancements for the Bayesian model utilize target attribute derived preferred edges and/or explicitly specified preferred edges. Training data is cleansed utilizing tag hierarchies that can employ parent-child relationships, ancestor relationships, and/or network location specific parameters. New training data can also be employed to adjust probabilities in a previously constructed Bayesian model. The new training data can be weighted differently than data represented by the previously constructed Bayesian model.

Abstract: Statistical approaches are employed to estimate available inventory for opt-in email marketing mailings. A random sample is selected from an overall population of subscribers who have opted-in to receiving email marketing messages. When a query is received for determining available inventory that satisfy some target criteria, the random sample is employed to estimate the available inventory in the overall population taking into account inventory that has been consumed by one or more other orders for email marketing mailings.

Abstract: The present invention utilizes a cross-prediction scheme to predict values of discrete and continuous time observation data, wherein conditional variance of each continuous time tube variable is fixed to a small positive value. By allowing cross-predictions in an ARMA based model, values of continuous and discrete observations in a time series are accurately predicted. The present invention accomplishes this by extending an ARMA model such that a first time series “tube” is utilized to facilitate or “cross-predict” values in a second time series tube to form an “ARMAxp” model. In general, in the ARMAxp model, the distribution of each continuous variable is a decision graph having splits only on discrete variables and having linear regressions with continuous regressors at all leaves, and the distribution of each discrete variable is a decision graph having splits only on discrete variables and having additional distributions at all leaves.

Abstract: A user utility function is implemented in allocating advertisement space to one or more potential advertisers. The user utility function allows advertisement space to be allocated based upon, among other things, the expected utility or usefulness that a proposed advertisement will have to a user. The user utility function, for example, compares proposed advertisements to historical user actions to generate respective user utility values for advertisements (e.g., based upon user responses to advertisements for particular types of product, responses to advertisements from particular types of sellers, etc.). The user utility values can then be applied to bids submitted by advertisers for advertisement space for particular advertisements to obtain modified bids. The modified bids thus reflect, among other things, the expected utility of an advertisement to a user, and thus allow an advertisement host to allocate advertisement space accordingly.

Abstract: A publisher union comprises a plurality of publishers, a channel, and a publisher union administrator. The publisher union is administered by receiving a channel proposal, determining whether the channel proposal is acceptable, forming a channel, and presenting the channel for monetization. User information is gathered by the publisher union by establishing a domain, collecting user information, aggregating the user information, and providing the aggregated user information to publisher union members.

Abstract: An interactive game within a virtual world platform is provided wherein a sender can hide an object within a mapping application. An intended recipient of the object can be notified that the object is available and a clue can be provided. The clue can direct the recipient in searching for where the object is hidden. The objects can be intended for a single recipient, multiple recipients, or open to everyone on a first-come-first-served basis. The objects can be stolen by others and/or the objects can be re-gifted after being found. After being found, the virtual object can be automatically or manually converted into a non-virtual object.

Abstract: A hide and seek style game is utilized to elicit human input for use in improving search. Content (e.g., text, image, audio, video . . . ) is uniquely identified and revealed to users. Queries are then specified by users in an attempt to locate the content. In addition to utilizing these queries to return results for the game, the queries, and/or query-derived information, can also be employed to improve search engine retrieval and relevancy, among other things.

Abstract: Contextual advertisements embedded within content having tooltip type display functionality are provided where content can be evaluated for possible points for insertion of the advertisements. The content can be evaluated against a list of trigger points indicating advertisement should be inserted along with instructions to embed the advertisements. Using this information, the content can be modified to embed appropriate advertising. Upon returning the content, a viewer thereof can view the content normally, but certain events with respect to the trigger points can cause tooltip type display of the advertisement (such as hovering a cursor over the trigger point). In this regard, trigger points, such as keywords, having associated pop-up advertisements can be underlined or otherwise identified.

Abstract: Systems and methods allow an on-line game to extract information relevant to a specific need of a game platform or service platform. The specific need relates to management and use of digital content, and is addressed by designing and playing an on-line collaborative game. The rules of the game intend to solve a specific task dictated by the specific need. Players' responses to the game generate a wealth of information related to a specific task objective, such as ranking, sorting, and evaluating a set of digital content items. To compel participation in a game, players can be rewarded with monetary value rewards. As a game illustration, an image selection game (ISG) that exploits human contextual inference is described in detail. The information extracted from ISG is a list of key-image associations, relevant for the task of image sorting and ranking.

Abstract: Improved browsing experience in social bookmarking by leveraging aspects of self tagging and prediction. Quality recommendations are provided for sites of interest to the user and information about what types of people like the current website. Self-tagging is used as an effective means to perform personalized searches. Machine learning and reasoning is employed to predict self-tags based on a website visited and/or website behavior, and self-tags associated with a website and/or webpage based on content of that website and/or webpage. The architecture can be embodied as a browser utility to leverage and extend social-bookmarking information. The utility facilitates the display of information related to a summary view of the users who liked/disliked the current page or website, a tag cloud associated with webpages, and a recommendation button that causes self-tag recommendations to be displayed and that recommends links based on the combination of user tags and content.

Abstract: The present invention provides collaborative filtering systems and methods employing default scores of decision graphs/trees to quickly create a top-n prediction list that can efficiently determine a user's interest in items. In one instance of the present invention, the list is refined by utilizing a variable maximum score algorithm and/or an invalidation list algorithm to insert items that score above an inclusion threshold set by a last item in the top-n prediction list. In another instance of the present invention, an invalidation list for a decision graph and/or decision tree is utilized to create a top-n prediction list. An algorithm employing default scores is then utilized to refine the top-n prediction list to insert items with default scores above an inclusion threshold set by a last item in the top-n prediction list.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method to facilitate data mining applications and automated evaluation of models for continuous variable data. In one aspect, a system is provided that facilitates decision tree learning. The system includes a learning component that generates non-standardized data that relates to a split in a decision tree and a scoring component that scores the split as if the non-standardized data at a subset of leaves of the decision tree had been shifted and/or scaled. A modification component can also be provided for a respective candidate split score on the decision tree, wherein the above data or data subset can be modified by shifting and/or scaling the data and a new score is computed on the modified data. Furthermore, an optimization component can be provided that analyzes the data and determines whether to treat the data as if it was: (1) shifted, (2) scaled, or (3) shifted and scaled.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can utilize features of a product to facilitate organization and/or classification of products or product features as well as opinions relating to those products or product features into market identifiers. The market identifiers can aid in aggregating opinions in a more relevant manner that potentially requires less user information about a user in order to achieve bone fide targeting. The architecture can employ data mining techniques to gather information relating to products and opinions thereof in order to create or update data tables and can further allow a user to configure the market identifier in various ways.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can facilitate enhanced experiences in connection with consumer shopping and/or vendor advertising. The architecture can receive an intent parameter that relates to a shopping objective of a shopper, associate the shopper with a profile, receive a set of advertisements from one or more vendors, and select a suitable advertisement for display to the shopper based upon the intent parameter and/or the profile. The architecture can also maintain a veracity score for the shopper that can indicate the shopper's tendencies to follow through with objectives listed in the intent parameters. The veracity score can be utilized, e.g., as a benchmark for bidding advertisers.

Abstract: Useful information is acquired from a community of individuals by way of a game that rewards participants with social information about other participants. Points can be awarded to participants simply for participation and/or as a function of game performance. Such points can subsequently be exchanged to reveal information about game partners or other community members. Among other things, such a reward system can motivate individuals to perform tasks that might not otherwise be compelling and/or enjoyable.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can provide engagement-based incentives designed or intended to enrich or extent a shopping session of a shopper. In particular, the architecture can select an incentive and an engagement, each from a respective set potentially received in whole or in part from one or more vendors. The architecture can select the incentive and/or engagement based upon a location of the shopper, a profile of the shopper, or based upon other transactions occurring during a shopping session.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can filter or organize content such as advertisements that are either received by or transmitted to a mobile device. The filtering or organizing can be based upon local attributes associated with the mobile device (e.g., location, velocity, time, a profile), as well as based upon attributes associated with the advertiser (e.g., inventory, customer traffic). In addition, the architecture can provide for selection and/or display of advertisements based upon a bidding model, wherein advertisers can bid for mobile devices that exhibit certain characteristics.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can utilize information obtained from a communications system and/or an associated content engine or model in order to facilitate enhanced content recommendations. The information can include content recommendations (e.g., from the content model) as well as information based upon social networking features of the communications system. For example, information such as referrals from friends, family, or other parties that are likely to have firsthand knowledge of interests, objectives, and/or desires of particular consumer that potentially offer a superior data set than conventional data mining by which to form a content recommendation.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can facilitate auditing of a customer's possessions in a comprehensive manner. The architecture can facilitate the creation of a media archive of a customer's property, as well as an associated property list extracted based upon, e.g., examination of the archive. The property list can include an entry associated with an item of property and can be transmitted to subsidizing entities to offset the expenses associated with the creation of the archive and the property list.