Abstract: Techniques for facilitating the promotion of content are described. Consistent with some embodiments, a content promotion interface is presented with a content item, enabling a user to promote the content item. By promoting the content item, the user can influence one or more algorithms used in selecting and presenting content items to other users, such that the promoted content item is provided preferential processing and may be selected for presentation in situations where it may otherwise not be (e.g., if not promoted), and the promoted content item may be presented in a manner designed to garner more collective user-attention than the content item would otherwise receive, if presented in a conventional manner (e.g., without having been promoted).

Abstract: A credit mechanism or system for use with a network-based application is described. The credit mechanism operates in conjunction with the network-based application to require that users pay a number of credits to interact with other users. The number of credits required to interact with a particular user may be determined using an algorithm that takes as input a number of signals that are inferred from observed data and which generally represent a measure of the particular user's willingness to provide time and attention (e.g., supply of attention), and a measure of the desire of other users to obtain the particular user's attention (e.g., demand for attention).