Abstract: An online networking system and method for depicting views associated with an entity are presented. An entity profile data structure associated with an entity such as a user or a business is created that defines an entity internal view and a plurality of entity external views. The entity internal view includes entity external view controls for defining entity external views. The entity internal view depicts information associated with members and visitors who visit the entity external views in one embodiment. The entity can define an entity external view to be of a type selected from a group of view types consisting of a family, social and business type, and can define an entity external view to have an access level type selected from a group of access level types consisting of public, private and secret in one embodiment. The entity external view controls allow the entity to select tools such as a media album for displaying media such as photographs and video clips, and to create a tool list.

Abstract: A method and data structures for obtaining, distributing, managing, and utilizing information, including online content and user biographical information, in an online networking system are presented. Profile data pointers that point to profile data structures and item data pointers that point to item data structures are employed to access users' views and media content in a manner that allows for viral copying of content throughout the system yet permits the system and content owners to maintain control over the content. Users' biographical information is developed based in part on users' behavior in the networking system, and is collected and aggregated in the respective data structures to support targeted advertising based on the data, and protection of users' personally identifying information.