Abstract: A method includes, receiving social network information of a user. The received social network information represents social graph data of the user and social network interactions of the user. The method also includes determining one or more subjects from content of the social graph data of the user and the interactions of the user. The method also includes identifying an initial collection of one or more individuals prominent in the one or more subjects from one or more measures of potential prominence provided by social network information of the individuals. The method also includes enhancing the initial collection of one or more prominent individuals to include additional prominent individuals. The method also includes providing a list of selectable entries to the user that includes each of the identified and additional prominent individuals.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for identifying trends via representative micro-posts. One of the methods includes identifying query terms; selecting candidate documents that satisfy one or more of the terms of the query terms; selecting, from the candidate documents, candidate documents based on a weighted-coverage function for the query terms; pairing documents from the candidate documents based on a distance between the paired documents; generating one or more clusters from the paired documents, a cluster being associated with one or more topics of the query terms; selecting from the candidate documents, one or more particular documents, for one or more clusters, based on a diversity function; and providing for presentation the particular documents as representative documents that cover one or more topics associated with the one or more clusters.

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure include actions of actions of receiving a search query from a searching user, determining that the search query corresponds to a trigger query and, in response, providing data associated with the first set of authoritative users for potential display to the searching user, determining a second set of authoritative users based on the first set of authoritative users, for each authoritative user in the second set of authoritative users, receiving a contact status between the authoritative user and the searching user within a social networking service, and transmitting instructions to display data associated with authoritative users of the second set of authoritative users with search results responsive to the search query, the data including the contact status for each authoritative user in the second set of authoritative users.

Abstract: The subject disclosure relates to a machine-implemented method for routing queries. The method includes receiving a query, identifying contacts associated with the user for responding to the received query, wherein the contacts are identified based on public online activity or private online activity, providing, for selection by the user, a list of recommended contacts, wherein each recommended contact is identified for responding to the received query based on the public online activity of the recommended contact, and transmitting a public notification including the received query to each of the recommended contacts selected by the user from the list of recommended contacts. The method also includes automatically transmitting a private notification including the received query to each of the contacts identified based on private online activity.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for classifying a spike in a rate of occurrence of events. One of the methods includes receiving data identifying a spike at a particular time in a rate of occurrence of events relating to a particular search query, where an event relating to the particular search query is a receipt event of the particular search query or an indexing event of a resource that satisfies the particular search query, fitting the occurrences of the events in a time window to a reference distribution of occurrences of events to determine a goodness of fit value, wherein the reference distribution models a random occurrence of events relating to search queries, comparing the goodness of fit value to a primary threshold, and classifying the spike as a spurious spike if the goodness of fit value satisfies the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for scoring items. One method includes generating a score for each of a plurality of items. The generating includes, for each item: obtaining a respective item-specific value of each of a plurality of indicators, determining a respective weight for the value of each of the plurality of indicators, wherein the respective weight for one or more of the plurality of indicators is derived from the value of the indicator, and generating the score for the item from the item-specific values and weights for the item-specific values. The method further includes providing the score for each item to a ranking engine implemented on one or more computers.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving a search query, identifying a plurality of search results that are responsive to the search query, the plurality of search results including a plurality of items of digital content distributed using one or more social networking services, and determining that one or more terms provided in the search query is an active keyword and, in response: defining a first sub-set of items, the first sub-set of items including items of the plurality of items of digital content and being responsive to the active keyword, and providing items in the first sub-set of items for display as a discussion stream within search results.