Abstract: A system and method described in this disclosure seeks to create new ways of defining and mapping relationships between content items in order to create more relevant content recommendations. Semiotic analysis, unlike semantic analysis, looks at how words mean rather than what words mean. Semiotics can define an emotional context for content items, which may be leveraged into content recommendations to users, creating more personalized and meaningful recommendations. The system and method analyze the semiotic context by analyzing the semiotic nature of the content itself through analysis of the writing style or genre of the content item, and the tone in which the content item is written; by analyzing the semiotic nature of the entities extracted from content items; and by analyzing the semiotic nature of the publisher or author who created the content item.

Abstract: A system and method for ranking content creators are described. The method for ranking content creators may comprises collecting endorsements associated with a content creator; qualifying the authors of the endorsements; building a creator network, applying an endorsement weighting function to the endorsements; assigning a score to the content creators; and ordering a collection of content items based on the items' assigned score. The identities of content creators are verified by matching content creators in a database to a publicly available online profile. Creators are entered into a creator network consisting of an edges and nodes graph and a weighting function is applied, resulting in a fixed-point score for each creator in the network. These fixed-point scores are inherited by content items produced by the creators and may be used to order a collection of content items pulled from a database.

Abstract: Described is a system and method for providing advertising in a media system, including a media editor, or editing device, for embedding one or more advertisements into one or more media presentations for selective playing on one or more devices in a network. The media presentations are provided to a media distribution system for allowing selection of the one or more media presentations for playing on the one or more devices. A database is provided for recording the number of times that each advertisement is played on one of the one or more devices. A billing system is provided for charging one or more advertisers according to the recorded number of times that each advertisement is played.