Abstract: A social graph may be modeled as a collection of claims. Each claim is associated with an author, an audience, and an assertion about a fact. Probabilistic information may be collected from various sources for a claim, enabling a social networking system to evaluate a truthfulness of the assertion made in the claim. User-declared profile information may be evaluated as claims. A user, entity, or application may make claims about any assertions made in the social networking system. Reputation scores may be determined for users based on evaluations of their historical assertions. Claims may be evaluated for truthfulness using a probabilistic prediction model using heuristics analysis, regression analysis, and machine learning methods. A claims-based profile of users may be provided to viewers based on the contexts in which the claims were made. Viewers may view claims made about users, such as the users' biographical information, contact information, expertise, and interests.

Abstract: Particular embodiments of a method comprise analyzing a message to perform sentiment analysis with respect to at least a portion of the message. One or more sentiments associated with the at least a portion of the message may then be identified. One or more ideograms (e.g., written characters, symbols or images that represent an idea or thing), each corresponding to an identified sentiment, may then be suggested to a user for insertion into a message. Upon receiving a user selection of one or more of the ideograms in relation to some portion of the message, an association may be saved in a user-specific dictionary linking the user-selected one or more of the ideograms with the portion of the message. In particular embodiments, the sentiment analysis may incorporate social-networking information and/or historical ideogram usage information.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for a collective address book system. One of the methods includes: receiving a request from a user to contact a person of interest; determining that contact information for the person of interest is not available in the user's contact information to which the system has access; determining that the collective address book system has access to contact information for the person of interest; generating proxy contact data for the person of interest; and providing the proxy contact data to the first user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for a collective address book system. One of the methods includes: receiving, at the system, a request from a user regarding a topic; selecting automatically, at the system, a potential referrer, the potential referrer selection being based on the likelihood that the potential referrer will respond to the user's request; and communicating automatically with the potential referrer regarding the user's request without the system indicating to the user that the potential referrer has been contacted.

Abstract: Particular embodiments of a method comprise analyzing an image to classify an expression displayed on a face shown in a captured image. Image analysis may include detecting the face in the image, generating a characterization of features of the face, and classifying the expression based on the characterization. The characterization of facial features may be based on benchmark metrics for a particular expression. One or more ideograms (e.g., written characters, symbols or images that represent an idea or thing) may be selected based on the expression. The selection may be based on one or more match scores for the expression. The match scores may be determined based on an ideogram dictionary or an ideogram usage history. The selected ideograms may then be presented, in association with the face, on a screen for the computing device.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, from a client device of an author of a message, a request for a restricted ideogram to be inserted into a message; accessing social-networking information for the author; determining, based on the social-networking information for the author, whether the author is authorized to access the restricted ideogram; accessing social-networking information for a recipient user; determining, based on the social-networking information for the recipient user, whether the recipient user is authorized to access the restricted ideogram; and if the author and the recipient user are authorized to access the restricted ideogram, then sending, to the client device of the author, information to insert the restricted ideogram into the message.

Abstract: A social graph may be modeled as a collection of claims. Each claim is associated with an author, an audience, and an assertion about a fact. Probabilistic information may be collected from various sources for a claim, enabling a social networking system to evaluate a truthfulness of the assertion made in the claim. User-declared profile information may be evaluated as claims. A user, entity, or application may make claims about any assertions made in the social networking system. Reputation scores may be determined for users based on evaluations of their historical assertions. Claims may be evaluated for truthfulness using a probabilistic prediction model using heuristics analysis, regression analysis, and machine learning methods. A claims-based profile of users may be provided to viewers based on the contexts in which the claims were made. Viewers may view claims made about users, such as the users' biographical information, contact information, expertise, and interests.

Abstract: The invention provides a display interface in a social networking system that enables the presentation of information related to a user in a timeline or map view. The system accesses information about a user of a social networking system, including both data about the user and social network activities related to the user. The system then selects one or more of these pieces of data and/or activities from a certain time period and gathers them into timeline units based on their relatedness and their relevance to users. These timeline units are ranked by relevance to the user, and are used to generate a timeline or map view for the user containing visual representations of the timeline units organized by location or time. The timeline or map view is then provided to other users of the social networking system that wish to view information about the user.

Abstract: The invention provides a display interface in a social networking system that enables the presentation of information related to a user in a timeline or map view. The system accesses information about a user of a social networking system, including both data about the user and social network activities related to the user. The system then selects one or more of these pieces of data and/or activities from a certain time period and gathers them into timeline units based on their relatedness and their relevance to users. These timeline units are ranked by relevance to the user, and are used to generate a timeline or map view for the user containing visual representations of the timeline units organized by location or time. The timeline or map view is then provided to other users of the social networking system that wish to view information about the user.

Abstract: The invention provides a display interface in a social networking system that enables the presentation of information related to a user in a timeline or map view. The system accesses information about a user of a social networking system, including both data about the user and social network activities related to the user. The system then selects one or more of these pieces of data and/or activities from a certain time period and gathers them into timeline units based on their relatedness and their relevance to users. These timeline units are ranked by relevance to the user, and are used to generate a timeline or map view for the user containing visual representations of the timeline units organized by location or time. The timeline or map view is then provided to other users of the social networking system that wish to view information about the user.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, from a client device of an author of a message, a request for a restricted ideogram to be inserted into a message; accessing social-networking information for the author; determining, based on the social-networking information for the author, whether the author is authorized to access the restricted ideogram; accessing social-networking information for a recipient user; determining, based on the social-networking information for the recipient user, whether the recipient user is authorized to access the restricted ideogram; and if the author and the recipient user are authorized to access the restricted ideogram, then sending, to the client device of the author, information to insert the restricted ideogram into the message.

Abstract: When a social networking system receives content describing a user via a client device associated with the user, the social networking system determines a state describing a characteristic of the user from the content. One or more options for generating a content item associated with the determined state are provided to the client device for presentation to the user, and the options may be based in part on the determined state. Based on the state and selection of one or more of the options, a content item is generated and provided to one or more client devices for presentation to social networking system users. By interacting with the content item, users may view additional information about the state or perform actions associated with the state.

Abstract: A social networking system presents questions to a user on an interface associated with the social networking system to elicit information about the user that is missing from the user's profile or is otherwise outdated. The questions are selected based on a number of factors, such as the need for or value of the information item, probability of a response, or cost of collecting the information item. In presenting the selected question, the social networking system prompts a user for information about the user in a an interface associated with a page from the social networking system, an application external to the social networking system, or using a push notification or prompt. The questions may be formatted in various ways, such as an explicit question, confirmation, a selection of responses, or social context to encourage the user to respond to the question.

Abstract: A social networking system presents questions to a user on an interface associated with the social networking system to elicit information about the user that is missing from the user's profile or is otherwise outdated. The questions are selected based on a number of factors, such as the need for or value of the information item, probability of a response, or cost of collecting the information item. In presenting the selected question, the social networking system prompts a user for information about the user in a an interface associated with a page from the social networking system, an application external to the social networking system, or using a push notification or prompt. The questions may be formatted in various ways, such as an explicit question, confirmation, a selection of responses, or social context to encourage the user to respond to the question.

Abstract: The invention provides a display interface in a social networking system that enables the presentation of information related to a user in a timeline or map view. The system accesses information about a user of a social networking system, including both data about the user and social network activities related to the user. The system then selects one or more of these pieces of data and/or activities from a certain time period and gathers them into timeline units based on their relatedness and their relevance to users. These timeline units are ranked by relevance to the user, and are used to generate a timeline or map view for the user containing visual representations of the timeline units organized by location or time. The timeline or map view is then provided to other users of the social networking system that wish to view information about the user.

Abstract: The invention provides a display interface in a social networking system that enables the presentation of information related to a user in a timeline or map view. The system accesses information about a user of a social networking system, including both data about the user and social network activities related to the user. The system then selects one or more of these pieces of data and/or activities from a certain time period and gathers them into timeline units based on their relatedness and their relevance to users. These timeline units are ranked by relevance to the user, and are used to generate a timeline or map view for the user containing visual representations of the timeline units organized by location or time. The timeline or map view is then provided to other users of the social networking system that wish to view information about the user.

Abstract: When a request to connect a requesting user to a target user is received by the social networking system, information associated with the requesting user and with users connected to the target user is retrieved. A fraud probability score indicating a probability that the requesting user is impersonating a user connected to the target user is determined based on the information associated with the requesting user and with users connected to the target user. Based on the fraud probability score, a determination is made whether the requesting user is a suspected imposter and remedial action is taken if imposter is suspected.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, from a client device of an author of a message, a request for a restricted ideogram to be inserted into a message; accessing social-networking information for the author; determining, based on the social-networking information for the author, whether the author is authorized to access the restricted ideogram; accessing social-networking information for a recipient user; determining, based on the social-networking information for the recipient user, whether the recipient user is authorized to access the restricted ideogram; and if the author and the recipient user are authorized to access the restricted ideogram, then sending, to the client device of the author, information to insert the restricted ideogram into the message.

Abstract: A method for applying graphs to determine creditworthiness is discussed. The method includes receiving a request for a transaction between a first and a second user. The method accesses a graph with directed edges between nodes, the directed edges indicating trusted relationships between users. First node is accessed to determine first user's risk score using weighted edges between the first node and other nodes (associated with other users). Active user ratio is determined based on number of active edges from the first node to first nodes, and on number of revoked edges from the first node to second nodes. Active edges correspond to edges between the first node and first nodes, revoked edges correspond to edges between the first node and second nodes that were removed prior to receipt of the request. Creditworthiness of the transaction is determined based on the risk score and active user ratio.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, from a client device of an author of a message, a request for a restricted ideogram to be inserted into a message; accessing social-networking information for the author; determining, based on the social-networking information for the author, whether the author is authorized to access the restricted ideogram; accessing social-networking information for a recipient user; determining, based on the social-networking information for the recipient user, whether the recipient user is authorized to access the restricted ideogram; and if the author and the recipient user are authorized to access the restricted ideogram, then sending, to the client device of the author, information to insert the restricted ideogram into the message.