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social networking system to elicit information about the user that is missing from the user's profile or is otherwise outdated.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: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a first request from a client for a target structured document and generating the target structured document and one or more parameters for one or more state objects associated with the client. In a particular embodiment, the method includes, in a first response phase, transmitting a first portion of the target structured document to the client. In a particular embodiment, the method further includes, in a second response phase, transmitting a second portion of the target structured document that includes a code segment. The method may additionally include receiving a second request from the client sent from the client as a result of the client executing the code segment, and transmitting a response to the second request that comprises the one or more parameters for the one or more state objects.

Abstract: A digital audio playback device that includes a wireless communication link to enable it to interact and synchronize with computing platforms as well as other mobile digital audio players and fixed digital audio players. A digital audio playback device is configured such that the computing platform may automatically or upon user request copy, add or remove digital audio content or other information, such as playlists. In addition, digital content on the digital audio playback device can be synchronized with a computing platform. In one embodiment of the invention, the digital audio playback device is configured to enable wireless communication among other digital playback devices and/or a computing platform to allow synchronization and control.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for identifying an action performed by a user in a third party system. Information associated with a form is received by an online system. For instance, hashed values of a plurality of form fields provided by a user and a description of the plurality of form fields are received by an online system. A form is identified based on the received information. Additionally, a determination whether one or more of the received hashed values correspond to stored values by the online system is made. If the received hashed values correspond to stored values in the online system, a user of the online system is identified based on the stored values corresponding to the one or more received hashed values. An identification of an action associated with the identified form and performed by the user in the third party system is stored.

Abstract: An advertising system identifies users associated with an interest topic and generates a list of such users in which all advertising accounts are proportionately represented in the list. Such users are identified by recording user-page access data to each page in a cluster of pages associated with the interest topic. A list of user-account associations is generated by grouping the user-page access data by the advertising account associated with each page. The list is then optimized so a proportion of user-account associations for each advertising account is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold. This ensures that no one advertising account is overrepresented in the list. Using the optimized list, the advertising system can target users associated with the list with advertisements related to the interest topic.

Abstract: User profile information for a user of a social networking system is inferred based on information about user profile of the user's connections in the social networking system. The inferred user profile attributes may include age, gender, education, affiliations, location, and the like. To infer a value of a user profile attribute, the system may determine an aggregate value based on the attributes of the user's connections. A confidence score may also be associated with the inferred attribute value. The set of connections analyzed to infer a user profile attribute may depend on the attribute, the types of connections, and the interactions between the user and the connections. The inferred attribute values may be used to update the user's profile and to determine information relevant to the user to be presented to the user (e.g., targeting advertisements to the user based on the user's inferred attributes).

Abstract: A messaging system receives a message that is intended for a recipient, who is a user of a social networking system. An object associated with the message is identified based on the message content and/or metadata associated with the message. The messaging system accesses a social networking system database to obtain social information about a relationship between the recipient and the identified object. The message is then indexed using the social information, wherein an entry for the message is stored in a message index based on the social information. This process may be repeated for each received message, and multiple different message indexes may be generated for received messages to track different types of social information. A user interface for viewing messages uses the message index to organize the messages, such as to filter, categorize, and/or sort the messages in the display.

Abstract: In one embodiment, in response to the detection of an event initiated in connection with a first structured document rendered by a first client application executing on a host, the event related to a target structured document, a method includes receiving, by executable code segment embedded in with the first structured document and executing within the context of the first client application, a first request for resources, related to the target structured document, generated by the first client application; formulating and transmitting, by the executable code segment, a second request related to the target structured document to a remote server; accessing, by the executable code segment, one or more resources related to the target structured document; and rendering, by the executable code segment, content rendered by the first client application based at least in part on the one or more accessed resources.

Abstract: A social networking system identifies a set of groups of which a user of the social networking system is not a member and selects a group for recommendation to the user based on a predicted affinity of the user for each identified group. The social networking system computes an affinity score of the user for each of one or more members of the selected group based at least in part on information describing a set of connections between the user and each member. Based on the scores, the social networking system selects a set of members of the group and generates a recommendation unit, wherein images associated with the selected members are arranged based on their scores and overlay at least a portion of an image associated with the group. The recommendation unit is communicated to the user to suggest that the user join the recommended group.

Abstract: Based on information associated with users, a social networking system recommends one or more groups for a target user to join or to create. Characteristics of the target user, characteristics of users connected to the target user, characteristics of candidate groups in the social networking system may be used to identify groups for recommendation. The social networking system may provide questions to the target user and recommend a group to the target user based on received answers to the questions. For example, the answers to the provided question identify one or more characteristics of the target user, which are used to select a group for recommendation. Additionally, the social networking system may recommend additional users for the target user to add or invite to a group based on characteristics of the target user, the additional users, and/or the group.

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: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for more effectively and easily sharing on a social networking system digital content obtained from an external system. In one embodiment a user selects a control for sharing content from the external system that causes a sharing request to be sent. The sharing request is received by the social networking website, and an interface is presented to the user requesting sharing parameters. The user provides sharing parameters through the interface that are received by the social networking website. Content is retrieved from the external system and is transmitted to one or more destinations in the social networking website based at least in part on the sharing parameters. The sharing parameters may include selection parameters for indicating which content to share, formatting parameters for specifying how to format the content, and destination parameters indicating particular destinations in the social networking website for the content.

Abstract: An online system generates metrics describing performance of a content item presented to its users by various entities based on a number of events associated with an exposed group of users presented with a content item and a control group of users not presented with the content item and similar to users of the exposed group. The online system receives information describing presentation of the content item to each user of the exposed group via client devices associated with users of the exposed group. The online system provides information used by the online system to identify each user in the exposed group and in the control group to a trusted third party, which identifies information describing events associated with the content item from one or more entities. Based on the identified information, a metric is generated to describe the effectiveness of the content item.

Abstract: User profile information for a user of a social networking system is inferred based on information about user profile of the user's connections in the social networking system. The inferred user profile attributes may include age, gender, education, affiliations, location, and the like. To infer a value of a user profile attribute, the system may determine an aggregate value based on the attributes of the user's connections. A confidence score may also be associated with the inferred attribute value. The set of connections analyzed to infer a user profile attribute may depend on the attribute, the types of connections, and the interactions between the user and the connections. The inferred attribute values may be used to update the user's profile and to determine information relevant to the user to be presented to the user (e.g., targeting advertisements to the user based on the user's inferred attributes).

Abstract: In particular embodiments a social networking system may receive from an external system outside the social-networking system, a request comprising a user identifier associated with a user of the social-networking system, query a social graph for stories generated by one or more connections of the user on the social-networking system, and transmit the stories to the external system. Similarly the social networking system may receive, from an external system outside of the social networking system, a request comprising a user identifier associated with a user of the social networking system, a content identifier, and a action performed by the user on the content identifier, generate a story for the received request, and publish the story to one or more connections of the user on the social networking system.

Abstract: Based on information associated with users, a social networking system recommends one or more groups for a target user to join or to create. Characteristics of the target user, characteristics of users connected to the target user, characteristics of candidate groups in the social networking system may be used to identify groups for recommendation. The social networking system may provide questions to the target user and recommend a group to the target user based on received answers to the questions. For example, the answers to the provided question identify one or more characteristics of the target user, which are used to select a group for recommendation. Additionally, the social networking system may recommend additional users for the target user to add or invite to a group based on characteristics of the target user, the additional users, and/or the group.

Abstract: In one general sense, display of content communicated by a sender communication device to a destination communication device may be enabled by receiving, at a destination communication device, content to be displayed by the destination communication device. Characteristics of a display of the received content by the destination communication device may be algorithmically identified in accordance with display configuration settings for the destination communication device. Based on the identified characteristics, at least one change to be made to capture configuration settings at a capturing communication device used to capture the received content may be identified. At least one alternative capture configuration setting may be communicated to the capturing communication device. Content that is captured by the capturing communication device is received at the destination communications device based on the alternative capture configuration setting communicated.

Abstract: A messaging system receives a message that is intended for a recipient, who is a user of a social networking system. An object associated with the message is identified based on the message content and/or metadata associated with the message. The messaging system accesses a social networking system database to obtain social information about a relationship between the recipient and the identified object. The message is then indexed using the social information, wherein an entry for the message is stored in a message index based on the social information. This process may be repeated for each received message, and multiple different message indexes may be generated for received messages to track different types of social information. A user interface for viewing messages uses the message index to organize the messages, such as to filter, categorize, and/or sort the messages in the display.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes sending, by a client device, a request to a computer server system for a target structured document. In a first response phase, a first response portion from the computer server system is sent in response to the request. The first response portion includes a first resource associated with the target structured document, wherein a likelihood that the first resource will be included in a response to a future request for the target structured document exceeds a first predetermined threshold. Further in a second response phase, a second response portion from the computer server system is sent in response to the request. The second response portion includes a second resource associated with the target structured document, wherein a likelihood that the second resource will be included in a response to a future request for the target structured document exceeds a second predetermined threshold.

Abstract: An online system tracks identities of users that interact with the online system. The online system sends a browser identifier for storing on a client device that interacts with the online system. The browser identifier uniquely identifies a browser of the client device used for interacting with the online system. A content provider system receives the browser identifier from the client device and uses the browser identifier for logging user actions associated with content provided by the content provider system. The content provider system sends user action logs to the online system and the online system determines users that used the client device at a timestamp associated with the user action log. The online system provides the user identifiers to the content provider system. The content provider system uses the user identifiers to generate reports.