Patent ID: 9721033
Date: 2017-08-01
CPC Classifications: G06F

Claim:
1. A machine-controlled method implemented as executable instructions within a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for execution on a machine, the machine executing the instructions to perform the method comprising, comprising: receiving, by the machine, at least one file in a designated shared folder on the machine and the folder part of a file system of the machine and the machine is a local device operated by a particular user; automatically providing access by a driver, executing on the local device, to the at least one file in the designated shared folder to a social networking website, the driver monitoring the designated shared folder on the machine and interfaces with the social networking website on behalf of the particular user using an account of the particular user at the social networking website, the driver interfacing with the social networking website using a social network interface of the social network website; automatically authenticating, synchronizing, uploading, updating, and deleting, by the driver particular files based on detecting the placing and removing of those particular files into and out of the shared folder as made by the particular user operating the machine using the file system of the machine and other files residing on the machine and the file system that are not in the shared folder are not processed in any manner; preventing, by the driver, a designated file placed in the shared folder by the particular user from being shared with the social networking site based on content of the designated file and a user-defined policy that is independent of any social networking website policy; allowing by the driver using the social network interface, the social networking website to make the at least one file available to users that are allowed to access the particular user account at the social networking website; synchronizing by the driver using the social network interface, settings included in a certain file in the designated shared folder with other settings maintained on the social networking website, each time the certain file is edited, the certain file is synchronized with the other settings; detecting by the driver changes to content within the account of the social networking website that are made by the user on the social networking website through the social network interface and synchronizing those changes to the content back in the designated shared folder on the machine; and maintaining by the driver a plurality of user-defined profiles, each profile associated with a subset of social networking websites of the user and at least one subset associated with the social networking website, and synchronizing by the driver changes made by the user to a particular profile with social networking profiles maintained by corresponding ones the social networking websites that are associated with the changed particular profile.