Patent ID: 8996525
Filing Date: 2015-03-31
Classification: G06F,G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: allowing a user to select a first organization tracked by a system for social networking, wherein the system comprises a social graph including: a plurality of nodes of a first type, referred to as system-provided nodes, wherein system-provided nodes represent entities tracked by the system and include information gathered by the system; a plurality of nodes of a second type, different from the first type of node and referred to as ghost nodes, wherein ghost nodes represent entities created for users of the system and include information specified by users of the system; a plurality of edges of a first type, referred to as system-provided edges, wherein system-provided edges represent relationships categorized by at least one concept category of the system between two different system-provided nodes of the social graph; and a plurality of edges of a second type, different from the first type of edge and referred to as ghost edges, wherein each ghost edge represents relationships between a system-provided node and a ghost node of the social graph, and information on the relationships are specified by users of the system; using at least one electronic processor, maintaining the social graph comprising: allowing a plurality of system-provided nodes of the social graph to be directly coupled to other system-provided nodes by system-provided edges, wherein system-provided nodes and system-provided edges include information gathered by the system; allowing a plurality of ghost nodes of the social graph to be directly coupled to system-provided nodes by ghost edges, wherein ghost edges include information specified by users of the system; disallowing a plurality of ghost nodes from being directly coupled to other ghost nodes or to system-provided nodes using system-provided edges; and disallowing a plurality of system-provided nodes from being directly coupled to other system-provided nodes using ghost edges; representing the user as a first ghost node of the social graph, wherein the first ghost node and any ghost edges coupled to first ghost node are visible to the user and not to other users; allowing the user to specify a relationship to the first organization tracked by the system; coupling in the social graph the first ghost node with the first organization in the social graph based on the relationship specified by the user; aggregating a list of persons connected to the first organization in the system, wherein each person of the list of persons are not directly coupled to the user in the system; formatting the list of persons according to a strength of each person in the list of persons with the user; and displaying the formatted list of persons.