Patent ID: 7522058
Filing Date: 2009-04-21
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A system for social networking in a virtual space comprising: a network; subscriber computing devices, wherein the subscriber computing devices are each associated with a subscriber identifier and wherein each computing device is connected to the network; a profile datastore, wherein the profile datastore comprises a subscriber profile comprising information about a subscriber and wherein the subscriber profile is associated with the subscriber's subscriber identifier; an information processor connected to the network, wherein the information processor comprises instructions for: monitoring subscriber identifiers associated with the subscriber devices that are logged into a website, wherein the website defines a virtual space and the logged-in subscriber devices are characterized as present in the virtual space; serving web pages to the computing devices of the present subscribers via the network, wherein a web page of a present subscriber comprises a subscriber icon associated with the present subscriber and subscriber icons of other present subscribers; determining whether a subscriber profile associated with the present subscriber matches the subscriber profiles associated with the other present subscribers according to matching criteria (herein, the “matching determination”); in response to the matching determination, linking the icon of the present subscriber to the icons associated with other present subscribers having profiles that match the profile of the subscriber according to the matching criteria and assigning an attribute to the icons of the other present subscribers having profiles that match the profile of the present subscriber according to the matching criteria; and providing selected profile information to the present subscriber of a selected one of any of the other present matching subscribers via a linked icon.