SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING A SOCIAL MEDIA STOCK EXCHANGE AND ASSOCIATED INTERACTIONS

The present disclosure is for systems and a methods for providing a social media stock exchange (SMSE) platform and associated functionality. The SMSE platform provides a tool for social media content creators to list shares of stock associated with their social media platform profiles and provides other users with an opportunity to invest in individuals based on their social media profiles/content. The SMSE platform provides an approach to aggregating and standardizing data from a plurality of social media platforms and present the information to users in a way that allows for easy and efficient comparison of data across platforms in order to aid users in making trading decisions on the SMSE platform.

BACKGROUND

There is a need for a system that allows content creators to monetize their content prior to achieving significant popularity criteria which can in turn provide the necessary revenue for their continued content creation and popularity growth. Social media platforms, in general, provide an avenue for sharing content related to interests, information of importance, endeavors, entertainment, networking, etc. While some social media platforms provide a means for monetizing the shared content, this is often only after substantial popularity criteria have been met such as having a certain number of followers, subscribers, views, and/or cumulative viewing time. Many social media presences or content creators are faced with challenges associated with financing their initial content creation and establishing themselves as a monetary worthy social media presence (that is until they meet the substantial popularity criteria as discussed above). Many may fail to achieve the necessary popularity to continue along their endeavors of creating and sharing content on social media platforms in the absence of a means to monetize or attract investment in the early stages of creating their social media account(s), content, or presence.

However, where there is opportunity for financial gain, there is also opportunity for unethical actions and attempts to take advantage of systems for personal gain. For example, social media platforms, digital content and online presences can face challenges with fraud, false or misleading information, and in some cases impersonating others for financial gain. When incorporating monetization with social media accounts, it is important to have a means of authentication so that the true content creator(s) is/are associated with social media accounts or presences in order to avoid or minimize the likelihood of the unethical actions related to social media accounts.

In order to provide content creators with an opportunity to monetize their social media presence, the present invention provides a social media stock exchange platform providing social media content creators the ability to list shares associated with their social media accounts for sale. In turn, the public is provided the opportunity to use the social media stock exchange platform to invest in social media content creators and make trades (e.g. buy and/or sell shares) through the platform. However, in order for buyers to be able to ingest this information and make trading decisions they may need to visit multiple different social media platforms for multiple content creators in order to stay up to date with changes in the corresponding social media profiles. Moreover, the information across different platforms is non-uniform and non-standardized such that comparison of information (or changes in information) between different platforms can be difficult to evaluate. For example, a content creator may have a social media presence on a plurality of separate and distinct social media platforms and may update varying content on the one platform without changing content on another platform. Information associated with these accounts are often stored in a non-standard format dictated by each distinct social media platform being used by a content creator. Moreover, different platforms have different numbers of total users so a change in popularity on one platform is not necessarily equivalent to the same change on another platform due to differing amounts of total users on the two platforms. For example, consider a hypothetical scenario where platform A has 1 million total users and platform B has 100,000 total users. A social media content creator who gains 10,000 followers on platform B gains a substantially larger percentage change in popularity on that platform (10% gain of the total platform users) as compared to a social media content creator who gains 10,000 followers on platform A (which would only be 1% gain of the total platform users). Thus, considering only the raw profile data (and changes therewith) can be misleading in the absence of some form of data standardization. It can be difficult for an interested party (e.g. an investor) to stay up to date with the various changes across different platforms and to determine what a change on one platform means with respect to a similar change on a different platform. Since this information can significantly impact investment strategies, it is important for users to be able to readily digest information about different content creators and different platforms. Moreover, users must continually monitor content creator profiles for changes and updated information as changes could impact investment strategy and missed changes could result in a loss of assets or a missed opportunity for financial gain.

SUMMARY

The present invention overcomes these limitations by providing a social media stock exchange (SMSE) system that provides content creators with the ability to create stock offerings associated with at least one of their social media accounts and obtain revenue in response to the sale of shares associated with their stock offerings. Users are also provided with the ability to invest in content creators or social media presences of their choosing with an opportunity for financial gain should the content creator or social media presence gain popularity or should stock offerings associated therewith rise in demand and/or market value. The present invention provides the ability to verify users and authenticate their association with social media accounts in order to provide a degree of certainty that stocks being offered for sale are done so in accordance with the true and rightful owner of the social media account. This provides investors with a degree of confidence that they are investing in an authentic social media presence or content creator. Furthermore, the system provides a means for authenticating and recording transactions in such a way as to provide secure transactions and a traceable transaction history.

To solve the problems identified above, applicant has invented a social media stock exchange platform that collects, converts and consolidates social media profile information into a standardized format. The information is stored and available to be presented to users to aid in trading decisions. Furthermore, the platform updates the stored information over time and generates indicators notifying users of updated information. Because each social media platform may have different user bases and total users, and use different user profile information (e.g. likes, followers, subscribers, comments, shares, re-posts, etc.) which serve as indicators of popularity and activity, the present invention converts this information into a standardized format to make the information easier to understand and easier to compare between social media platforms and social media content creators. The SMSE platform provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for presenting the information and/or obtaining trading instructions associated with the information. A user is provided with remote access through the GUI to view the information, view notifications associated with the information, and submit trading instructions. In this way all users can quickly be notified of any changes without having to manually look up or consolidate all of the social media profile updates for a vast number of content creators. Moreover, a user does not need to attempt to determine what a change on one social media platform means with respect to a change on another social media platform as the data standardization process accounts for differences between platforms and removes ambiguity and uncertainty associated with trying to compare different platforms. This ensures that each user is given prompt notice and access to changes in social media profile data in an easy to understand and easy to compare format so they can readily adapt their own investment strategy in accordance with content creator actions or changes in content creator profile information. The notifications can be in the form of an email message, text message, smartphone notification (e.g. via a smartphone application) or other type of notification known in the art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more different embodiments may be described in the present application. Further, for one or more of the embodiments described herein, numerous alternative arrangements may be described; it should be appreciated that these are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting of the embodiments contained herein or the claims presented herein in any way. One or more of the arrangements may be widely applicable to numerous embodiments, as may be readily apparent from the disclosure. In general, arrangements are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice one or more of the embodiments, and it should be appreciated that other arrangements may be utilized and that structural, logical, software, electrical and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments. Particular features of one or more of the embodiments described herein may be described with reference to one or more particular embodiments or figures that form a part of the present disclosure, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific arrangements of one or more of the aspects. It should be appreciated, however, that such features are not limited to usage in the one or more particular embodiments or figures with reference to which they are described. The present disclosure is neither a literal description of all arrangements of one or more of the embodiments nor a listing of features of one or more of the embodiments that must be present in all arrangements.

FIG.1illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a system100for facilitating operations of and interactions with a social media stock exchange (SMSE) system according to one embodiment. The system comprises user device(s)110, social media platform(s)101, social media stock exchange system102, authentication system103, and a network150over which the various systems communicate and interact. The various computing devices described herein are exemplary and for illustration purposes only. The system may be reorganized or consolidated, as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, to perform the same tasks on one or more other servers or computing devices without departing from the scope of the invention.

Social media platform(s)101comprise at least one social media platform through which users at least one of communicate with other users, provide content to be shared with others, and view content provided by other users. Social media platform(s) may comprise any platform and may be associated with any content, including, but not limited to, personal information, company information, documents, videos, photos, interests, endeavors, product information, services information, news information, review information, and the like.

Social media stock exchange (SMSE) system102provides a medium for users to at least one of monetize their social media content associated with at least one social media platform and invest in at least one social media presence and/or social media content creator associated with at least one social media platform. Social media stock exchange system102may obtain information from users in order to register the users with the social media stock exchange system102. Social media stock exchange system102may allow users to register as at least one of an investor and a creator. Creators may comprise at least one of an individual, group of individuals, company and the like associated with a social media presence with an interest in offering shares (e.g. stocks) for purchase by others. Investors may comprise individuals interested in the possibility of purchasing shares (e.g. stock) in content creators and their associated social media presence(s). Social media stock exchange system102may provide users with the ability to buy shares from creators and/or from other users (e.g. investors). Social media stock exchange system102may provide users with the ability to sell shares they own such as those previously purchased and/or shares generated in association with their social media presence, such as through an initial public offering. In this way, users are able to at least one of monetize their social media content/presence and invest in at least one social media presence and associated content. More details of the social media stock exchange system102can be found in the discussion ofFIG.2.

Authentication system103may comprise at least one system for authenticating at least one of user registrations and social media stock exchange transactions. Authentication system103may interface with social media platforms101in order to at least one of verify identities of users and associate a social media account(s) with a user. Authentication system103may comprise a decentralized system (e.g. blockchain) for use in performing authentication operations. Authentication system103may comprise an automated clearing house for verifying and/or approving transactions. Authentication system103may comprise a distributed ledger for use in performing authentication operations.

User device(s)110generally comprise a computing device which can be used by at least one of a content creator, social media presence and an investor in order to interact with at least one of the social media stock exchange system102and social media platform(s)101. User device(s)110may be used to interact with other system components in order to at least one of register as an investor and/or creator on social media stock exchange system102, modify content on social media platforms101, link social media accounts to social media stock exchange accounts, and initiate and/or execute transactions (such as buying and selling stock) through social media stock exchange102.

User device(s)110include, generally, a computer or computing device including functionality for communicating (e.g., remotely) over a network150. Data may be collected from user devices110, and data requests may be initiated from each user device110. User device(s)110may be a server, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), an in- or out-of-car navigation system, a smart phone or other cellular or mobile phone, or mobile gaming device, among other suitable computing devices. User devices110may execute one or more applications, such as a web browser (e.g., Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, and Opera, etc.), or a dedicated application to submit user data, or to make prediction queries over a network150.

In particular embodiments, each user device110may be an electronic device including hardware, software, or embedded logic components or a combination of two or more such components and capable of carrying out the appropriate functions implemented or supported by the user device110. For example and without limitation, a user device110may be a desktop computer system, a notebook computer system, a netbook computer system, a handheld electronic device, or a mobile telephone. The present disclosure contemplates any user device110. A user device110may enable a network user at the user device110to access network150. A user device110may enable its user to communicate with other users at other user devices110.

The user device110may also include an application that is loaded onto the user device110. The application obtains data from the network150and displays it to the user within the application interface.

Network cloud150generally represents a network or collection of networks (such as the Internet or a corporate intranet, or a combination of both) over which the various components illustrated inFIG.1(including other components that may be necessary to execute the system described herein, as would be readily understood to a person of ordinary skill in the art). In particular embodiments, network150is an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, or another network150or a combination of two or more such networks150. One or more links connect the systems and databases described herein to the network150. In particular embodiments, one or more links each includes one or more wired, wireless, or optical links. In particular embodiments, one or more links each includes an intranet, an extranet, a VPN, a LAN, a WLAN, a WAN, a MAN, a portion of the Internet, or another link or a combination of two or more such links. The present disclosure contemplates any suitable network150, and any suitable link for connecting the various systems and databases described herein.

The network150connects the various systems and computing devices described or referenced herein. In particular embodiments, network150is an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, or another network421or a combination of two or more such networks150. The present disclosure contemplates any suitable network150.

One or more links couple one or more systems, engines or devices to the network150. In particular embodiments, one or more links each includes one or more wired, wireless, or optical links. In particular embodiments, one or more links each includes an intranet, an extranet, a VPN, a LAN, a WLAN, a WAN, a MAN, a portion of the Internet, or another link or a combination of two or more such links. The present disclosure contemplates any suitable links coupling one or more systems, engines or devices to the network150.

In particular embodiments, each system or engine may be a unitary server or may be a distributed server spanning multiple computers or multiple datacenters. Systems, engines, or modules may be of various types, such as, for example and without limitation, web server, news server, mail server, message server, advertising server, file server, application server, exchange server, database server, or proxy server. In particular embodiments, each system, engine or module may include hardware, software, or embedded logic components or a combination of two or more such components for carrying out the appropriate functionalities implemented or supported by their respective servers. For example, a web server is generally capable of hosting websites containing web pages or particular elements of web pages. More specifically, a web server may host HTML files or other file types, or may dynamically create or constitute files upon a request, and communicate them to client/user devices or other devices in response to HTTP or other requests from client devices or other devices. A mail server is generally capable of providing electronic mail services to various client devices or other devices. A database server is generally capable of providing an interface for managing data stored in one or more data stores.

In particular embodiments, one or more data storages may be communicatively linked to one or more servers via one or more links. In particular embodiments, data storages may be used to store various types of information. In particular embodiments, the information stored in data storages may be organized according to specific data structures. In particular embodiment, each data storage may be a relational database. Particular embodiments may provide interfaces that enable servers or clients to manage, e.g., retrieve, modify, add, or delete, the information stored in data storage.

The system may also contain other subsystems and databases, which are not illustrated inFIG.1, but would be readily apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the system may include databases for storing data, storing features, storing outcomes (training sets), and storing models. Other databases and systems may be added or subtracted, as would be readily understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention.

FIG.2illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the social media stock exchange system102. Social media stock exchange system102may comprise user input interface201, social media platform interface202, investor interactions engine203, content creator interactions engine204, user verification engine205, transaction engine206, and recordation engine207. The various components described herein are exemplary and for illustration purposes only and any combination or subcombination of the various components may be used as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Other systems, interfaces, modules, engines, databases, and the like, may be used, as would be readily understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention. Any system, interface, module, engine, database, and the like may be divided into a plurality of such elements for achieving the same function without departing from the scope of the invention. Any system, interface, module, engine, database, and the like may be combined or consolidated into fewer of such elements for achieving the same function without departing from the scope of the invention. All functions of the components discussed herein may be initiated manually or may be automatically initiated when the criteria necessary to trigger action have been met.

User input interface201obtains input from at least one user in association with at least one of registering with social media stock exchange system102and conducting stock related research, inquiries, and/or transactions. User input interface may obtain user input associated with users comprising at least one of user identification information (e.g. name, date of birth, social security number, etc.), an indication whether the user is an investor and/or creator, user bank account information, social media account information and the like. This list is merely exemplary and other user information may be obtained as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

Social media platform interface202obtains information from at least one social media platform in order to at least one of associate a social media account(s) with a registered user(s), verify authenticity of a social media account(s), obtain social media content or associated information, obtain data associated with at least one social media presence/creator such as number of followers, subscribers, likes, type of content, age of content, frequency at which new content is added (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, etc.), and the like. Social media platform interface202may automatically obtain information upon initial user registration. Social media platform interface202may automatically obtain updated information at periodic intervals after user registration such as daily, weekly, monthly, etc. Social media platform interface202may automatically obtain updated information upon obtaining an indication that information is associated with a social media account(s) has changed, such as at least one of new content has been uploaded on a social media platform, changes in number of followers, subscribers, likes, and/or content aspects, etc.

Investor interactions engine203is operable to provide users with the ability to at least one of register as an investor, view available SMSE stock offerings, purchase SMSE stock offerings, research SMSE stocks, and sell SMSE stocks which the investor currently owns. Investor interactions engine203may provide investors with an indication of currently available SMSE stocks and their associated market price. Investor interactions engine203may provide an analysis of at least one of current, past, and predicted market price. For example, investor interactions engine203may provide investors with, for each SMSE stock, at least one of a computed market value, trends associated with the market value, trends associated with the market price, projections associated with future market value, and an indication whether current price is fairly priced with respect to market value calculations. Investor interactions engine203may provide recommendations to investors based on at least one of user preferences and past user transactions associated with the SMSE system102.

Content creator interactions engine204is operable to provide users with the ability to at least one of register as a content creator (or social media presence), and initiate and control SMSE stock offerings associated with their social media account(s). Content creator interactions engine204may obtain information associated with at least one of the user and associated social media account(s). Content creator interactions engine204may initiate a verification process (e.g. via user verification engine205as discussed below) prior to allowing users to complete the registration process and/or prior to allowing users to offer SMSE stocks for purchase by other users. Content creator interactions engine204may obtain initial public offering (IPO) information (e.g. share price, number of shares, etc.) from users (e.g. content creators) in order to create SMSE stock offerings in accordance with the IPO information. Content creator interactions engine204may make recommendations to users (e.g. content creators) regarding IPO details such as share price, number of shares, etc. Content creator interactions engine204may obtain social media account(s) data for use in making recommendations regarding IPO details. In one aspect, the social media account(s) data may comprise at least one of number of followers, subscribers, likes, type of content, age of content, frequency at which new content is added (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, etc.), and the like. Content creator interactions engine204may analyze obtained IPO information in light of obtained social media account(s) data in order to provide an indication to users (e.g. content creators) regarding the quality of their provided IPO information. For example, analysis of the social media account(s) data may be used to provide an indication whether the share price is within a threshold of a fair market value.

User verification engine205is operable to verify and/or authenticate user information including, but not limited to, login credentials, identity information, bank account information, social media account information, and the like. User verification engine205may interact with external systems in order to verify and/or authenticate at least one of the above mentioned user information. In one aspect, user verification engine205may perform a verification process in order to determine, with a sufficient degree of certainty, that a user registering as a content creator is who they claim to be and not impersonating a social media presence. In this way, stock offerings provided through the SMSE system can be provided with a degree of confidence that they are being offered in accordance with instruction from the rightful owner of the social media account.

Transaction engine206is operable to process transactions associated with at least one of buying and selling of SMSE stocks. Transaction engine206may at least one of obtain SMSE stock offering data, provide SMSE stock offering data, obtain SMSE stock purchase request information, obtain SMSE stock sale request information, obtain SMSE stock sale approval information, and the like. Transaction engine206may comprise and/or communicate with a transaction processing system, such as an automated clearing house system. Transaction engine206may obtain and/or provide information from/to at least one recordation system (such as recordation engine207, authentication system103, decentralized/blockchain system, distributed ledger, etc.) as part of authenticating and/or processing transactions.

Recordation engine207is operable to record transactions associated with transaction engine206. Recordation engine207may comprise a ledger based approach for recording transactions. Recordation engine207may communicate with authentication system103as described above in order to record transactions. Recordation engine207may comprise and/or communicate with at least one of a decentralized recording system, blockchain system and distributed ledger system.

Data standardization engine208is operable to convert the data from different social media platforms into a standardized format. Data standardization engine208converts social media profile data from different platforms, which may comprise different data and/or metrics depending on the platform from which the social media profile information is obtained, into a standardized format. Data standardization engine208may identify social media profile data metrics which are similar between different social media platforms and convert them to a standardized metric or format which accounts for differences between the social media platforms. For example, converting may comprise accounting for the total number of users on a corresponding social media platform (e.g. evaluating a number of followers relative to total users on a given social media platform) to standardize the social media profile information relative to the overall popularity of a given social media platform. This is merely one example of how the converting can be done and what characteristics of the social media platforms are considered in the standardization and other converting approaches for standardization may be used without departing from the scope of the invention as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Data analytics engine209is operable to process at least one of social media profile data and SMSE stock data (e.g. market value, transaction data) to determine characteristics associated with the profile data and/or SMSE stock. Data analytics engine209may compute at least one of changes in social media profile data and/or SMSE stock data, evaluate trends associated with social media profile data and SMSE stock data, determine social media profile data satisfy certain criteria (e.g. exceed or fall below at least one threshold).

Alert engine210is operable to generate notifications associated with characteristics associated with at least one of SMSE stocks and social media content creator profile data associated with an SMSE platform. Alert engine210may generate alerts and/or notifications automatically when certain criteria have been met. Alert engine210may generate alerts and/or notifications in association with computations performed by the data analytics engine209. Alert engine210may generate alerts and/or notifications in association with at least one of obtaining updated social media profile data, analysis of social media profile data and/or SMSE stock data indicating a change (e.g. beyond a threshold), analysis of social media profile data and/or SMSE stock data indicating a trend or a change in a trend characteristic (e.g. a switch from trending upwards to trending downwards, or vice versa). Alert engine210may generate alerts and/or notifications in association with the location of a content creator in relation to the location of an end user of the SMSE platform (e.g. when a content creator and end-user, such as an investor, are within a threshold distance of each other).

FIG.3Aillustrates an exemplary process for registering content creators with an SMSE and initiating an SMSE stock offering. The process comprises obtaining user information301, obtaining a request to link social media accounts/content with a user302, verifying social media accounts303, recommending an IPO304, and obtaining a request to list shares associated with a social media account305. Any of the above steps may be excluded and/or additional steps added without departing from the scope of the invention as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. The order of any steps presented or any added steps may be performed in an order other than that presented without departing from the scope of the invention.

At step301, the process may comprise obtaining user information associated with registering a user as a content creator or social media presence with a SMSE system (such as system102described above). User information may comprise at least one of user identification information, user bank account information, social media account information and the like.

At step302, the process may comprise obtaining a request to link at least one social media account and/or social media content with a user. In one aspect, after a user registers as a content creator or social media presence with the SMSE, a request to link the registered user with at least one social media account associated with at least one social media platform may be obtained. Once the linking is complete (such as after verification), the social media account(s) may be associated with the user and any corresponding SMSE shares affiliated with that social media account(s).

At step303, the process may comprise verifying social media accounts. In one aspect, verification may comprise verifying that a user registered with an SMSE system is who they are claiming to be and/or authorized to establish a link between an SMSE account and an identified social media account. Verification may be performed in a variety of ways as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. In one aspect, verification may comprise two step verification. In one aspect, verification may comprise using contact information associated with the social media account in order to communicate with the owner of the social media account to obtain verification that the owner is attempting to link their social media account with an SMSE system. In one aspect, verification may comprise prompting a user to login in to the social media account they are attempting to link as a means of confirming with a degree of certainty that they are the owner of the social media account.

At step304, the process may comprise recommending an IPO to a registered user. In one aspect, this may comprise obtaining data associated with at least one social media account, such as at least one of number of followers, subscribers, likes, type of content, age of content, frequency at which new content is added (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, etc.), and the like and analyzing the data in order to determine recommended IPO details such as number of shares to offer and a starting share price. In one aspect, trends associated with the above data may be analyzed in order to generate the recommendations. In some embodiments, step304may be omitted such as when a user prefers to establish their own IPO details without a recommendation.

At step305, the process may comprise obtaining a request to list shares associated with a social media account through an SMSE system. The request may comprise IPO details such as a user selecting recommended IPO details or a user establishing different IPO details. Once IPO details have been obtained and the request to list shares in accordance with the IPO details are obtained, the shares may then be listed through an SMSE system.

FIG.3Billustrates an exemplary process for buying and selling stocks through an SMSE system. The process comprises recommending an IPO306, obtaining social media stock offering information307, providing social media stock offering information and analytics308, obtaining a social media stock purchase request309, obtaining acceptance/rejection of a purchase request310, authenticating and approving a transaction311, and recording the transaction312. The process may comprise additional steps, fewer steps, and/or a different order of steps without departing from the scope of the invention as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

At step306, the process may comprise recommending an IPO to a registered user. In one aspect, this may comprise obtaining data associated with at least one social media account, such as at least one of number of followers, subscribers, likes, type of content, age of content, frequency at which new content is added (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, etc.), and the like and analyzing the data in order to determine recommended IPO details such as number of shares to offer and a starting share price. In one aspect, trends associated with the above data may be analyzed in order to generate the recommendations. In some embodiments, step306may be omitted such as when a user prefers to establish their own IPO details without a recommendation.

At step307, the process may comprise obtaining social media stock offering information such as IPO details. The stock offering information may be obtained in accordance with generated recommendations (e.g. from step306) and/or may be obtained based on information provided by a user. The stock offering information may comprise at least one of the number of shares being offered and the corresponding price per share.

At step308, the process may comprise providing the social media stock offering information so that interested parties are provided with an opportunity to purchase shares. In one aspect, the stock offering information may be provided through an SMSE system (such as the one described above inFIGS.1-2). In one aspect, the stock offering information may be provided to users registered with an SMSE system along with analytics associated with the stock offering information. In one aspect, the analytics may be based on at least one of the corresponding social media account data such as at least one of number of followers, subscribers, likes, type of content, age of content, frequency at which new content is added (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly, etc.), and the like. In one aspect, the analytics may comprise computing an estimated market value associated an SMSE stock, wherein the estimated market value is determined based on a valuation algorithm, the valuation algorithm based on at least one of current SMSE stock market value, supply/demand information (e.g. trading information such as trading volume) and social media profile data/statistics. The analytics may provide investors with an indication of whether the offering appears to be at fair market value as determined from analyzing the social media account data.

At step309, the process may comprise obtaining an SMSE stock purchase request. In one aspect, the stock purchase request may be for at least one of shares being offered by a content creator, such as through an IPO, shares being offered by an investor/owner of shares who previously acquired the shares, and a bid for shares of a stock such as in the absence of a clear offering of a stock. In one aspect, the purchase request may be associated with a timeframe establishing how long the request is valid for or will remain open.

At step310, the process may comprise at least one of acceptance or rejection of a stock purchase request. In one aspect, any owner of a stock associated with the stock indicated in an SMSE purchase request may accept the purchase offer. In one aspect, in the absence of an acceptance, the purchase request is considered rejected. In one aspect, the purchase request may be automatically rejected if there is no acceptance within a time frame associated with a purchase request.

At step311, the process may comprise authenticating and approving a transaction to transfer ownership of a stock to another party in exchange for the accepted and agreed upon purchase price. In one aspect, authentication and approval may be processed through an automated clearing house. In one aspect, authentication and approval may be done in accordance with an authentication system and corresponding features such as those described above with respect to authentication system103and/or transaction engine206.

At step312, the process may comprise recording the transaction in a secure manner. In one aspect, recording may comprise use of a ledger based approach for recording transactions. In one aspect, recording may comprise use of and/or communicate with at least one of a decentralized recording system, blockchain system and distributed ledger system.

FIG.3Cillustrates an exemplary process for obtaining, standardizing and presenting profile data for use in aiding trading decisions on a social media stock exchange platform according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The process comprises storing social media profile data in a standardized format331, obtaining updated social media profile data333, converting the updated social media profile data into a standardized format335, storing the updated social media profile data in the standardized format337, generating a notification of updated social media profile data339, providing real-time access to the notification341. The process may comprise additional steps, fewer steps, and/or a different order of steps without departing from the scope of the invention as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

At step331, the process may comprise storing social media profile data in a standardized format. Storing may comprise storing previously obtained social media profile data which has been converted into the standardized format. Social media profile data may comprise data from a plurality of social media platforms. Social media profile data may comprise at least one of a number of followers, number of subscribers, number of likes, number of views, number of comments, number of posts, number of re-posts, and a number of shares converted into a standardized format.

At step333, the process may comprise obtaining updated social media profile data. Obtaining updated social media profile data may comprise obtaining profile data in a non-standardized, non-universal format due to differences in the social media platforms from which the data is obtained. Obtaining updated social media profile data may comprise updated data associated with at least one of a number of followers, number of subscribers, number of likes, number of views, number of comments, number of posts, number of re-posts, and a number of shares. Obtaining updated social media profile data may comprise use of at least one API (application programing interface) to pull profile data from at least one social media platform. Obtaining updated social media profile data may comprise periodically obtaining updated profile data such as daily, weekly, hourly, every several hours, multiple times per hour, every several minutes, etc. These are merely examples of the time intervals at which updated data may be obtained and other time intervals may be used without departing from the scope of the invention as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

At step335, the process may comprise converting the updated social media profile data into a standardized format. Since various social media platforms use different profile metrics and there is no universal metric(s) associated with content creator popularity across all social media platforms, it is difficult to compare popularity and/or popularity changes across platforms. Moreover, different platforms have different numbers of total users so a change in popularity on one platform is not necessarily equivalent to the same change on another platform due to differing amounts of total users on the two platforms. For example, consider a hypothetical scenario where platform A has 1 million total users and platform B has 100,000 total users. A social media content creator who gains 10,000 followers on platform B gains a substantially larger percentage change in popularity on that platform (10% gain of the total platform users) as compared to a social media content creator who gains 10,000 followers on platform A (which would only be 1% gain of the total platform users). Thus, considering only the raw profile data (and changes therewith) can be misleading in the absence of some form of data standardization. A standardized format serves to assimilate the different profile data and corresponding metrics to standardized format allowing for easier and more efficient comparison between and across social media platforms. Converting may comprise identifying profile data metrics which are similar between different social media platforms and converts them to a standardized metric or format which accounts for differences between the social media platforms. For example, converting may comprise accounting for the total number of users on the corresponding social media platform (e.g. evaluating a number of followers relative to total users on a given social media platform). This is merely one example of how the converting can be done and what characteristics of the social media platforms are considered in the standardization and other converting approaches for standardization may be used without departing from the scope of the invention as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

At step337, the process may comprise storing the updated social media profile data in the standardized format. Storing the updated social media profile data may comprise adding a new database entry for the updated data and associating the new database entry and corresponding data with a social media content creator and/or social media stock exchange stock (e.g. through use of an identifier). In this way, historic profile data may be accessed for analyzing characteristics over time, such as determining trends. Storing the updated social media profile data may comprise replacing an existing database entry associated with the social media content creator and/or SMSE stock.

At step339, the process may comprise generating a notification associated with the updated social media profile data. Generating a notification may comprise a notification that updated social media profile data has been obtained. Generating a notification may comprise a notification that social media profile data has changed (e.g. in excess of a threshold amount). Generating a notification may comprise a notification that social media profile data has met (or fallen below) certain thresholds (e.g. a threshold number of followers, and/or other profile data as described above, etc.). Generating a notification may comprise a notification a stock value of an SMSE stock associated with the updated social media profile data has changed (e.g. in excess of a threshold amount). Generating a notification may comprise a notification that at least one of social media profile data and SMSE stock value associated with the profile data has met certain trend criteria (e.g. is trending in a certain direction for a threshold period of time, trend direction has changed, trend rate has changed, etc.). Generating a notification may comprise a notification to be provided when the user accesses their account so that they are alerted that there is up to date information to be viewed (e.g. seeFIG.3Fbelow). The notification may be generated automatically as the updated social media profile data is processed and the above characteristics or criteria are determined, such as via a processor.

At step341, the process may comprise providing real-time access to at least one of the notification, updated social media profile data, and corresponding analysis of said data and/or SMSE stock value data. Providing real-time access may comprise providing real-time access to at least one SMSE platform user. Providing real-time access may comprise transmitting at least one notification to at least one user such as via at least one of an email, a text (SMS) message, a prompt on a user interface of the SMSE platform, a prompt on a user device associated with an SMSE user. Providing real-time access may comprise providing real-time access to at least one user who owns at least one share of an SMSE stock associated with the updated social media profile data. Providing real-time access may comprise providing real-time access to a plurality of users who own at least one share of an SMSE stock associated with the updated social media profile data. Providing real-time access may comprise providing access through a graphical user interface (GUI), such as those associated withFIGS.3D,3E and3Fdescribed below.

The process may further comprise steps associated with executing a transaction in association with the above standardized information. For example, the process may comprise additional steps such as309,310,311, and/or312as presented and discussed in association withFIG.3Babove.

FIG.3Dillustrates an exemplary GUI for viewing SMSE information and/or navigating to different SMSE information. The GUI may comprise UI element401which may comprise an interactive element allowing a user to search through the SMSE platform for information such as content creators (including associated SMSE stocks). The GUI may comprise UI element402which may comprise an interactive element allowing a user to search through the SMSE platform for information via a category based search such as to identify content creators and/or associated SMSE stocks based on the category (e.g. athletes, influencers, entertainers, inventors, product/brand creators, instructors/trainers, entrepreneurs, etc.). The GUI may comprise UI element403which displays content creators and their associated stock on the SMSE. UI element403may display a random selection of content creators and associated stocks. UI element403may display content creators and associated stocks which are experiencing the greatest changes or strongest trends over a recent time period. UI element403may display content creators and associated SMSE stocks which the user owns and/or has flagged as a content creator/stock to watch (e.g. be provided with updates on a recurring basis) on the SMSE. UI element403may comprise at least one interactive element allowing a user to navigate to obtain additional information associated with a selected content creator and/or their associated SMSE stock (e.g. updated social media profile data, trend analysis, etc.). The GUI may comprise UI element404which may comprise an interactive element allowing users to navigate to a display of information associated with their current assets and/or investments on the SMSE platform. The GUI may comprise UI element405which may comprise an interactive element allowing users to navigate to a display of information associated with news and/or events which may have an impact on values of SMSE stocks or may affect social media profile data associated with content creators. The GUI may comprise UI element406which may comprise an interactive element allowing users to navigate to a display of notifications and/or alerts associated with SMSE stocks and/or social media profile data. The GUI may comprise UI element407which may comprise an interactive element allowing users to navigate to a display of information associated with user settings associated with the SMSE platform.

FIG.3Eillustrates an exemplary GUI for displaying detailed information associated with a particular content creator. The GUI may comprise UI element421which may display at content creator identifiers and/or descriptors, such as content creator name, type (e.g. athlete, influencer, entertainer, etc.), etc., The GUI may comprise UI element422which may display at least one social media platform associated with the content creator information displayed in421. UI element422may display a corresponding number of followers or other social media profile data for each social media platform displayed. The GUI may comprise UI element427which may display business or venture related information associated with the creator information displayed in421. For example, UI element427may display at least one of a net worth associated with the content creator and/or each business they own or are affiliated with. UI element427may display at least one business name associated with the content creator which may include an interactive element allowing a user to navigate to additional information associated with the business. UI element427may display at least one product associated with the content creator which may include an interactive element allowing a user to navigate to additional information associated with the product. The GUI may comprise UI element423which may display at least one of SMSE stock value and standardized social media profile information associated with at least one social media platform, wherein the social media profile information may include at least one of a display of historical data and trend analysis information. The GUI may comprise UI element424which may display alternate formats of SMSE stock value information and/or social media profile data (e.g. in standardized and/or non-standardized formats). The GUI may comprise UI element425which may display an interactive element allowing user to initiate a purchase of an SMSE stock associated with the creator information displayed in427. The GUI may comprise UI element426which may display an interactive element allowing user to initiate a sale of an SMSE stock associated with the creator information displayed in427. Any of the UI elements ofFIG.3Emay comprise at least one interactive element allowing a user to navigate to another UI display of more detailed information associated with the UI element(s) ofFIG.3E.

FIG.3Fillustrates an exemplary GUI for displaying at least one of alerts and notifications associated with at least one of SMSE stocks and social media profile data for content creators associated with the SMSE. The GUI may comprise UI element431which may display a notification or alert associated with at least one of social media profile data and social media content associated with a content creator (e.g. a change in content creator popularity metrics or profile data). The GUI may comprise UI element432which may display a notification or alert associated with a change in SMSE stock value associated with a content creator. The GUI may comprise UI element433which may display a notification or alert associated with the location of a social media content creator relative to the location of a user interacting with the GUI. Any of the UI elements ofFIG.3Emay comprise at least one interactive element allowing a user to navigate to another UI display of more detailed information associated with the UI element(s) ofFIG.3E.

Hardware Architecture

In addition, in some embodiments, servers32may call external services37when needed to obtain additional information, or to refer to additional data concerning a particular call. Communications with external services37may take place, for example, via one or more networks31. In various embodiments, external services37may comprise web-enabled services or functionality related to or installed on the hardware device itself. For example, in one aspect where client applications are implemented on a smartphone or other electronic device, client applications may obtain information stored in a server system32in the cloud or on an external service37deployed on one or more of a particular enterprise's or user's premises.

In various embodiments, functionality for implementing systems or methods of various embodiments may be distributed among any number of client and/or server components. For example, various software modules may be implemented for performing various functions in connection with the system of any particular aspect, and such modules may be variously implemented to run on server and/or client components.

Additional Considerations

Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciate still additional alternative structural and functional designs for a system and a process for creating an interactive message through the disclosed principles herein. Thus, while particular embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the precise construction and components disclosed herein. Various apparent modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the method and apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in the appended claims.