Collaborative multiuser publishing of social media posts

A public post is created in conjunction with a social media platform, where a first poster contributes a first subset of artifacts used in the public post and a second poster contributes a second subset of artifacts used in the public post. From the public post, a first version is generated corresponding to the first poster where the first version includes the first subset of artifacts and an artifact from the second subset of artifacts. A first view of the public post is generated for a first viewer, the first view presenting the first version in a public portion and a private post of the first poster in a private portion, where the first viewer is a member of a first social network of the first poster. A second view of the public post is generated for a second viewer, which presents a second version in the public portion.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to a method, system, and computer program product for publishing posts on social media. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method, system, and computer program product for collaborative multiuser publishing of social media posts.

BACKGROUND

Social media comprises any medium, network, channel, or technology for facilitating communication between a large number of individuals and/or entities (users). Some common examples of social media are Facebook or Twitter, each of which facilitates communications in a variety of forms between large numbers of users (Facebook is a trademark of Facebook, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. Twitter is a trademark of Twitter Inc. in the United States and in other countries.) Social media, such as Facebook or Twitter allow users to interact with one another individually, in a group, according to common interests, casually or in response to an event or occurrence, and generally for any reason or no reason at all.

Some other examples of social media are websites or data sources associated with radio stations, news channels, magazines, publications, blogs, and sources or disseminators of news or information. Some more examples of social media are websites or repositories associated with specific industries, interest groups, action groups, committees, organizations, teams, or other associations of users. Hereinafter, a reference to “social media” or a “social media platform” is a reference to any one or more social media, or a combination thereof, described herein.

Data from social media comprises unidirectional sharing of content, bi-directional messages, or broadcast communications in a variety of languages and forms. Such communications in the social media are commonly referred to as “posts.” The contents of posts can include natural language conversation, images, multimedia, and/or links or references, any of which can be in proprietary conversational styles, slangs or acronyms, urban phrases in a given context, formalized writing or publication, and other structured or unstructured data.

A user's contributions or interactions with the social media can include any type or size of data. For example, a user can post a variety of artifacts—such as text, pictures, videos, links, or combinations of these and other forms of information to a social media website. Furthermore, such information can be posted in any order, at any time, for any reason, and with or without any context.

A contribution can be a post or a comment or other type of response to the post. A user who creates and publishes a post is a posting user (“poster”). A contribution of a poster is the post. A user who views, receives, or otherwise perceives the post is a viewing user (“viewer”). A contribution of a viewer is a response to the post. For the purposes of this disclosure, a poster's surresponse to a viewer's response is regarded simply as another post.

Certain posts result from personal experiences or wishes of an individual poster. Such a post is referred to herein as a “private” post. Generally, the intended audience of a private post is a select group of such other users on the social media platform who are members of the poster's social network. Such a group is hereinafter referred to as a “network” of the poster or “network of friends” of the poster. Unless the immediate context of the term “network” indicates a different meaning of the term, a reference to a network is a reference to a network of friends of the poster.

The illustrative embodiments recognize that certain other posts result from a collective experience of many users, some or all of whom may be posters. For example, many posters may author and publish posts with similar accounts of a group event—e.g., of a company party. Posts which contain similar themes or contents, including but not necessarily exactly the same theme or content, and which are authored by a plurality of posters are referred to herein as “public” posts. While each poster of such a post intends the network of the poster to receive the post, essentially, similar content—which can often be duplicative—reaches social users outside an individual poster's network, e.g., by way of a similar post by another poster to that poster's network.

The illustrative embodiments also recognize that a viewer may be in the network of more than one poster of such public posts. Therefore, the viewer might download and view posts from more than one poster and find the posts to be largely duplicative. Two posts are regarded herein as duplicative when the posts are authored by different posters and contain similar—not necessarily exactly the same—information concerning a common theme or event. For example, two picture posts can be similar when they portray the same scene from two vantage points, or include a common subset of subjects. As another example, two textual posts can be duplicative if they provide an account of the same incidence in different words. As another example, two video posts can be duplicative if they each include at least a portion that covers the same occasion, even if from different time periods during the occasion, different vantage points from where the videos are captured, different commentaries, and the like.

The illustrative embodiments recognize that when duplicative posts are authored by a plurality of posters, the result can be duplicative information being posted to social media, data networks communicating data of duplicative posts, viewers downloading the duplicative posts, viewers wasting time reviewing the duplicative posts with marginal or no incremental benefit, inconsistent accounts of the theme or event emerging from the duplicative posts and confusing the viewer, or some combination of these and other undesirable effects. The illustrative embodiments recognize that a solution is needed using which a group of posters can collaborate to create a single public post, and using which different views of the public post can be constructed and controlled for different viewers under different circumstances.

SUMMARY

The illustrative embodiments provide a method, system, and computer program product. An embodiment includes a method that creates, using a processor and a memory in conjunction with a social media platform, a public post, wherein a first poster contributes a first subset of a set of artifacts used in the public post and a second poster contributes a second subset of a set of artifacts used in the public post. The embodiment generates, from the public post, a first version corresponding to the first poster wherein the first version includes the first subset of artifacts and an artifact from the second subset of artifacts. The embodiment generates a first view of the public post for a first viewer, the first view presenting the first version in a public portion and a private post of the first poster in a private portion, wherein the first viewer is a member of a first social network of the first poster. The embodiment generates a second view of the public post for a second viewer, the second view presenting a second version in the public portion. Thus, the embodiment provides a method by which a group of posters can collaborate to create a single public post, of which different posters can construct different versions for their own networks, and using which different views of the public post can be constructed and controlled for different viewers under different circumstances.

Another embodiment further generates, from the public post, the second version corresponding to the second poster wherein the second version includes the second subset of artifacts and an artifact from the first subset of artifacts. The embodiment presents a private post of the second poster in the private portion, wherein the second viewer is a member of a second social network of the second poster. Thus, the embodiment allows construction of different versions of a single public post without a viewer in the second poster's network receiving duplicate public posts artifacts or public post artifacts that were not selected by the second poster.

Another embodiment further generates, from the public post, the second version corresponding to the second poster wherein the second version includes the second subset of artifacts and an artifact from the first subset of artifacts. The embodiment combines, in the second view, the first version and the second version, wherein the second viewer is a member of the social network of the first poster, and of a second social network of the second poster. Thus, the embodiment allows construction of a unified version of a public post without a viewer receiving duplicate public posts artifacts when the user is a member of the networks of multiple posters in the group that is collaborating on the public post.

Another embodiment further presents, in the private portion of the second view, the private post of the first poster and a private post of the second poster in the private portion. Thus, the embodiment allows the private posts to be posted and viewed together with the public post.

Another embodiment further generates, from the public post, the second version corresponding to the second poster wherein the second version includes only the second subset of artifacts. Thus, the embodiment allows construction of different versions of a single public post without a viewer in the second poster's network receiving duplicate public posts artifacts or public post artifacts that were not selected by the second poster.

Another embodiment further retains, in the first view, a single instance of an artifact that is present in the first subset and the second subset. Thus, the embodiment allows construction of a view such that the view does not include duplicates of an artifact when the view combines multiple versions where each version could contain the same artifact.

Another embodiment further denies, responsive to the first viewer not being a member of a social network of the second poster, the first viewer a permission to enter a comment relative to the artifact from the second subset in the first view. Thus, the embodiment manages the commenting at the artifact-level and does not permit commenting on an artifact that is contributed by a poster who is not in the viewer's network.

Another embodiment further allows, responsive to the first viewer being a member of the social network of the first poster, the first viewer to enter a second comment relative to an artifact from the first subset in the first view. Thus, the embodiment manages the commenting at the artifact-level and does permit commenting on an artifact that is contributed by a poster who is in the viewer's network.

Another embodiment further initiates creating the public post by adding to the public post the first subset of artifacts contributed by the first poster and the second subset of artifacts contributed by the second poster, wherein the first poster and the second poster are members of a group of posters collaborating in the creating of the public post. Thus, the embodiment allows the collaboration on the public post to have a repository-like feature where the group members can add their contributions and from which different posters can pick and choose different subsets of artifacts for their respective views.

Another embodiment further initializes a timer, the timer limiting a period during which the public post is enabled for editing the first version, wherein the editing modifies an inclusion status of an artifact in the first version, the artifact being a member of any of a plurality of subsets of artifacts, the plurality of subsets of artifacts being contributed by a plurality of members of the group. Thus, the embodiment allows the collaboration on the public post to have a timed repository-like feature where the group members can add their contributions within a specified period and from which different posters can pick and choose different subsets of artifacts for their respective views until the specified period has not elapsed.

Another embodiment further disables, responsive to the timer expiring, the editing of the first version. Thus, the embodiment freezes or closes the collaboration on the public post when the specified period has elapsed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The illustrative embodiments recognize that the presently available social media publishing tools or solutions do not address these needs/problems or provide adequate solutions for these needs/problems. The illustrative embodiments used to describe the invention generally address and solve the above-described problems and other related problems by collaborative multiuser publishing of social media posts.

An embodiment can be implemented as a software application. The application implementing an embodiment, or one or more components thereof, can be configured as a modification of an existing social media platform system—i.e., a native application in the social media platform system, as an application executing in a data processing system communicating with an existing social media platform system over a short-range radio network such as Bluetooth, over a wired or wireline local area network (LAN)—i.e., a local application on the LAN, as an application executing in a data processing system communicating with an existing social media platform system over a wide area network (WAN)—i.e., a remote application on the WAN, as a separate application that operates in conjunction with an existing social media platform system in other ways, a standalone application, or some combination thereof.

An embodiment provides a collaboration functionality for collaboratively authoring a public post. A poster (user P1) in a group of posters (user P1, user P2 . . . user Pn) use this functionality to initiate the creation of a public post. User P1 contributes some artifacts to the public post being created. Before the public post is published, other users, such as user P2 can contribute to the public post additional artifacts, select or adopt some all or none of the user's own contributions, select or adopt some all or none of the artifacts contributed by user P1 as their own, change an artifact in the public post, or some combination of these actions.

Optionally, when the creation of the public post begins, one embodiment initializes a creation timer. For example, an initial poster from a group may initiate the creation of the public post as well as the creation timer. The creation timer limits a duration within which other posters from the group can contribute artifacts, selects already contributed artifacts, or make other edits or changes to the public post. Once the creation timer elapses, the state of the public post is frozen and further changes the public post cannot be performed, a version of the public post corresponding to each poster from the group is frozen from further changes, or both. The version aspect will become cleared in the following description.

In one embodiment, the public post is posted automatically after the creation timer elapses. In another embodiment, after the creation timer elapses, the initial poster is allowed to post the public post alone, or the public post with a private post, at a time selected by the initial poster.

The posters from the group may also be creating private posts separate from the public post that is being collaboratively created. Different posters from the group may have created different private posts. Furthermore, different posters from the group may have contributed, selected, or edited different artifacts in the public post being created. Each poster who is a member of the group has a version of the public post. A view of the publication of a poster—who is a group member—depends on the role of the viewer viewing the publication. The view aspect will become cleared in the following description.

Consider the following non-limiting example—users P1, P2 and P3 are in the group of posters and create a public post. P1 contributes artifacts A, B, and C to the public post; P2 contributes D and E; and P3 contributes F and G. Furthermore, P2 also selects A and F into P2's version of the public post; and P3 also selects B into P3's version of the public post.

An embodiment analyzes that P1, P2, and P3 have each selected different subsets of the overall set of artifacts (A, B, C, D, E, F, G). P1's subset includes (A, B, C). P2's subset includes [(D, E), (A), (F)]. P3's subset includes [(F, G), (B)]. These subsets represent the versions of the same public post that correspond to each of the posters in the group. It is possible for a poster to have a null subset or the entire set of artifacts from the group in the poster's version.

Further consider that P1 has also created a private post P; P2 has also created a private post Q; and P3 has also created a private post R.

Now consider some example viewers—viewer V1 belongs only to P1's network. Viewer V2 belongs only to P2's network. Viewer V3 belongs to the networks of P1 and P2. Viewer V4 belongs to the networks of P2 and P3. Viewer V5 belongs to the networks of all group members—P1, P2, and P3.

An embodiment constructs a view for viewer V1 according to V1's network memberships with various poster members of the group. Accordingly, V1 should be able to view only what P1 is choosing to post. Therefore, the embodiment constructs a view for V1 which includes—(i) the public post version with artifacts (A, B, C) and (ii) private post P.

Similarly, V2 should be able to view only what P2 is choosing to post. Therefore, the embodiment constructs a view for V2 which includes—(i) the public post version with artifacts [(D, E), (A), (F)] and (ii) private post Q. V3 should be able to view only what P1 and P2 are choosing to post. Therefore, the embodiment constructs a view for V2 which includes—(i) the public post version with artifacts [(A, B, C)] and [(D, E), (A), (F)] and (ii) private posts P and Q. In this case, only a single instance of A is included regardless of the number of appearances of artifact A in the subsets included in the view. The artifacts need not be rearranged in a view and the view can be (D, E, A, F, B, C), P, Q. If the artifacts are rearranged in in some order in the view, the view of V3 may become (A, B, C, D, E, F), P, and Q.

By similar reasoning, V4 can view everything P2 and P3 posted, accordingly, V4's view includes, i.e., [(D, E), (A), (F)] and [(F, G), (B)] in the public post, and Q and R private posts. In this case, only a single instance of F is included regardless of the number of appearances of artifact F in the subsets included in the view. If the artifacts are rearranged in the view, V4's view becomes (A, B, D, E, F, G), Q and R.

V5 can view everything P1, P2, and P3 posted, accordingly, V5's view includes, i.e., [(A, B, C)], [(D, E), (A), (F)] and [(F, G), (B)] in the public post, and P, Q, and R private posts. Again, only a single instance of each artifact is included in V5's view regardless of the number of appearances of an artifact in the subsets included in the view. If the artifacts are rearranged in the view, V5's view becomes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G), P, Q, and R.

It is possible in a group of posters, that a poster, e.g., P1, may choose not to contribute or select any public post artifacts of a public post but posts a private post. In such a case, a viewer who is only in P1's network, e.g., V1, will see only P1's private post and not public post from the group. A viewer who is a member of P1's group and another poster's group, e.g., V3 (member of P1's group and P2's group), will see the private posts of P1 and P2, and the public post according to P2's version.

It is also possible in a group of posters, that a poster, e.g., P1, may choose not to contribute or select any public post artifacts of a public post, and not to post any private post either. In such a case, a viewer who is only in P1's network, e.g., V1, will not see any private post from P1, and not see the public post from the group. A viewer who is a member of P1's group and another poster's group, e.g., V3 (member of P1's group and P2's group), will see the private posts of P2, and the public post according to P2's version.

A view can be generated based on the order in which the artifacts were selected by the posters. Alternatively, a view can be generated based on an order of artifacts according to the viewer's preference. Generally, an embodiment can be adapted to arrange the artifacts in a generated view in any suitable manner.

When a viewer indicates a desire to enter a comment relative to a post or an artifact, an embodiment analyzes the ownership of the artifact involved to determine whether to permit the comment. For example, if V1 chooses to comment on V1's view—which includes public post version with artifacts (A, B, C) and private post P, the embodiment may permit commenting on the view because all artifacts are contributed by P1 in that view.

Now suppose that V2 chooses to comment on V2's view—which includes public post version with artifacts [(D, E), (A), (F)] and private post Q. One embodiment permits commenting relative to artifacts D and E and post Q but not relative to artifacts A or F because artifacts A and F were contributed by P1 and P3, not by P2. Alternatively, another embodiment permits commenting relative to artifacts D and E, post Q, and also relative to artifacts A or F because artifacts A and F have been selected or adopted by P2 for inclusion into P2's version of the public post, regardless of who contributed artifacts A and F.

Similarly, when V3 chooses to comment on V3's view—which includes public post version with artifacts [(D, E), (A), (F)] and private post Q. One embodiment permits commenting relative to artifacts D and E and post Q but not relative to artifacts A or F because artifacts A and F were contributed by P1 and P3, not by P2. Alternatively, another embodiment permits commenting relative to artifacts D and E, post Q, and also relative to artifacts A or F because artifacts A and F have been selected or adopted by P2 for inclusion into P2's version of the public post, regardless of who contributed artifacts A and F. By using an appropriate embodiment, V4 and V5 may be similarly permitted to comment on all artifacts present in their respective views or only relative to those artifacts that are contributed by the poster(s) in whose network(s) the viewer belongs.

One embodiment allows any poster in the group to publish the public post. Another embodiment only provides certain poster(s) with publishing authority.

One embodiment closes the public post for further edits, changes, selections, or contributions upon publishing. Another embodiment allows changes, selections, or contributions to continue after the public post has been published.

These examples of creating the public post, versioning the public post for different posters in the group, creating views for viewers with different network memberships, permissions, etc. are not intended to be limiting. From this disclosure, those of ordinary skill in the art will be able to conceive many other adaptations of these operations and the same are contemplated within the scope of the illustrative embodiments.

The manner of collaborative multiuser publishing of social media posts described herein is unavailable in the presently available methods. A method of an embodiment described herein, when implemented to execute on a device or data processing system, comprises substantial advancement of the functionality of that device or data processing system in consolidating similar social media posts via collaborations beginning at the creation time, and in managing access to the various versions of the public post via the viewer-specific various views of the public post.

The illustrative embodiments are described with respect to certain types of social media, posts, artifacts, versions, views, permissions, selections, changes, contributions, memberships, devices, data processing systems, environments, components, and applications only as examples. Any specific manifestations of these and other similar artifacts are not intended to be limiting to the invention. Any suitable manifestation of these and other similar artifacts can be selected within the scope of the illustrative embodiments.

Any advantages listed herein are only examples and are not intended to be limiting to the illustrative embodiments. Additional or different advantages may be realized by specific illustrative embodiments.

Furthermore, a particular illustrative embodiment may have some, all, or none of the advantages listed above.

Application105implements an embodiment described herein. Application105operates in conjunction with social media platform107to create a public post, create versions of the public post, construct views of the public post, and generate combined viewer-specific views using the public post views and private posts. Social media client134is usable to receive and interact with a view as described herein.

Servers104and106, storage unit108, and clients110,112, and114, and device132may couple to network102using wired connections, wireless communication protocols, or other suitable data connectivity. Clients110,112, and114may be, for example, personal computers or network computers.

With reference toFIG. 3, this figure depicts a block diagram of an example manner of collaboratively constructing a public post in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. Application105can be used to construct public post300.

N posters—posters302(user P1),304(user P2), and so on until poster306(user Pn) form an example group of posters. M viewers are members of the networks of the various posters—for example, viewer308(user V1who is a member of the network of P1), viewer310(user V2who is a member of the network of P2), viewer312(user V1,2who is a member of the networks of P1and P2), viewer314(user V2,nwho is a member of the networks of P2and Pn), and viewer316(user V1-nwho is a member of the networks of P1through Pn). Viewers308-316receive posts of posters302,304,306, and other posters from a social media platform similar to social media platform107inFIG. 1over data network318.

With reference toFIG. 4, this figure depicts a block diagram of an example viewer-specific combined view in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. User308, private post322, and public post artifacts332A,332B, and332C are the same as inFIG. 3.

As described with respect toFIG. 3, user308is only in poster302's network. Thus, view408includes version410of public post300and private post322of poster302. Version410of public post300includes only what poster302has contributed or selected to include in their version of public post300, namely, artifacts332A,332B, and332C.

With reference toFIG. 5, this figure depicts a block diagram of another example viewer-specific combined view in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. User310, private post324, and public post artifacts334A,334B,334C,334D,332B, and336A are the same as inFIG. 3.

As an example, view508includes public portion510in which public posts are presented and private portion512in which private posts are presented. As described with respect toFIG. 3, user310is only in poster304's network. Thus, public portion510of view508presents the version of public post300that poster304selected. Private portion512presents private post324of poster304.

Poster304's version of public post300in public portion510includes what poster304has contributed or selected to include in their version of public post300, namely, artifacts334A,334B,334C,334D,332B, and336A, which come from different posters as described with respect toFIG. 3.

With reference toFIG. 6, this figure depicts a block diagram of another example viewer-specific combined view in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. User312, private posts322and324, and public post artifacts332A,332B,332C,334A,334B,334C,334D, and336A are the same as inFIG. 3.

More than one private portions can be present in a combined view, e.g., to present different private posts from different posters separately when the viewer is a member of multiple posters' networks. As an example, view608includes public portion610in which public posts are presented, and private portions612and614in which private posts from different posters in viewer312's network are presented. As described with respect toFIG. 3, user312is in the networks of posters302and304. Thus, public portion610of view608presents a combined version of public post300that posters302and304selected. The combined version in public portion610presents only one instance of an artifact that is selected in the versions of multiple posters, and may optionally rearrange the presented artifacts in a manner described herein.

With reference toFIG. 7, this figure depicts a block diagram of another example viewer-specific combined view in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. User314, private posts322and326, and public post artifacts332B,334A,334B,334C,334D,332B,336A, and336B are the same as inFIG. 3.

A view may include a public portion and the remainder of the view may present private posts from one or more posters without any separation. As an example, view708includes public portion710in which public posts are presented, and an implied private portion in which private posts from different posters are presented. As described with respect toFIG. 3, user314is in the networks of posters304and306. Thus, public portion710of view708presents a combined public version of the individual public post300versions that posters304and306selected. The combined version in public portion710, namely, artifacts332B,334A,334B,334C,334D,332B,336A, and336B.

Private post322of poster302and private post326of poster306are presented in the remainder of view708in any suitable manner.

With reference toFIG. 8, this figure depicts a block diagram of another example viewer-specific combined view in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. User316, private posts322,324, and326, and public post artifacts332A,332B,332C,334A,334B,334C,334D,336A, and336B are the same as inFIG. 3.

Similar to view608inFIG. 6, view808shows a single public portion810and multiple private portions812,814. . .816, according to viewer316's membership in the networks of posters302,304. . .306. The combined version in public portion810presents only one instance of an artifact that is selected in the various individual versions of multiple posters, and may optionally rearrange the presented artifacts in a manner described herein.

With reference toFIG. 9, this figure depicts a block diagram of an application for collaborative multiuser publishing of social media posts in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. Application900can be implemented as application105inFIG. 1, to create public post300and versions thereof, and the various views depicted inFIGS. 4-8.

Post creation functionality602enables a poster to create public and private posts. Public post creation component904specifically enables a group of posters to collaborate in creating a public post as described herein. Specifically, subcomponent906is usable by a poster to contribute artifacts to a public post. Subcomponent908is usable by a poster to select an already contributed artifact for inclusion in the poster's version of the public post. Subcomponents906and908operate to create a poster-specific version of the public post, as described herein.

Subcomponent910implements the optional creation timer to limit the period during which the public post can be modified by the group of posters. A poster can use private post creation component912to create a private post as well.

Post view functionality914creates viewer-specific views using a combination of one or more poster-specific versions of a public post, one or more private posts of one or more posters, or some combination thereof. Specifically, public post view component916performs the public view generation.

For example, subcomponent918determines the network memberships of a viewer who is to receive a public post or a version thereof. Using the determined memberships, subcomponent920generates a viewer-specific view, e.g. in the manner of views408,508,608,708,808, a variation thereof, or a combination thereof.

Component922generates a view of any private posts as needed, and as configured on a particular social media platform. Component924produces a combined view from the public post view and the private post view.

Functionality926manages any interactions with a public post. For example, component928determines whether a viewer is permitted to comment on or interact with the public post as a whole or an artifact therein, in a manner described herein. When permissible, component928allows comment entry relative to the public post or an artifact therein.

Component930determines whether a poster is permitted to interact with the public post as a whole or an artifact therein. For example, the editing or changing of the public post may be closed by a timer elapsing in a manner described herein. In such a case, component930may prevent the poster from interacting with the public post. Furthermore, when permissible, component930allows a poster to make a surresponse entry relative to the public post or an artifact therein.

With reference toFIG. 10, this figure depicts a flowchart of an example process for creating a publishing a collaborative public post in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. Process1000can be implemented in application900, e.g., in functionality902.

The application enables a poster from a group to initiate crating a public post (block1002). The application optionally also initiates a creation timer (block1004).

The application collects artifact contributions from the posters in the group (block1006). The application enables a poster in the group to select/adopt/reuse an artifact contributed to the public post by another poster (block1008).

If a timer is implemented, the application returns to block1006and repeats the creation/editing/manipulation process of blocks1006and1008until the timer expires (“No” path of block1010). When the timer expires (“Yes” path of block1010), the application proceeds to publish the public post that has been created (block1012).

If the timer is not implemented, the application may optionally allow the creation/editing/manipulation of the public post even after the public post has been published (block1014). The publishing of the public post causes different poster-specific versions of the single public post to become available without the public post being replicated to the viewers in the networks of different posters. The application ends process1000thereafter.

With reference toFIG. 11, this figure depicts a flowchart of an example process for constructing a viewer-specific views of a collaborative public post in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. Process1100can be implemented in application900, e.g., in functionality914inFIG. 9.

The application determines a viewer's network memberships (block1102). The application constructs a view for the user by including all private posts of the posters in the viewer's network (block1104).

The application adds to the view, e.g., in a public post portion of the view, the contributions of the in-network posters to a public post (block1106). The application further adds to the view those contributions of other out-of-network posters which an in-network poster has selected/adopted/used in the public post (block1108). Any duplicate artifacts added as a result of blocks1106and1108are reduced to a single instance of that artifact. Optionally, the reduced set of artifacts in the view is rearranged in a suitable manner.

The application generates the public post portion of the view from the reduced and optionally rearranged artifacts resulting from the operation of blocks1106and1108(block1110). The application ends process1100thereafter.

With reference toFIG. 12, this figure depicts a flowchart of an example process of managing interactions relative to a public post in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. Process1200can be implemented in application900, e.g., in functionality926inFIG. 9.

Process1200is only one non-limiting example manner of managing the comments and interactions relative to artifacts in a public post. In process1200, the application receives an indication that a viewer intends to enter a comment relative to a public post artifact (block1202). The application determines whether the poster who contributed the artifact is in the viewer's network (block1204).

If the poster is not in the viewer's network (“No” path of block1204), the application rejects the comment entry attempt (block1206) and ends process1200thereafter. If the poster is in the viewer's network (“Yes” path of block1206), the application allows the entry of the comment or interaction (block1208). The application routes the comment to the in-network poster (block1210). The application ends process1200thereafter.