Abstract:
A service company may use a method and apparatus to provide users paths to client information and obtain user response to client information. The service company provides a user a means for selecting input information based upon which the service company will select an activity to provide to the user. The activity may comprise a game or questionnaire or other means for establishing interactivity with the user. The activity requires input information by the user indicative of a correct statement regarding a client. The activity also includes the option to select a path for the user to access a client&#39;s website and recorrect information. Recorded responses are compiled to provide reports to client indicative of correct and incorrect user responses and user menu selections. The user may be provided with incentive rewards for correct answers to questions. Marketing and activity functions are performed at a server maintained by the service company and information is generally provided at a content server of a client.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority of provisional patent application No. 60/350,328, filed Jan. 18, 2002. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to business data processing and more particularly to a method and system for delivering users to interactive content and for measuring efficacy of the delivery of a message to users.  
           [0003]    An extremely important form of marketing to many commercial and non-commercial concerns is the Internet. “Marketing as used here may include advertising. Internet communication has a virtually unlimited reach and the power to provide many different forms of information. People are being continually bombarded by marketing impressions in an ever-increasing number of ways. Advertisements are being placed in places never before imagined. For example, advertisements are now placed on floors of supermarket aisles adjacent shelves of particular products. The consumer&#39;s attention is a valuable commodity. Catching the consumer&#39;s attention in a cost-effective manner can mean the difference between success or failure for many products and companies.  
           [0004]    Finding and targeting consumers is very important since focused marketing is more likely to receive attention. A plethora of techniques exist for selecting information to be provided to Internet users. These include inserting cookies in a user&#39;s computer which stored information about web pages a user has accessed. A website may select content to be provided to a user based on the contents of a cookie. Programs exist for collecting information on users who solicit marketing information. Other techniques may be as simple as a host site listing URLs (Universal Resource Locations, i.e., Internet addresses) which a user may select. A service company website must have some reasonable pricing formulation to charge clients. An important form of marketing is one in which the service company delivers users to visit a client&#39;s website. Alternatively, a service company may maintain databases containing user information which a client may access. However, most clients prefer having users delivered to their own websites. In this matter, a client may control such perimeters as content and frequency of update of web content.  
           [0005]    A traditional pricing formula originating with print media is cost per thousand impressions (CPM). Common methods of Internet pricing include cost per click (CPC), activity pricing and cost per activity (CPA) execution processing. These pricing methods are based on measurement of physical actions of a user. However, they do not give information on the effect of the marketing. The service company does not have any metric indicative of the extent to which material in the marketing is being absorbed by users. It would be useful to provide a pricing method in which a service company could charge in relation to the efficacy of the marketing in terms of being sure that a user got the message. A client would have the satisfaction of knowing that the client is paying for a definite result of a user having learned a message. The client need not worry that perhaps out of sheer perversity a user clicked a particular link to URL many times simply to drive up the client&#39;s cost per click price. It would be preferable to have a way which attracts the user to not only view the client&#39;s message but to learn it.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    Briefly stated and in accordance with the present invention, there are provided a method and apparatus in which a service company provides users paths to client information and obtains user responses to client information. The path to the client information will commonly provide a hyperlink to a client&#39;s website. The service company provides a user a means for selecting input information on which the service company will select an activity to provide to the user. The option provided to the user in a preferred form comprises a menu of incentives. The activity is comprised in a webpage accessible to the user. The activity may comprise a game or questionnaire or other means for establishing interactivity with the user. The activity is set to require response by the user indicative of a correct statement regarding the client. Information regarding the client could regard the client institution or its services or products. The activity also includes a path for the user to access a client&#39;s website. The service company registers the user&#39;s responses. Recorded responses may be compiled to provide client&#39;s reports indicative of correct and incorrect user responses and user menu selections. The user may be provided with an incentive reward for correct answers to questions. Incentives may include “points” redeemable for various items, entries and prize drawings or prizes themselves. In a further form, additional information may be collected on users, such as geographic locations and expressed and implied interest. All responses by users may be utilized for market segmentation and for generation of further activities from a local database to be presented to a user. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    The invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation by reference to the following description taken in connection with the following drawings.  
         [0008]    Of the drawings:  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a telecommunication system in which a user, clients and a service company are interconnected;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a processor at an service company location;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a basic operation in dealing with the user;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating further optional operations beyond the operation of FIG. 3;  
         [0013]    FIGS.  4 - 8  are illustrations of webpages presented on a monitor screen illustrating one form of performance of a method in accordance with FIG. 4;  
         [0014]    FIGS.  9 - 11  are illustrations of forms that may be presented on a screen illustrating software in an marketing module interacting with an marketing database;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 12 is a form illustrating software interacting with an accounting module;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating the provision of missions within activities to a user and response thereto; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating a prize selection and award process.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]    The present system and method allows clients to reach audiences of users and engage users into communication regarding details of the client&#39;s message regarding its institution, products, services, and other interactions with the world. Rather than just broadcasting a statement in an open loop system manner, the invention recognizes responses from users that imply cognitive feedback. This system prompts the user to visit a client&#39;s internet site to find correct answers and provides a path to the correct answer and back to the system itself. This system recognizes correct answers and creates records indicative of receipt of correct answers. In this manner, a metric can be generated indicative of efficacy of a client&#39;s efforts in educating its audience. The user can be instantly rewarded through points. The points may provide instant access to goods or services or to prize drawing entries.  
         [0019]    The invention allows a client to employ a campaign which may communicate to the general user audience one or a number of messages. The campaign may be divided into particular activities. An activity is a game, questionnaire, survey or other routine which can supply a stimulus to a user and respond to and record a response by a user. Within each activity, missions are provided. A mission is a discrete unit of an activity such as, for example, presentation of one question and a set of multiple choice answers, along with a path, such as a hyperlink to a client&#39;s website where the answer be found. The missions may be constructed such that the only way for the users to find the answers and consistently fulfill, i.e., answer correctly, missions and gain incentive awards is by following the hyperlinks and actively navigating the client&#39;s website until users find and comprehend the key marketing message.  
         [0020]    Revenue is generated and justification of value may be maintained according to a pricing matter that may utilize a cost per delivery (CPD) payment pricing model. The invention enables the advertiser to pay only for delivered results, i.e., evidence that the user has learned the client&#39;s message. Other elements of conventional pricing schemes may also be used.  
         [0021]    The invention further provides the option of automatically segmenting users into different categories. Segmentation may be done by prize selections offered to users or through specific or inferred data analysis of data supplied by users in response to stimulus such as questionnaires and registration routines.  
         [0022]    Through use of the present invention, a user experience may be populated with missions that relate to the defined or implied interests of users. The invention may correlate particular missions with particular user profile characteristics and in accordance with marketing module software present missions based on the user market segmentation. Efficient administration is also provided as further described below. It should be noted that terms such as campaign, activity and mission are arbitrary and are used for clarity in description of operations to be performed. These descriptions in no way limit functionality of the invention. While particular hardware and software architectures are illustrated, many widely known equivalents are available to those skilled in the art.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunication system  1  including a communications network which will most commonly comprise the Internet  2 . A service company  10  provides an interactive experience for a user  12  at a user terminal  14 . The terminal  14  includes devices such as a keyboard  15  and a mouse  16  at a user interface  17 . Many other forms of user interface devices are known. The user terminal  14  also comprises a screen  18  displaying information. The terminal  14  interfaces to the Internet  2  via an Internet service provider  22 . The service company  10  acts on behalf of clients  24  each having a content server  25 . The content server  25  provides connection to client websites and the full variety of content available through a telecommunication system. The service company  10  provides the clients  24  with the opportunity to educate the user  12  and provides the users  24  metrics regarding the efficacy of this education. The service company  10  can record actions of users, “click through” rates indicative of the number of levels of a client website  26  through which a user  12  has entered and other metrics regarding user activity. The client  24 , by virtue of having marketing efficacy metrics available, gains the ability to compensate the service company  10  based on the level of consumer education achieved rather than compensating merely based on the number of clicks. The service company  10  includes a marketing server  30  hosting a marketing website  32 . It should be noted that terms such as content server and marketing server are arbitrary. They are used to facilitate clarity and description of interactions in the system  1 . They do not indicate a particular necessity for difference in the structures of various servers. The marketing server  30  communicates with a processor  34  which may also interact with a database unit  36 .  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one form of data processing and communication system included in a service company  10 . The same reference numerals are used to denote components corresponding to those in FIG. 1. The processor  34  receives communications from the server  30 . The computer  34  includes a processor  40 . The processor  40  includes appropriate modules for performing various functions described below. The modules need not correspond to individual hardware modules. The modules may be implemented through software modules or may be integrated with each other. However, their operation may be represented by individual modules. In the illustrated exemplification, the processor  40  includes a registration module  42 , an marketing module  44  and an accounting module  46 . The computer  34  may further include its own memory  50  as well as interacting with the database unit  36 . The database unit  36  may include individual databases such as a registration database  53 , an marketing database  55  and an accounting database  57 . The registration database  53  may contain, organize and manipulate data regarding information collected from users  12 . This may include intellectual property addresses, demographic information supplied by users  12  and other data customer associated with users. The marketing database  55  may include client content. However, client content will preferably be provided at content servers  25  (FIG. 1). The accounting database  57  may include billing and communication information and report forms for providing bills, reports and other services to the clients  24 .  
         [0025]    Operation of the system is described with respect to FIG. 3, which is a flow diagram indicative of interaction of the user  12  in the system  1 . The invention comprehends a machine readable medium as well as a method. A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism that provides (i.e, stores and/or transmits) information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). For example, a machine-readable medium includes read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; electrical, optical, acoustical or other form of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.) At block  100 , the user  12  accesses the communication system  1 . The user  12  may “surf the net” accessing various sites in a conventional manner too. At block  102 , the user  12  accesses website  32  at the marketing server  30 . Entry may be direct or from a website  26 . At block  104 , the computer  34  accesses marketer content from the memory  50  or the marketing database  55 . At this point, the user  12  is invited to log into the marketers site  32 . Logging in conventionally comprises entry of a user name and password by the user  12  at the user terminal  14 . Alternatively, log-in could occur at website  26  if the user is registered, as indicated as block  106  then operation proceeds to block  110  in which the registered user page is presented. If the user is not registered, operation proceeds to block  108  at which a user can register. Registration conventionally comprises selection by the user of a user name and password.  
         [0026]    The registration database  53  examines a suggested user name entered by a user  12  to require uniqueness. In this manner, information on each registered user may be maintained. At a minimum, this information will include the user  12 &#39;s password so that entry of a unique user  12  may be validated. Registration routines generally require entry of a valid email address. Other routines may ask further demographic information of a user such as postal code, age bracket and other personal information. More specific information could also be requested. Once a user has registered, operation proceeds to block  110 . In the alternative, the simplest form of registration, checking at block  106  could provide checking for a cookie which has been inserted in a conventional manner in the user terminal  14 . In the alternative to entering registration information in the registration database  53 , the computer  34  may simply generate a cookie. At block  110 , the user  12  is provided entry to a next level of the website  32 .  
         [0027]    At this point, the computer  40  checks for custom information associated with the user  12 , whether in a cookie or in the marketing database  53 , and at block  112 , a next level of the website  32  is displayed. Where no stored information is associated with the user  12 , the next level comprises information and a menu of available activities. Activities may include games, surveys, or other forms of interactive routine susceptible of provision of a stimulus to a user and a response perceptible by the computer  42 . A stimulus may include provision of a question to a user and a response is some action at the user interface  17  of the user terminal  12  (FIG. 1) which is perceptible by the computer  40 . In the case of information having been stored for a user  12 , the computer  40  will access that display and select a next level at the block  112  which may include identification of desired incentives selected by the user  12 , a number of points accumulated toward achievement of being entitled to request the incentive and a report on an in-progress activity which has been stored.  
         [0028]    At block  114 , the user  12  selects an activity. Each activity is associated with a client  24 . The service company  10  desires to establish that the user  12  is educated with respect to the client  24 . At block  116 , a path to a client  24  is created. Most commonly, this will be achieved by providing a hyperlink to a website  26  at a content server  25 . At block  118 , the path and the activity are presented to the user  12 . The user  12  then proceed to answer questions or respond to other stimuli presented by the activity. At block  120 , user actions are recorded. At block  122 , user actions are responded to. The actions user  12  may take include answering answers. A response to a user action can include evaluation of whether an answer is correct and providing a response at block  122  to the user indicative of whether the response was correct. The information supplied to the user could also include a suggestion to select the path presented at block  118  so the user can learn more. A response to a user action can include awarding of points produced in response to a correct answer. This response may further include provision of a message to a user informing of the gaining of points and informing of whether the user has reached a particular point threshold.  
         [0029]    At block  124 , user actions are recorded. Recorded user actions can include entry of correct answers, entry of incorrect answers, taking of the path via hyperlink to a client  24 &#39;s content server  25  and the time and depth of connection to different levels of the client website  26 . At block  126 , reports are produced. Reports are produced by data reduction of data recorded in response to all users  12  or may be broken down with respect to users  12  in particular categories. The reports may include information on learning of content information, amount of traffic to websites produced in response to messages to users  12 , popularity of selected incentives and popularity of selected games. Importantly, the reports may also include reports to clients  25  of the efficacy of the games in teaching consumers the content of websites  26 . Significantly, for the service company  10 , the reports may also include billing to clients  25  for education results delivered.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIGS. 4 through 7 illustrate an example of performance according to FIG. 3. As seen in FIG. 4, a client webpage  160  is illustrated at a client website  26 . The page  160  includes client information such as a logo  162  and options and includes a box  164  which may be selected to enter an activity. Selection on the box  164  takes the user  12  to a service company webpage  170  maintained by the service company  10  on behalf of a client  24 . The page  170  includes a field  172  for identification of a client, a field  174  identifying the user in accordance with registration information and may also include a menu  176  providing an entrance for the user  12  two pages explaining answers to frequently asked questions. Various prizes may be displayed at boxes  178  with links  180  to provide information about the prizes  178 . An activity menu  182  gives the user  12  an option to select various activities. A status box  186  provides a user information on points accumulated. An option box  188  is provided to give the user an option to enter a menu in which the points may be redeemed. In order to begin an activity, the user  12  may click on a “play” box  119 . The box  119  indicates that the user  12  will proceed. “Play is one of many ways to denote the option to proceed.  
         [0031]    Taking of this action will bring the user  12  to an activity screen  200  illustrated in FIG. 6. At this screen, a question field  202  is provided with a question  204  and multiple choice answers  206 . The question and answer fields are derived from the marketing database  55  (FIG. 2). The marketing module  44  selects the question field  202  in accordance with identity of the client  24  and may also monitor identity of the user  12  so that particular questions  204  are not frequently repeated for the same user  12 . The question  204  challenges a user  12  to learn details about the client  24  and its facets. The question field  202  also includes a link  208 , which in the example of FIG. 6 is labeled, “click here to find the answer.” The field  208  provides a path to information regarding the client and particularly regarding information concerning the subject of a question  204 . Selection of the path  208  will take the user  12  to the screen illustrated in FIG. 7.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 7 is an illustration of a webpage  220  at a content server  25 . The page  220  includes an answer to the question  202  in a field  222 . Further links  224  are provided on the page  220 . The links  224  may provide links to information from a co-branding sponsor having a website on another one of the content servers  25 . Another link  226  may take the user  12  to further pages within the client  24 &#39;s own website. The user  12  may return to the screen  200  (FIG. 6) to answer the question and accumulate points.  
         [0033]    In FIG. 8, an accessible screen  230  is illustrated showing the prize information field  188  after the user has accumulated a number of points. The screen  230  includes prize fields  232  demonstrating different prizes. Links  234  allow user  12  to select them to get further information on the different prizes and to utilize points to redeem the prizes. In the present exemplification, the prizes are entries to a drawing. In other embodiment, prizes could include t-shirts, posters or other items.  
         [0034]    A VIP code field  236  is provided. The VIP code may be employed in the alternative to completing missions. Alternatively, VIP codes may be given in advertising or granted as incentives. This can be used to measure response to print or broadcast advertising. They would be provided under soft dink caps or by other user actions.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 9 illustrates administrative software which may be operated by the service company  10  or the client  24 . FIG. 9 is an illustration of a form  260  for interacting with the marketing database  44 . Field  262  includes an identification of the client. Field  264  includes an identification of the particular activity in which a question is going to be included. Field  266  through  276  are provided respectively for receiving a question, four multiple choice answers and the correct answer. The correct answer comprises a preferred response. At least one field  280  is provided for providing re-enforcement message triggered by a preferred response or another message triggered by a non-preferred response. In the present exemplification, the re-enforcement is further information, for example, regarding a discount or other consumer incentive. URL fields  282 ,  284  and  286  are provided to respectively a locator from which a user  12  will enter the particular activity, the home page of the client website  26  (FIG. 2) and the URL to which a user is taken when requesting a correct answer.  
         [0036]    A client record must also be created which may be used by both the marketing database and accounting database  57 . In practice a separate form may be utilized for the client record, but for simplicity and illustration, the client record is included in the form  262 . Client identity is provided in a field  288 , and a reference number may be associated with the client in a field  290 . By contact information such as telephone, postal address and email address is provided in field  290 . A co-brand code may be entered in field  294 . A particular client may work with other entities such as cooperating advertisers or organization sponsors. The co-brand is that of another organization.  
         [0037]    One client  24  may have many campaigns. A campaign is a cohesive advertising, marketing or teaching program. For example, the campaign may include a plurality of activities. An activity is a questionnaire, a game or other interactive endeavor presented to a user  12 . A campaign may have its own budget, its own cost per delivery or cost per click, reporting email and individual logo. A campaign can have its own report (described with respect to FIG. 12 below). A set of date fields  298  may be provided for automatic enablement and disablement of presentations of particular campaigns from the marketing database  55  (FIG. 2).  
         [0038]    Each activity or campaign may include any number of missions. A mission is a discreet unit to be presented to a user  12  and receiving a response. For example, a mission may be one question of a quiz or a survey. A mission may be one turn of a game.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIGS. 10 and 11 respectively illustrate software for tailoring information provided from an marketing database  55  to a particular user  12 . In FIG. 10, a screen  300  is illustrated in which fields  302 ,  304 ,  306  and  308  are provided in which a user can indicate geographic location with varying levels of specificity. In a field  310 , information regarding an activity can be provided which indicates geographic areas to which that particular activity is available. FIG. 11 illustrates a screen  312  providing a menu  314  including a list of interests which a user may select. A user account may include a number of aspects which a user may access. These aspects need not be on screen  312  but can be on other screens. They are shown here to indicate one of the many options. A menu  316  provides links to take users to information fields where they can enter preference information regarding such things as displays, profile where personal information is entered, a ledger showing accumulation and use of points and other such user specific fields.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 12 is an example of a report which may be provided as a monthly report to a client  24 . FIG. 12A is a period by period report of the number of questions served to user&#39;s requesting questions, the number correctly answered, a price, currently delivery and a total. In this particular exemplification, the client might be charged $1.00 per correct answer received from a user. FIG. 12( b ) represents survey information which a client may embody in the activities. In this particular example, users have answered what sorts of stores they buy bath salts in. A breakdown of numbers and percentages is provided and a link to further breakdowns by demographics is provided. Thus the client receives further marketing information by which to target marketing. FIG. 12( a ) may be derived from the accounting database  57  (FIG. 2).  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of another form of activity, in particular a game which may be practiced in accordance with the method of FIG. 3. At the starting box  400  of FIG. 13, it is assumed the user  12  is already signed in and has reached an entry page such as the page  170  of FIG. 5 at which an activity may begin. At block  400 , the user  12  collects a desired prize. At block  402  a mission is selected, the mission is the information that will be accessed from the marketing database  55  (FIG. 2) in correspondence with the selection performed at block  400 . The mission may be derived as a look up table response through any other form of database management. The mission may open up a game board on the display  18  of the user terminal  14  (FIG. 1). The selection at block  400  may invoke a game reference number identification that identifies the game and what game file to call. At block  404 , the marketing database  57  may check what questions were last provided to the particular user  12 . Previously used questions are assigned a low priority in the mission pool, and questions which have not been presented to a user are given a higher priority for presentation to the user  12  in the mission pool. Therefore, block  404  is labeled arrange mission pool. A pool of questions for user is created. Alternative methods may be used to select arranged in mission pool as well. A mission is an operation that can be performed correctly or incorrectly by a user  12 . A plurality of missions, or on occasion assembled mission comprise an activity. When the user registers a list of all current missions is created and assigned to the user, with each admission having a score of zero. When the user answers a mission correctly, that mission&#39;s score is increased by one. Once all of the missions on a user&#39;s list have a score of one or higher, every mission has one deducted from its score. The marketing module  44  (FIG. 2) uses one of a number of ways to determine which mission it should ask a user. Which method may be determined by the following criteria:  
         [0042]    (1). If the user  12  is playing a game that dictates a particular activity, then the mission will be selected from all missions in that particular activity. Preference is given to missions with a scope of zero (or the lowest score if none have a score of zero). If the user  12  is not performing an activity that dictates missions, then the following step is proceeded to;  
         [0043]    (2) If there are any missions in the “top  10 ” mission list, the mission will be the highest mission with a score of zero. If no missions in this list have a score of zero (because they have all been asked), then the next step is proceeded to:  
         [0044]    (3) (a) If the user is playing for a prize, the selection of which corresponds to a setting of “use prize theme,” then the mission is randomly selected from all missions in a theme correlated with that prize. Preference is given to missions with a score of zero. If no missions have a score of zero, then step 4 is proceeded to;  
         [0045]    (b) in the alternative to 3(a) if the user is playing for a prize that is said to “use player themes,” then the mission is randomly selected from activities that a user has selected at a particular menu as a favorite. Again, preference is given to missions with a score of zero. If no missions have a score of zero, then the next step is followed. If the system has gotten to this step from step 3(a) it will try to find a mission with a score of zero using the method of 3(b).  
         [0046]    If no missions have a score of zero, all missions will have one deducted from their score. A mission may be pulled at random from all available missions that have a score of zero.  
         [0047]    At block  406 , the user  12  will start the game. The game may be started by clicking on a button such as “earn more coins” or “answer mission.” The marketing module at block  408  sends a mission. The mission may include a question and four answers, the number of points the mission is worth, the path to the client information at block  410 , the marketing module  44  responds to the user selection. If the user answers correctly, the points are awarded and the user is returned to a next step in the game. If the user  12  answers incorrectly, points may be lost. The user may be asked another mission until one if finally answered correctly or the user may be returned to another branch in the game. This step is indicated at block  412  entitled “call mission file.” Operation may return to block  408  so that further questions are answered. FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating entry of a prize in a prize inventory of the marketing database  55 . Before prizes entered in a drawing, it must first be entered in a prize category. This is done under a prize function. At block  500 , the prize is entered. Fields of information for the prize including prize name, descriptions, quantity, value, size, and further information, may be stored in the prize table. A prize form analogous to the question or mission form of FIG. 12 may be provided.  
         [0048]    After the prize is placed in a prize inventory, it is entered in a drawing at block  502 . Again another data field may be established for administering entry of the prize. Drawings may be daily, weekly, monthly or a periodic. There may be grand prize drawings and small prize drawings. When a game drawing is created, a prize is selected from a prize inventory and associated with a particular drawing. A drawing is associated with other data including start and end dates, whether it will be shared by a charity, the number of days in which a winner must claim the prize and whether the prize will go to a charity if no winner claims it. At block  504 , the prize is displayed in a game site. When a drawing is created, it can be predetermined to be a game drawing or a grand drawing. The drawing is displayed on a selected page, for example, page  170  of FIG. 5. At this point, the prize is available for selection by a user. At block  506 , the user selects a prize. Block  506  in FIG. 14 corresponds to block  400  of FIG. 13. At block  508 , eligibility of a user is vetted. A user may be restricted to win only one game drawing within a certain number of days at block  510 , a winner is selected. The game prize winner may be drawn from users who have not won within a certain restricted time period. Alternatively, the marketing module  44  may not make any distinction with respect to whether a user has won a prize recently. At block  512 , the winner is posted. The user  12  may be emailed if they have provided an email address such as at registration step  108  of FIG. 3. Alternatively, the notice may simply be posted at a site at one of the above-described pages. The winner may complete the prize winning process at block  514  by claiming the prize.  
         [0049]    The disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to instruct many embodiments in accordance with the present invention.