Patent Publication Number: US-2019190969-A1

Title: Systems and methods for sharing content

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present technology relates to the field of content provisioning over a computer network. More particularly, the present technology relates to techniques for broadcasting content through a social networking system. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Users often utilize computing devices (or systems) for a wide variety of purposes. Users can use their computing devices to, for example, interact with one another, access content, share content, and create content. In some cases, content can be provided by members of a social networking system. The content can include one or a combination of text, images, videos, and audio. The content may be published to the social networking system for consumption by others. 
     SUMMARY 
     Various embodiments of the present disclosure can include systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured to provide an interface that includes a plurality of panes. A determination can be made that a first pane is being accessed, the first pane for capturing and broadcasting live content through a social networking system. A live content stream can be captured upon accessing the first pane. Data corresponding to the live content stream can be provided to the social networking system for broadcasting. 
     In some embodiments, the interface includes a second pane for accessing a content library, and the interface includes a third pane for accessing other live content stream being broadcasted through the social networking system. 
     In some embodiments, the live content stream ceases to be accessible through the social networking system once broadcasting ends. 
     In some embodiments, broadcasting of the live content stream is paused when the second pane or the third pane is accessed. 
     In some embodiments, the first pane includes at least one of an option to capture one or more screenshot images of the live content stream or an option to capture one or more videos of the live content stream. 
     In some embodiments, captured screenshot images or captured videos of the live content stream are stored on the computing device. 
     In some embodiments, captured screenshot images or captured videos of the live content stream are stored in the content library accessible through the second pane. 
     In some embodiments, the second pane includes an option for sharing content stored in the content library through the social networking system. 
     In some embodiments, feedback received for the live content stream from other viewing users of the social networking system is provided through the first pane. 
     In some embodiments, an avatar associated with a viewing user animates when the viewing user interacts with the live content stream. 
     It should be appreciated that many other features, applications, embodiments, and/or variations of the disclosed technology will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the following detailed description. Additional and/or alternative implementations of the structures, systems, non-transitory computer readable media, and methods described herein can be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosed technology. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an example system including an example content provider module, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an example of a live app module, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an example diagram, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS. 4A-4B  also illustrate example diagrams, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example method, according to an embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a network diagram of an example system including an example social networking system that can be utilized in various scenarios, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates an example of a computer system or computing device that can be utilized in various scenarios, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     The figures depict various embodiments of the disclosed technology for purposes of illustration only, wherein the figures use like reference numerals to identify like elements. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated in the figures can be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosed technology described herein. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Approaches for Sharing Content 
     As mentioned, users often utilize computing devices for a wide variety of purposes. Users can use their computing devices to, for example, interact with one another, access content, share content, and create content. In some cases, content items can include postings from users of an online community or platform, such as a social networking system. The postings may include one or a combination of text, images, videos, and audio. The postings may be published through the social networking system for consumption by others. Under conventional approaches, content items posted by a user can be included in one or more content feeds that are accessible through the social networking system. In general, content posted by users tend to reflect past events that have already occurred in time. As such, the posted content can be static, old, stale, and lack spontaneity. Even when conventional approaches allow for the capture and live broadcast of content (e.g., live video), these approaches can require extensive user interactions with electronic devices or other equipment to initiate and maintain the live broadcast. The extent of such user interactions and resulting delay often hinder timely capture of spontaneous events. Further, conventional techniques for supporting a live broadcast through an electronic device can undesirably preclude separate, simultaneous capture of images or video segments through the same electronic device. 
     An improved approach rooted in computer technology overcomes the foregoing and other disadvantages associated with conventional approaches specifically arising in the realm of computer technology. Based on computer technology, content can be shared in real-time with users of a content provider (e.g., social networking system). Such content may include live content that is being broadcasted through the content provider. For example, such live content (or live content item) can correspond to content that is being captured and streamed live by a user (e.g., a broadcaster). In this instance, the broadcaster can capture and stream an event (e.g., a live video of the broadcaster, a hiking scenery, a vacation trip, etc.) as part of a live content stream. Such events can be captured using computing devices (e.g., mobile devices with audio and video capture capabilities) and/or standalone devices (e.g., video cameras and microphones). A user (e.g., a viewer) operating a computing device can access the live content stream through the content provider. In response, the content provider encodes and provides data corresponding to the live content stream to the user&#39;s computing device over a network (e.g., the Internet) in real-time (or near real-time). The computing device can decode and present the live content stream, for example, through a display screen of the computing device. In general, the live content stream continues to be provided to the user&#39;s computing device until the broadcaster stops streaming live content or the user instructs the computing device to stop accessing the live content stream. In various embodiments, a standalone software application (“live app”) can be used to capture and stream live content through the content provider. For example, a user operating a computing device can launch the live app. When launched, the live app can instruct the computing device to immediately begin capturing and streaming live content through the content provider without additional input from the user. More details relating to the disclosed technology are provided below. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an example system  100  including an example content provider module  102 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the example of  FIG. 1 , the content provider module  102  can include a content module  104 , a content upload module  106 , and a live stream module  108 . In some instances, the example system  100  can include at least one data store  120 . A live app module  110  can interact with the content provider module  102  over one or more networks (e.g., the Internet, a local area network, a cellular network, etc.). In some embodiments, the live app module  110  can be implemented as a standalone software application (“live app”) running on a computing device being operated by a user. In some embodiments, the user is a member of a social network (e.g., the social networking system  630  of  FIG. 6 ). The components (e.g., modules, elements, etc.) shown in this figure and all figures herein are exemplary only, and other implementations may include additional, fewer, integrated, or different components. Some components may not be shown so as not to obscure relevant details. 
     In some embodiments, the content provider module  102  and/or the live app module  110  can be implemented, in part or in whole, as software, hardware, or any combination thereof. In general, a module as discussed herein can be associated with software, hardware, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, one or more functions, tasks, and/or operations of modules can be carried out or performed by software routines, software processes, hardware, and/or any combination thereof. In some cases, the content provider module  102  or at least a portion thereof can be implemented using one or more computing devices or systems that include one or more servers, such as network servers or cloud servers. In some instances, the content provider module  102  and/or the live app module  110  can, in part or in whole, be implemented within or configured to operate in conjunction with a social networking system (or service), such as the social networking system  630  of  FIG. 6 . In some instances, the content provider module  102  and/or the live app module  110  can be, in part or in whole, implemented within or configured to operate in conjunction or be integrated with a client computing device, such as the user device  610  of  FIG. 6 . For example, the content provider module  102  and/or the live app module  110  can be implemented as or within a dedicated application (e.g., app), a program, or an applet running on a user computing device or client computing system. The application incorporating or implementing instructions for performing some, or all, functionality of the content provider module  102  and/or the live app module  110  can be created by a developer. The application can be provided to or maintained in a repository. In some cases, the application can be uploaded or otherwise transmitted over a network (e.g., Internet) to the repository. For example, a computing system (e.g., server) associated with or under control of the developer of the application can provide or transmit the application to the repository. The repository can include, for example, an “app” store in which the application can be maintained for access or download by a user. In response to a command by the user to download the application, the application can be provided or otherwise transmitted over a network from the repository to a computing device associated with the user. For example, a computing system (e.g., server) associated with or under control of an administrator of the repository can cause or permit the application to be transmitted to the computing device of the user so that the user can install and run the application. The developer of the application and the administrator of the repository can be different entities in some cases, but can be the same entity in other cases. It should be understood that many variations are possible. 
     The content provider module  102  can be configured to communicate and/or operate with the at least one data store  120 , as shown in the example system  100 . The at least one data store  120  can be configured to store and maintain various types of data. For example, the data store  120  can store information describing various content that has been posted by users of a social networking system. In some implementations, the at least one data store  120  can store information associated with the social networking system (e.g., the social networking system  630  of  FIG. 6 ). The information associated with the social networking system can include data about users, social connections, social interactions, locations, geo-fenced areas, maps, places, events, pages, groups, posts, communications, content, feeds, account settings, privacy settings, a social graph, and various other types of data. In some implementations, the at least one data store  120  can store information associated with users, such as user identifiers, user information, profile information, user specified settings, content produced or posted by users, and various other types of user data. 
     The content provider module  102  can be configured to provide users with access to content items that are posted, or made available, through a content provider (e.g., social networking system). For example, a user can interact with an interface that is provided by a software application (e.g., a social networking application) running on a computing device of the user. This interface can be used to access various content items that are accessible through the social networking system. In some instances, the content module  104  can include various content items in the user&#39;s news feed. Such content items may include on-demand content items as well as content that is being streamed live. The user can access content items while browsing the news feed. In some instances, the content module  104  can also identify and provide content items that are responsive to search queries submitted through the interface. 
     In some embodiments, this interface can include an option for posting, or uploading, content items to the social networking system. When posting a content item, the content upload module  106  can be utilized to communicate data corresponding to the content item from the computing device to the social networking system. Such content items may include text, images, audio, and videos, for example. The social networking system can then provide the content item through the social networking system including, for example, in one or more news feeds. 
     In some embodiments, the live stream module  108  can be configured to receive and distribute live content streams through the social networking system. When a live content stream is initiated by a computing device, the live stream module  108  can be utilized to communicate data (e.g., audio data, video data, etc.) corresponding to the content to be streamed live from the computing device and through the social networking system. The live stream module  108  can utilize any generally known techniques that allow for live streaming of content including, for example, the Real Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP). In various embodiments, the computing device from which the live content stream is being provided can be equipped to capture data (e.g., video data, audio data, etc.) corresponding to the live content stream. 
     In various embodiments, the live app module  110  can be configured to capture and provide content to be streamed live through the content provider module  102 . As mentioned, in some embodiments, the live app module  110  can be implemented as a standalone software application (“live app”) that can run on various computing devices. In some embodiments, a user operating a computing device can launch the software application in which the live app module  110  is implemented to immediately begin capturing live content. For example, in some embodiments, the live app module  110  can instruct the computing device to begin capturing data (e.g., video data, audio data, etc.) corresponding to a live content stream without additional input from the user. In this example, the live app module  110  can communicate the captured data to the live stream module  108  for distribution through the social networking system, as described above. More details regarding the live app module  110  will be provided below with reference to  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example of a live app module  202 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the live app module  110  of  FIG. 1  can be implemented as the live app module  202 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the live app module  202  can include an interface module  204 , a content capture module  206 , a content share module  208 , a feedback module  210 , a broadcast lock module  212 , and a live content access module  214 . In some embodiments, the live app module  202  can be implemented in a software application, such as a “live app,” running on a computing device being operated by a user. 
     The interface module  204  can be configured to provide an interface having one or more panes that are accessible through the live app running on a computing device, as illustrated in the examples of  FIG. 3  and  FIGS. 4A-4B . As used herein, a pane can be a user interface or portion thereof, such as a screen, a space, a surface, or the like. For example, in some embodiments, the interface module  204  can provide a first pane through which live content streams can be captured and broadcasted through the social networking system. In some embodiments, the interface module  204  can provide a second pane through which content that is stored on (or is otherwise accessible to) the computing device can be accessed. In some embodiments, the interface module  204  can provide a third pane through which live content streams being broadcasted by other users of the social networking system can be accessed. Many variations are possible. 
     In various embodiments, the content capture module  206  can be configured to capture various types of content. For example, in some embodiments, the content capture module  206  can be configured to capture data (e.g., video data, audio data, etc.) corresponding to live content streams. In some embodiments, when a user (e.g., a broadcaster) launches the live app on a computing device, the content capture module  206  can automatically begin capturing and communicating a live content stream of some event to the social networking system without additional input or commands provided by the user. In some embodiments, in addition to being accessible through the live app as discussed in more detail herein, the live content stream is made available as an ephemeral story that is accessible through the social networking system. In such embodiments, the live content stream can be accessible through a story on the social networking system provided the live content stream is active. That is, the live content stream continues to be accessible through the story on social networking system until broadcasting of the live content stream has ceased. 
     In some embodiments, the user operating the computing device can select options to capture and store portions of the live content stream. For example, in some embodiments, the user can select an option to capture a video of some, or all, of the live content stream being broadcasted. In such embodiments, the video can be stored on a data store associated with the computing device (e.g., a local data store, network-based data store, cloud-based data store, etc.). Similarly, in some embodiments, the user can select an option to capture one or more images (or screenshots) of the live content stream being broadcasted. In such embodiments, the captured images can also be stored on the data store associated with the computing device. In some embodiments, captured live content stream can be made accessible as a story. In such embodiments, the captured live content stream remains accessible as a story through the social networking system for a pre-defined time period (e.g., 24 hours). 
     In various embodiments, the content share module  208  can be configured to share captured content. For example, the captured content may be shared with other users of the social networking system. In various embodiments, the captured content can include screenshot images or videos of any live content streams that are actively being broadcasted or were previously broadcasted through the social networking system. In some embodiments, such content may be shared with other users in one or more messages sent through the social networking system and/or in one or more content feeds that are accessible through the social networking system, for example. 
     The feedback module  210  can be configured to convey interactions (e.g., likes, reactions, etc.) received from users accessing a live content stream being broadcasted through the social networking system. For example, the computing device running the live app can broadcast a live content stream through the social networking system. During the broadcast, the feedback module  210  can determine when a viewer of the live content stream has selected options to interact with the live content stream. Such options can include an option to “like” the live content stream or options to react to the live content stream (e.g., a “happy” reaction, a “sad” reaction, etc.), for example. When the viewer selects an option to interact with the live content stream, the feedback module  210  can indicate such interaction, for example, through the interface provided by the interface module  204 . In some embodiments, viewers of the live content stream can be represented in the interface as avatars. In some embodiments, an avatar corresponding to a viewer can animate when that viewer interacts with the live content stream. For example, the viewer may send feedback, such as a “love” reaction while accessing the live content stream. In this example, the feedback module  210  can cause an avatar associated with the viewer to reflect the interaction through the interface using some pre-defined animation. Many variations are possible. 
     In various embodiments, the broadcast lock module  212  can be configured to pause broadcasting of a live content stream. For example, in some embodiments, when launched, the live app can provide a pane associated with a camera view through which live content can be captured and broadcasted. In some instances, a user may access other panes provided by the live app while live content is actively being captured and broadcasted. For example, the user may access another pane that provides access to a content library. In another example, the user may access a different pane that provides access to other live content streams that are available to view. In some embodiments, the broadcast lock module  212  can pause broadcasting of the live content when a pane other than the pane associated with the camera view is accessed during the broadcast. In some embodiments, the broadcast lock module  212  can indicate when a live content broadcast is paused using some visual indicator (e.g., broadcast lock icon, overlay, etc.). In some embodiments, the broadcasting of the live content can resume when the pane associated with the camera view is again accessed in the live app. 
     In various embodiments, the live content access module  214  can provide access to other live content streams that are being broadcasted through the social networking system. For example, in some embodiments, the live content access module  214  can provide access to live content streams through a different pane of the live app. In such embodiments, live content streams can be selected and viewed in the different pane of the live app. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an example diagram  300 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example of  FIG. 3 , a user operating a computing device  302  has launched an instance of the live app that proceeds to broadcast a live event through a social networking system without further user inputs or commands apart from the launch of the instance of the live app. In some embodiments, when the live app is first launched, the live app defaults to a first pane  304 . The first pane  304  can be associated with a camera view through which content captured and streamed through the social networking system is presented. In some embodiments, the first pane  304  can include a live status indicator  306  that indicates whether the computing device  302  is actively broadcasting live content through the social networking system. The first pane  304  can also include a region  316  in which avatars  314  corresponding to users (or viewers) accessing the live content stream can be displayed. In some embodiments, an avatar associated with a viewer can animate when that viewer interacts with the live content stream through the social networking system. For example, the viewer may select an option to submit a “love” reaction. In this example, the social networking system can instruct the live app to animate the avatar associated with the viewer. Here, the avatar is shown animating as exploding hearts  312 . In some embodiments, the first pane  304  includes an option  308  for capturing the live content stream being broadcasted. For example, in some embodiments, the option  308  can be selected (e.g., held, double tapped, etc.) to capture a video of some, or all, of the live content stream. In some embodiments, the option  308  can be selected (e.g., tapped, etc.) to capture one or more screenshots  310  (or images) of the live content stream. In some embodiments, captured content can be stored in a local data store of the computing device  302 . In some embodiments, captured content can be accessible to users of the social networking system through a story feed. In some embodiments, the user can use one or more touch screen gestures  318  to access different panes within the live app. For example, in some embodiments, a swipe gesture (e.g., a left swipe) can be used to access a second pane that is accessible through the live app. In some embodiments, a different swipe gesture (e.g., a right swipe) can be used to access a third pane that is accessible through the live app. Many variations are possible. 
       FIG. 4A  illustrates an example diagram  400 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example of  FIG. 4A , a user operating a computing device  402  has launched an instance of the live app and is accessing a second pane  404  of the live app. The user can access the second pane  404  by performing a touch screen gesture on a display screen  412  of the computing device  402 . For example, the second pane  404  may be accessed by performing a swipe gesture from a first pane of the live app (e.g., the first pane  304  of  FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, the second pane  404  can provide access to a content library associated with the computing device  402 . The content library may include various content items that are accessible through one or more data stores (e.g., local data store, network-based data store, cloud-based data store, etc.) that are accessible to the computing device  402 . In the example of  FIG. 4A , the content library includes a number of screenshots (or images)  406  and videos  408  including content that was captured during a live broadcast. In some embodiments, the second pane  404  can include a lock indicator  410  that indicates the computing device  402  is not actively broadcasting live content through the social networking system. In this instance, the live broadcast is paused or stopped as long as the second pane  404  is being accessed. In some embodiments, the second pane  404  can include an option that enables the user to post (re-post) captured content to a social networking system. 
       FIG. 4B  illustrates an example diagram  420 , according to an embodiment of the current disclosure. In the example of  FIG. 4B , a user operating a computing device  422  has launched an instance of the live app and is accessing a third pane  424  of the live app. The user can access the third pane  424  by performing a touch screen gesture through a display screen  432  of the computing device  422 . For example, the third pane  424  may be accessed by performing a swipe gesture from a first pane of the live app (e.g., the first pane  304  of  FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, the third pane  424  can provide access to various live content steams that are being broadcasted through a social networking system. The live content streams can be arranged by their broadcast status. For example, active live content streams  426  (live content streams currently broadcasting) can be shown before inactive live content streams  428  (live content streams not currently broadcasting). In some embodiments, the user operating the computing device  422  can select (or tap) an active live content stream  426  to view (or access) live content corresponding the active live content stream through the computing device  422 . Similar to the second pane  404  of  FIG. 4A , in some embodiments, the third pane  424  can include a lock indicator  430  that indicates the computing device  422  is not actively broadcasting live content through the social networking system. In this instance, the live broadcast is paused or stopped while the third pane  424  is being accessed. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example method  500 , according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that there can be additional, fewer, or alternative steps performed in similar or alternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of various embodiments discussed herein unless otherwise stated. 
     At block  502 , the example method  500  provides an interface that includes at least a plurality of panes. At block  504 , the example method  500  determines that a first pane is being accessed, the first pane for capturing and broadcasting live content through a social networking system. At block  506 , the example method  500  captures live content stream upon accessing the first pane. At block  508 , the example method  500  provides data corresponding to the live content stream to the social networking system for broadcasting. 
     Social Networking System—Example Implementation 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a network diagram of an example system  600  that can be utilized in various scenarios, in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology. The system  600  includes one or more user devices  610 , one or more external systems  620 , a social networking system (or service)  630 , and a network  655 . In an embodiment, the social networking service, provider, and/or system discussed in connection with the embodiments described above may be implemented as the social networking system  630 . For purposes of illustration, the embodiment of the system  600 , shown by  FIG. 6 , includes a single external system  620  and a single user device  610 . However, in other embodiments, the system  600  may include more user devices  610  and/or more external systems  620 . In certain embodiments, the social networking system  630  is operated by a social network provider, whereas the external systems  620  are separate from the social networking system  630  in that they may be operated by different entities. In various embodiments, however, the social networking system  630  and the external systems  620  operate in conjunction to provide social networking services to users (or members) of the social networking system  630 . In this sense, the social networking system  630  provides a platform or backbone, which other systems, such as external systems  620 , may use to provide social networking services and functionalities to users across the Internet. 
     The user device  610  comprises one or more computing devices that can receive input from a user and transmit and receive data via the network  655 . In one embodiment, the user device  610  is a conventional computer system executing, for example, a Microsoft Windows compatible operating system (OS), Apple OS X, and/or a Linux distribution. In another embodiment, the user device  610  can be a device having computer functionality, such as a smart-phone, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, etc. The user device  610  is configured to communicate via the network  655 . The user device  610  can execute an application, for example, a browser application that allows a user of the user device  610  to interact with the social networking system  630 . In another embodiment, the user device  610  interacts with the social networking system  630  through an application programming interface (API) provided by the native operating system of the user device  610 , such as iOS and ANDROID. The user device  610  is configured to communicate with the external system  620  and the social networking system  630  via the network  655 , which may comprise any combination of local area and/or wide area networks, using wired and/or wireless communication systems. 
     In one embodiment, the network  655  uses standard communications technologies and protocols. Thus, the network  655  can include links using technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, CDMA, GSM, LTE, digital subscriber line (DSL), etc. Similarly, the networking protocols used on the network  655  can include multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), and the like. The data exchanged over the network  655  can be represented using technologies and/or formats including hypertext markup language (HTML) and extensible markup language (XML). In addition, all or some links can be encrypted using conventional encryption technologies such as secure sockets layer (SSL), transport layer security (TLS), and Internet Protocol security (IPsec). 
     In one embodiment, the user device  610  may display content from the external system  620  and/or from the social networking system  630  by processing a markup language document  614  received from the external system  620  and from the social networking system  630  using a browser application  612 . The markup language document  614  identifies content and one or more instructions describing formatting or presentation of the content. By executing the instructions included in the markup language document  614 , the browser application  612  displays the identified content using the format or presentation described by the markup language document  614 . For example, the markup language document  614  includes instructions for generating and displaying a web page having multiple frames that include text and/or image data retrieved from the external system  620  and the social networking system  630 . In various embodiments, the markup language document  614  comprises a data file including extensible markup language (XML) data, extensible hypertext markup language (XHTML) data, or other markup language data. Additionally, the markup language document  614  may include JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data, JSON with padding (JSONP), and JavaScript data to facilitate data-interchange between the external system  620  and the user device  610 . The browser application  612  on the user device  610  may use a JavaScript compiler to decode the markup language document  614 . 
     The markup language document  614  may also include, or link to, applications or application frameworks such as FLASH™ or Unity™ applications, the SilverLight™ application framework, etc. 
     In one embodiment, the user device  610  also includes one or more cookies  616  including data indicating whether a user of the user device  610  is logged into the social networking system  630 , which may enable modification of the data communicated from the social networking system  630  to the user device  610 . 
     The external system  620  includes one or more web servers that include one or more web pages  622   a ,  622   b , which are communicated to the user device  610  using the network  655 . The external system  620  is separate from the social networking system  630 . For example, the external system  620  is associated with a first domain, while the social networking system  630  is associated with a separate social networking domain. Web pages  622   a ,  622   b , included in the external system  620 , comprise markup language documents  614  identifying content and including instructions specifying formatting or presentation of the identified content. 
     The social networking system  630  includes one or more computing devices for a social network, including a plurality of users, and providing users of the social network with the ability to communicate and interact with other users of the social network. In some instances, the social network can be represented by a graph, i.e., a data structure including edges and nodes. Other data structures can also be used to represent the social network, including but not limited to databases, objects, classes, meta elements, files, or any other data structure. The social networking system  630  may be administered, managed, or controlled by an operator. The operator of the social networking system  630  may be a human being, an automated application, or a series of applications for managing content, regulating policies, and collecting usage metrics within the social networking system  630 . Any type of operator may be used. 
     Users may join the social networking system  630  and then add connections to any number of other users of the social networking system  630  to whom they desire to be connected. As used herein, the term “friend” refers to any other user of the social networking system  630  to whom a user has formed a connection, association, or relationship via the social networking system  630 . For example, in an embodiment, if users in the social networking system  630  are represented as nodes in the social graph, the term “friend” can refer to an edge formed between and directly connecting two user nodes. 
     Connections may be added explicitly by a user or may be automatically created by the social networking system  630  based on common characteristics of the users (e.g., users who are alumni of the same educational institution). For example, a first user specifically selects a particular other user to be a friend. Connections in the social networking system  630  are usually in both directions, but need not be, so the terms “user” and “friend” depend on the frame of reference. Connections between users of the social networking system  630  are usually bilateral (“two-way”), or “mutual,” but connections may also be unilateral, or “one-way.” For example, if Bob and Joe are both users of the social networking system  630  and connected to each other, Bob and Joe are each other&#39;s connections. If, on the other hand, Bob wishes to connect to Joe to view data communicated to the social networking system  630  by Joe, but Joe does not wish to form a mutual connection, a unilateral connection may be established. The connection between users may be a direct connection; however, some embodiments of the social networking system  630  allow the connection to be indirect via one or more levels of connections or degrees of separation. 
     In addition to establishing and maintaining connections between users and allowing interactions between users, the social networking system  630  provides users with the ability to take actions on various types of items supported by the social networking system  630 . These items may include groups or networks (i.e., social networks of people, entities, and concepts) to which users of the social networking system  630  may belong, events or calendar entries in which a user might be interested, computer-based applications that a user may use via the social networking system  630 , transactions that allow users to buy or sell items via services provided by or through the social networking system  630 , and interactions with advertisements that a user may perform on or off the social networking system  630 . These are just a few examples of the items upon which a user may act on the social networking system  630 , and many others are possible. A user may interact with anything that is capable of being represented in the social networking system  630  or in the external system  620 , separate from the social networking system  630 , or coupled to the social networking system  630  via the network  655 . 
     The social networking system  630  is also capable of linking a variety of entities. For example, the social networking system  630  enables users to interact with each other as well as external systems  620  or other entities through an API, a web service, or other communication channels. The social networking system  630  generates and maintains the “social graph” comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected by a plurality of edges. Each node in the social graph may represent an entity that can act on another node and/or that can be acted on by another node. The social graph may include various types of nodes. Examples of types of nodes include users, non-person entities, content items, web pages, groups, activities, messages, concepts, and any other things that can be represented by an object in the social networking system  630 . An edge between two nodes in the social graph may represent a particular kind of connection, or association, between the two nodes, which may result from node relationships or from an action that was performed by one of the nodes on the other node. In some cases, the edges between nodes can be weighted. The weight of an edge can represent an attribute associated with the edge, such as a strength of the connection or association between nodes. Different types of edges can be provided with different weights. For example, an edge created when one user “likes” another user may be given one weight, while an edge created when a user befriends another user may be given a different weight. 
     As an example, when a first user identifies a second user as a friend, an edge in the social graph is generated connecting a node representing the first user and a second node representing the second user. As various nodes relate or interact with each other, the social networking system  630  modifies edges connecting the various nodes to reflect the relationships and interactions. 
     The social networking system  630  also includes user-generated content, which enhances a user&#39;s interactions with the social networking system  630 . User-generated content may include anything a user can add, upload, send, or “post” to the social networking system  630 . For example, a user communicates posts to the social networking system  630  from a user device  610 . Posts may include data such as status updates or other textual data, location information, images such as photos, videos, links, music or other similar data and/or media. Content may also be added to the social networking system  630  by a third party. Content “items” are represented as objects in the social networking system  630 . In this way, users of the social networking system  630  are encouraged to communicate with each other by posting text and content items of various types of media through various communication channels. Such communication increases the interaction of users with each other and increases the frequency with which users interact with the social networking system  630 . 
     The social networking system  630  includes a web server  632 , an API request server  634 , a user profile store  636 , a connection store  638 , an action logger  640 , an activity log  642 , and an authorization server  644 . In an embodiment of the invention, the social networking system  630  may include additional, fewer, or different components for various applications. Other components, such as network interfaces, security mechanisms, load balancers, failover servers, management and network operations consoles, and the like are not shown so as to not obscure the details of the system. 
     The user profile store  636  maintains information about user accounts, including biographic, demographic, and other types of descriptive information, such as work experience, educational history, hobbies or preferences, location, and the like that has been declared by users or inferred by the social networking system  630 . This information is stored in the user profile store  636  such that each user is uniquely identified. The social networking system  630  also stores data describing one or more connections between different users in the connection store  638 . The connection information may indicate users who have similar or common work experience, group memberships, hobbies, or educational history. Additionally, the social networking system  630  includes user-defined connections between different users, allowing users to specify their relationships with other users. For example, user-defined connections allow users to generate relationships with other users that parallel the users&#39; real-life relationships, such as friends, co-workers, partners, and so forth. Users may select from predefined types of connections, or define their own connection types as needed. Connections with other nodes in the social networking system  630 , such as non-person entities, buckets, cluster centers, images, interests, pages, external systems, concepts, and the like are also stored in the connection store  638 . 
     The social networking system  630  maintains data about objects with which a user may interact. To maintain this data, the user profile store  636  and the connection store  638  store instances of the corresponding type of objects maintained by the social networking system  630 . Each object type has information fields that are suitable for storing information appropriate to the type of object. For example, the user profile store  636  contains data structures with fields suitable for describing a user&#39;s account and information related to a user&#39;s account. When a new object of a particular type is created, the social networking system  630  initializes a new data structure of the corresponding type, assigns a unique object identifier to it, and begins to add data to the object as needed. This might occur, for example, when a user becomes a user of the social networking system  630 , the social networking system  630  generates a new instance of a user profile in the user profile store  636 , assigns a unique identifier to the user account, and begins to populate the fields of the user account with information provided by the user. 
     The connection store  638  includes data structures suitable for describing a user&#39;s connections to other users, connections to external systems  620  or connections to other entities. The connection store  638  may also associate a connection type with a user&#39;s connections, which may be used in conjunction with the user&#39;s privacy setting to regulate access to information about the user. In an embodiment of the invention, the user profile store  636  and the connection store  638  may be implemented as a federated database. 
     Data stored in the connection store  638 , the user profile store  636 , and the activity log  642  enables the social networking system  630  to generate the social graph that uses nodes to identify various objects and edges connecting nodes to identify relationships between different objects. For example, if a first user establishes a connection with a second user in the social networking system  630 , user accounts of the first user and the second user from the user profile store  636  may act as nodes in the social graph. The connection between the first user and the second user stored by the connection store  638  is an edge between the nodes associated with the first user and the second user. Continuing this example, the second user may then send the first user a message within the social networking system  630 . The action of sending the message, which may be stored, is another edge between the two nodes in the social graph representing the first user and the second user. Additionally, the message itself may be identified and included in the social graph as another node connected to the nodes representing the first user and the second user. 
     In another example, a first user may tag a second user in an image that is maintained by the social networking system  630  (or, alternatively, in an image maintained by another system outside of the social networking system  630 ). The image may itself be represented as a node in the social networking system  630 . This tagging action may create edges between the first user and the second user as well as create an edge between each of the users and the image, which is also a node in the social graph. In yet another example, if a user confirms attending an event, the user and the event are nodes obtained from the user profile store  636 , where the attendance of the event is an edge between the nodes that may be retrieved from the activity log  642 . By generating and maintaining the social graph, the social networking system  630  includes data describing many different types of objects and the interactions and connections among those objects, providing a rich source of socially relevant information. 
     The web server  632  links the social networking system  630  to one or more user devices  610  and/or one or more external systems  620  via the network  655 . The web server  632  serves web pages, as well as other web-related content, such as Java, JavaScript, Flash, XML, and so forth. The web server  632  may include a mail server or other messaging functionality for receiving and routing messages between the social networking system  630  and one or more user devices  610 . The messages can be instant messages, queued messages (e.g., email), text and SMS messages, or any other suitable messaging format. 
     The API request server  634  allows one or more external systems  620  and user devices  610  to call access information from the social networking system  630  by calling one or more API functions. The API request server  634  may also allow external systems  620  to send information to the social networking system  630  by calling APIs. The external system  620 , in one embodiment, sends an API request to the social networking system  630  via the network  655 , and the API request server  634  receives the API request. The API request server  634  processes the request by calling an API associated with the API request to generate an appropriate response, which the API request server  634  communicates to the external system  620  via the network  655 . For example, responsive to an API request, the API request server  634  collects data associated with a user, such as the user&#39;s connections that have logged into the external system  620 , and communicates the collected data to the external system  620 . In another embodiment, the user device  610  communicates with the social networking system  630  via APIs in the same manner as external systems  620 . 
     The action logger  640  is capable of receiving communications from the web server  632  about user actions on and/or off the social networking system  630 . The action logger  640  populates the activity log  642  with information about user actions, enabling the social networking system  630  to discover various actions taken by its users within the social networking system  630  and outside of the social networking system  630 . Any action that a particular user takes with respect to another node on the social networking system  630  may be associated with each user&#39;s account, through information maintained in the activity log  642  or in a similar database or other data repository. Examples of actions taken by a user within the social networking system  630  that are identified and stored may include, for example, adding a connection to another user, sending a message to another user, reading a message from another user, viewing content associated with another user, attending an event posted by another user, posting an image, attempting to post an image, or other actions interacting with another user or another object. When a user takes an action within the social networking system  630 , the action is recorded in the activity log  642 . In one embodiment, the social networking system  630  maintains the activity log  642  as a database of entries. When an action is taken within the social networking system  630 , an entry for the action is added to the activity log  642 . The activity log  642  may be referred to as an action log. 
     Additionally, user actions may be associated with concepts and actions that occur within an entity outside of the social networking system  630 , such as an external system  620  that is separate from the social networking system  630 . For example, the action logger  640  may receive data describing a user&#39;s interaction with an external system  620  from the web server  632 . In this example, the external system  620  reports a user&#39;s interaction according to structured actions and objects in the social graph. 
     Other examples of actions where a user interacts with an external system  620  include a user expressing an interest in an external system  620  or another entity, a user posting a comment to the social networking system  630  that discusses an external system  620  or a web page  622   a  within the external system  620 , a user posting to the social networking system  630  a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or other identifier associated with an external system  620 , a user attending an event associated with an external system  620 , or any other action by a user that is related to an external system  620 . Thus, the activity log  642  may include actions describing interactions between a user of the social networking system  630  and an external system  620  that is separate from the social networking system  630 . 
     The authorization server  644  enforces one or more privacy settings of the users of the social networking system  630 . A privacy setting of a user determines how particular information associated with a user can be shared. The privacy setting comprises the specification of particular information associated with a user and the specification of the entity or entities with whom the information can be shared. Examples of entities with which information can be shared may include other users, applications, external systems  620 , or any entity that can potentially access the information. The information that can be shared by a user comprises user account information, such as profile photos, phone numbers associated with the user, user&#39;s connections, actions taken by the user such as adding a connection, changing user profile information, and the like. 
     The privacy setting specification may be provided at different levels of granularity. For example, the privacy setting may identify specific information to be shared with other users; the privacy setting identifies a work phone number or a specific set of related information, such as, personal information including profile photo, home phone number, and status. Alternatively, the privacy setting may apply to all the information associated with the user. The specification of the set of entities that can access particular information can also be specified at various levels of granularity. Various sets of entities with which information can be shared may include, for example, all friends of the user, all friends of friends, all applications, or all external systems  620 . One embodiment allows the specification of the set of entities to comprise an enumeration of entities. For example, the user may provide a list of external systems  620  that are allowed to access certain information. Another embodiment allows the specification to comprise a set of entities along with exceptions that are not allowed to access the information. For example, a user may allow all external systems  620  to access the user&#39;s work information, but specify a list of external systems  620  that are not allowed to access the work information. Certain embodiments call the list of exceptions that are not allowed to access certain information a “block list”. External systems  620  belonging to a block list specified by a user are blocked from accessing the information specified in the privacy setting. Various combinations of granularity of specification of information, and granularity of specification of entities, with which information is shared are possible. For example, all personal information may be shared with friends whereas all work information may be shared with friends of friends. 
     The authorization server  644  contains logic to determine if certain information associated with a user can be accessed by a user&#39;s friends, external systems  620 , and/or other applications and entities. The external system  620  may need authorization from the authorization server  644  to access the user&#39;s more private and sensitive information, such as the user&#39;s work phone number. Based on the user&#39;s privacy settings, the authorization server  644  determines if another user, the external system  620 , an application, or another entity is allowed to access information associated with the user, including information about actions taken by the user. 
     In some embodiments, the social networking system  630  can include a content provider module  646 . The content provider module  646  can be implemented with the content provider module  102 , as discussed in more detail herein. In some embodiments, one or more functionalities of the content provider module  646  can also be implemented in the user device  610 . 
     In some embodiments, the user device  610  can include a live app module  618 . The live app module  618  can be implemented with the live app module  110  of  FIG. 1 . In some embodiments, one or more functionalities of the live app module  618  can also be implemented in the social networking system  630 . In some embodiments, the social networking system  630  can include a content provider module  646 . The content provider module  646  can be implemented with the content provider module  102  of  FIG. 1 . 
     Hardware Implementation 
     The foregoing processes and features can be implemented by a wide variety of machine and computer system architectures and in a wide variety of network and computing environments.  FIG. 7  illustrates an example of a computer system  700  that may be used to implement one or more of the embodiments described herein in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The computer system  700  includes sets of instructions for causing the computer system  700  to perform the processes and features discussed herein. The computer system  700  may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the computer system  700  may operate in the capacity of a server machine or a client machine in a client-server network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. In an embodiment of the invention, the computer system  700  may be the social networking system  630 , the user device  610 , and the external system  720 , or a component thereof. In an embodiment of the invention, the computer system  700  may be one server among many that constitutes all or part of the social networking system  630 . 
     The computer system  700  includes a processor  702 , a cache  704 , and one or more executable modules and drivers, stored on a computer-readable medium, directed to the processes and features described herein. Additionally, the computer system  700  includes a high performance input/output (I/O) bus  706  and a standard I/O bus  708 . A host bridge  710  couples processor  702  to high performance I/O bus  706 , whereas I/O bus bridge  712  couples the two buses  706  and  708  to each other. A system memory  714  and one or more network interfaces  716  couple to high performance I/O bus  706 . The computer system  700  may further include video memory and a display device coupled to the video memory (not shown). Mass storage  718  and I/O ports  720  couple to the standard I/O bus  708 . The computer system  700  may optionally include a keyboard and pointing device, a display device, or other input/output devices (not shown) coupled to the standard I/O bus  708 . Collectively, these elements are intended to represent a broad category of computer hardware systems, including but not limited to computer systems based on the x86-compatible processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif., and the x86-compatible processors manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as any other suitable processor. 
     An operating system manages and controls the operation of the computer system  700 , including the input and output of data to and from software applications (not shown). The operating system provides an interface between the software applications being executed on the system and the hardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may be used, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh Operating System, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIX operating systems, Microsoft® Windows® operating systems, BSD operating systems, and the like. Other implementations are possible. 
     The elements of the computer system  700  are described in greater detail below. In particular, the network interface  716  provides communication between the computer system  700  and any of a wide range of networks, such as an Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, etc. The mass storage  718  provides permanent storage for the data and programming instructions to perform the above-described processes and features implemented by the respective computing systems identified above, whereas the system memory  714  (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storage for the data and programming instructions when executed by the processor  702 . The I/O ports  720  may be one or more serial and/or parallel communication ports that provide communication between additional peripheral devices, which may be coupled to the computer system  700 . 
     The computer system  700  may include a variety of system architectures, and various components of the computer system  700  may be rearranged. For example, the cache  704  may be on-chip with processor  702 . Alternatively, the cache  704  and the processor  702  may be packed together as a “processor module”, with processor  702  being referred to as the “processor core”. Furthermore, certain embodiments of the invention may neither require nor include all of the above components. For example, peripheral devices coupled to the standard I/O bus  708  may couple to the high performance I/O bus  706 . In addition, in some embodiments, only a single bus may exist, with the components of the computer system  700  being coupled to the single bus. Moreover, the computer system  700  may include additional components, such as additional processors, storage devices, or memories. 
     In general, the processes and features described herein may be implemented as part of an operating system or a specific application, component, program, object, module, or series of instructions referred to as “programs”. For example, one or more programs may be used to execute specific processes described herein. The programs typically comprise one or more instructions in various memory and storage devices in the computer system  700  that, when read and executed by one or more processors, cause the computer system  700  to perform operations to execute the processes and features described herein. The processes and features described herein may be implemented in software, firmware, hardware (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit), or any combination thereof. 
     In one implementation, the processes and features described herein are implemented as a series of executable modules run by the computer system  700 , individually or collectively in a distributed computing environment. The foregoing modules may be realized by hardware, executable modules stored on a computer-readable medium (or machine-readable medium), or a combination of both. For example, the modules may comprise a plurality or series of instructions to be executed by a processor in a hardware system, such as the processor  702 . Initially, the series of instructions may be stored on a storage device, such as the mass storage  718 . However, the series of instructions can be stored on any suitable computer readable storage medium. Furthermore, the series of instructions need not be stored locally, and could be received from a remote storage device, such as a server on a network, via the network interface  716 . The instructions are copied from the storage device, such as the mass storage  718 , into the system memory  714  and then accessed and executed by the processor  702 . In various implementations, a module or modules can be executed by a processor or multiple processors in one or multiple locations, such as multiple servers in a parallel processing environment. 
     Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory devices; solid state memories; floppy and other removable disks; hard disk drives; magnetic media; optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD ROMS), Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs)); other similar non-transitory (or transitory), tangible (or non-tangible) storage medium; or any type of medium suitable for storing, encoding, or carrying a series of instructions for execution by the computer system  700  to perform any one or more of the processes and features described herein. 
     For purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the description. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the disclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, modules, structures, processes, features, and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the description. In other instances, functional block diagrams and flow diagrams are shown to represent data and logic flows. The components of block diagrams and flow diagrams (e.g., modules, blocks, structures, devices, features, etc.) may be variously combined, separated, removed, reordered, and replaced in a manner other than as expressly described and depicted herein. 
     Reference in this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “other embodiments”, “one series of embodiments”, “some embodiments”, “various embodiments”, or the like means that a particular feature, design, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The appearances of, for example, the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, whether or not there is express reference to an “embodiment” or the like, various features are described, which may be variously combined and included in some embodiments, but also variously omitted in other embodiments. Similarly, various features are described that may be preferences or requirements for some embodiments, but not other embodiments. 
     The language used herein has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.