Patent Abstract:
Social networking users are rewarded with points for creating content or commenting on the content of other social networking users. The rewards engine may be a part of a social networking site, or may be a stand-alone system which may be used by social networking sites to offer rewards to users. Upon receiving an event including a user and event type, the system determines a point value, instantly and/or in the future. Different point values may be assigned to different event types, or points may be awarded based upon the measured impact over time, or points may be awarded according to user votes. Points may be awarded for enrolling, making new friends, creating content, commenting on content, among other event types. Points may be revoked for deleting content or blocking users, among other event types. A hierarchy of point values may assign fewer or greater points to particular event types.

Full Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of prior application Ser. No. 13/457,382 filed Apr. 26, 2012 and claims priority from provisional application No. 61/664,508 filed Jun. 26, 2012. The foregoing applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to analyzing consumer behavior, and more specifically, to systems and methods for analyzing consumer behavior involving use of social networking benefits associated with content. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Conferring points on social network users provides new opportunities and benefits in connection with rewards for social network users for activities related to content, and other types of activities. Further opportunities exist for analyzing consumer behavior using social points, rewards and customer data. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Method and system embodiments involving implementation of rewards for social network users for content as disclosed herein may take different forms. For example, one or more computer program products having non-transitory computer readable media for encoding process instructions may be incorporated in a computerized system. 
         [0005]    An exemplary system and/or method for rewarding social networking users may include receiving an event information, the event information indicative of a social networking user and a social networking event type; and conferring the social networking user with a point value, the point value associated with the social networking event type. Other possible system and/or method features may include receiving an event information from a social networking system; receiving an event information from a social networking system that is external; receiving event information indicative of at least one of a user event type or a content event type; receiving event information indicative of a user event type, the user event type comprising one or more of signing up for the social network, adding another social network user to a friends list or blocking another social network user; and/or receiving event information indicative of a content event type, the content event type comprising one or more of posting an image, posting a status update, writing on a wall of another social network user, commenting on content posted by another social network user, or deleting content previously posted. 
         [0006]    Additional possible system and/or method features may include conferring the social networking user with a point value, the point value determined by a point value determinator component; conferring the social networking user with a point value determined by an point value determinator component immediately upon receiving an event information; conferring the social networking user with a point value determined by an point value determinator component at a future time after receiving an event information; conferring the social networking user with a point value determined by an point value determinator component according to a hierarchy; conferring the social networking user with a point value determined by an point value determinator component according to a measured impact; conferring the social networking user with a point value determined by an point value determinator component according to an estimated impact; conferring the social networking user with a point value determined by an point value determinator component according to voting by other social networking users; conferring the social networking user with a point value determined by an point value determinator component according to activity by other social networking users; conferring the social networking user with a negative point value and/or conferring the social networking user with a negative point value for one or more of deleting content previously posted or blocking another social network user. 
         [0007]    Additional possible system and/or method features may include accumulating the point value for the social networking user as a point total; and/or facilitating redemption from the point total of the social networking user for at least a benefit to the social networking user. 
         [0008]    In addition to the foregoing, various other methods, systems and/or program product embodiments are set forth and described in the teachings such as the text (e.g., claims, drawings and/or the detailed description) and/or drawings of the present disclosure. 
         [0009]    The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity, simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is NOT intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, embodiments, features and advantages of the device and/or processes and/or other subject matter described herein will become apparent in the teachings set forth herein. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    Certain embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings: 
           [0011]      FIGS. 1 and 2  depict exemplary environments in which the methods and systems described herein may be represented; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  depicts a high-level logic flowchart of an operational process; 
           [0013]      FIGS. 4-8  depict several alternative implementations of the operational process of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  illustrates a partial view of an exemplary computer program product; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 10  presents a block diagram of an exemplary environment in which the methods and systems described herein may operate. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    This invention relates generally to social networking, and more specifically, to systems and methods for rewarding social network users for content. Specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in  FIGS. 1-10  to provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. The present invention may have additional embodiments, may be practiced without one or more of the details described for any particular described embodiment, or may have any detail described for one particular embodiment practiced with any other detail described for another embodiment. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary environment  100  in which the methods and systems described herein may be represented. In the exemplary environment  100 , one or more social networking users are depicted. There may be a large number of social networking users, including a first social networking user  102 , a second social networking user  104 , all the way through an n-th social networking user  10 N. The social networking users interact with a social networking system via the Internet  110 . The social networking users gain access to the social networking system using a computing device. In some embodiments, a computing device is a personal computer. In other embodiments, a computing device is a smartphone. In different embodiments, a computing device is a laptop, netbook, tablet, or any other device enabling a user to access web content over the Internet. In still other embodiments, a computing device enabling a user to access web content may be a video game console, an appliance with an Internet browser built in, or any other device or system connected to the Internet which may be utilized by a user to access content located on the Internet. 
         [0018]    In some embodiments of the invention, the social networking users connect to a social network, the social network represented in  FIG. 1  by the system  120 . The social network  120  may be comprised of one or more software components that are implemented on a single host system, or are dispersed among multiple servers in a server farm. The social network may, for example, be made up of front-end web servers, database servers, index servers, identity management servers, load balancers, or other components. The components may be located in a single data center, may be spread across multiple data centers in multiple locations, may be run in virtual machines, and/or may have redundant systems. Indeed, many combinations of server architecture, software components and physical locations are possible, and all are represented logically in  FIG. 1  by the social network server  120 . 
         [0019]    In some embodiments of the invention, the social network  120  is operably connected to a rewards server  122 . Like the social network  120 , the rewards server may be comprised of one or more software components that are implemented on a single host system, or can be dispersed among multiple servers in a server farm. The rewards server may have any combination of server architecture, software components and physical locations as previously described relative to the social network, and all such combinations are represented logically in  FIG. 1  by the rewards server  122 . 
         [0020]    In some embodiments of the invention, the social network  120  and the rewards server  122  are located on the same logical network. The logical network may be coupled with the Internet at a firewall  124 . In some embodiments, the firewall  124  is a bastion host. In other embodiments, the firewall  124  is a proxy server. In different embodiments, the firewall  124  is a plurality of load-balancing network appliances. The firewall  124  may be a plurality of network ingress points which are implemented on firewalls throughout a plurality of data centers across geographically dispersed locations. Many combinations of network configurations are possible, and all such combinations are represented logically in  FIG. 1  by the firewall  124 . 
         [0021]    Importantly, in  FIG. 1 , what is depicted is a social network  120  and a rewards server  122  that are operated by a single entity, wherein the social network and rewards server are on the same logical network and communicate with the Internet via the same logical egress point (i.e. the firewall  124 ). 
         [0022]    Turning to  FIG. 2 , the foregoing discussion related to the users  102 ,  104  and  10 N; the Internet  110 ; the social network  120  and the firewall  124  similarly applies. Differently, in  FIG. 2 , the rewards server  202  is depicted as being on a different logical network from the social network, the different logical network being coupled to the Internet via the second firewall  204 . The rewards server  202  may still be implemented using any combination of server architecture, software components and physical locations as disclosed in the foregoing discussion of the rewards server  122 . Additionally, just as with the firewall  124 , the second firewall  204  may be implemented with a single network device, a plurality of network devices in a single location, or a plurality of network devices in a plurality of locations forming a single logical network, and all such possible configurations are represented by the second firewall  204 . 
         [0023]    In some embodiments, the rewards server  202  may be on a different logical network from the social network  120 . This may be because the rewards server and social network are run by the same entity in geographically dispersed locations. Or, it may be that the social network and rewards server are operated by different entities, where the operator of the social network has engaged with the operator of the rewards server to provide rewards management services for the plurality of users of the social network. 
         [0024]    In some embodiments, rewards management services are configured as an API. In different embodiments, rewards management services are provided with SOAP. In still other embodiments, rewards management services are configured through a transfer or exchange of XML data files, or with AJAX, ASP, ASP.NET, UDDI, or WSDL. In yet a different embodiment, rewards management services are provided to a social network using any web service protocol or platform-independent server communications methodology. 
         [0025]    In some embodiments, a social network may be an online community service, such as Facebook, Google+, MySpace, Twitter, Friendster, Classmates.com, or LinkedIn, among other examples. A user of such a site may create a user profile, account, login, credentials, or other means of authenticating the user to the site. In different embodiments, a social network may be a website that uses the authentication system of an online community service to authenticate users to its own site. For example, a social network may be any site that permits users to log into the site using the user&#39;s Facebook credentials, including (but not limited to) a newspaper site that permits users to post comments, the comments being identified by the user&#39;s Facebook profile information. In different embodiments, a social network may be a search engine, which permits users to log into the site using the credentials of an online community service, where the online community service may or may not be affiliated with the search engine site. In another non-limiting example, a social network may be a search engine such as Google, where a user may log into Google using the user&#39;s Google+ credentials. In yet another non-limiting example, a social network may be any site for which a user may create a user profile, account, login, credentials, or other means of authenticating the user to the site irrespective of whether users have a view of other users&#39; activity. 
         [0026]    In different embodiments, a social network may be an online forum, bulletin board, web portal, Internet forum, message board, discussion site, search engine, newsgroup, mailing list, blog host, moderated site, unmoderated site, email system, chat room, aggregator, network news site, virtual community, virtual world, content management system, or any other online site where users may create, modify, view or comment upon content or perform any other social networking activity. 
         [0027]    In some embodiments, a social networking user may be a visitor to a social network, where the user may or may not create an account, user profile, login credentials, or other means of identifying the social networking user to the social network. In some embodiments, usage is anonymous and tracking and/or rewarding may be associated with the social networking user&#39;s source IP address, company, ISP, geographic location, browser software, or other means of corroborating usage with an identity. 
         [0028]    In some embodiments, a social networking user may perform some activity associated with the social network. A social networking user may perform activities such as creating, modifying or deleting a profile for the social network. Within the context of social networking activity, a user may add, modify or delete content to the profile, including photos, multimedia content, notes, status updates, personal and/or demographic information, messages to others, links to other content, modules, applications, applets, and/or blog entries. A user may perform other activities relative to the social network. Such activities might include adding or deleting other users to/from a friends list; chatting with other users; sending tweets; messaging other users; commenting on other users posts; sending email to other users; searching for other users; entering a chat room; creating, modifying or deleting a thread; creating galleries, folders or other means of organizing content; writing on a wall; modifying the look and feel of a profile; applying a skin to a profile; uploading and/or downloading to/from the social network; sharing content and/or links; changing privacy settings; broadcasting content; consuming broadcasted content; checking-in; streaming; tagging; geotagging; joining a group; liking a page, user, company, or other entity; making a purchase; offering an item for sale; or any other online activity which may or may not be characterized as social networking activity. 
         [0029]    In some embodiments, a social networking user may interact with the social network via a user interface. In some embodiments, the user interface may be implemented as a web page. In different embodiments, the user interface may be implemented as an applet or application. In other embodiments, the user interface may be a graphical user interface, interactive voice response system, command-line interface, touch-screen interface, display interface, gesture interface, object-oriented interface, natural language interface, or any other means through which a user may interact with a social network. In some embodiments, a user interface may include a newsfeed, a wall, a thread list, a discussion forum, one or more templates, an image gallery, a multimedia gallery, a profile listing, a user listing, a directory, a control panel, a windowing system, one or more frames, a desktop environment, a chat room, a list of topics, a plurality of search results, a public message, a private message, a wiki, a blogroll, or any other social networking user interface. 
         [0030]    In some embodiments, a social network may be a free social network, in that there is no cost to create a profile and participate. In different embodiments, a social network may be a paid site, in that there may be a subscription or membership fee (periodic or lifetime) paid by a user in exchange for participating. In different embodiments, participation in a social network may be in exchange for a user creating content or conducting other social networking activity. In other embodiments, a user may participate in a social network in exchange for any form of compensation. 
         [0031]    In  FIG. 3  and in following Figures that include various examples of operational flows, discussion and explanation may be provided with respect to the above-described examples of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and/or with respect to other examples and contexts. However, it should be understood that the operational flows may be executed in a number of other environments and contexts, and/or in modified versions of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Also, although the various operational flows are presented in the sequence(s) illustrated, it should be understood that the various operations may be performed in other orders than those which are illustrated, or may be performed concurrently. 
         [0032]      FIG. 3  depicts a high-level logic flowchart of an operational process, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. After a start operation, the operational flow  300  moves to a receiving operation  302  where an event information is received, the event information indicative of a social networking user and a social networking event type. At a conferring operation  304 , the social networking user is conferred with a point value, the point value associated with the social networking event type. The operational flow  300  then moves to an end operation. 
         [0033]    In an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment, a rewards server  202  as depicted in  FIG. 2  may confer point values for social networking users  102 ,  104  and  10 N when the users conduct a social networking activity on the social network server  120 . The rewards server  202  may receive information about which social networking user conducted the social networking activity (the information about the social networking activity encapsulated in a “social networking event type”) from the social network  120 . Responsive to the receiving information, the rewards server may confer the social networking user with a point value, the point value associated with the social networking event type. As a non-limiting example, the rewards server may confer ten points on a social networking user who has created a social networking profile. 
         [0034]    In the context of the present invention, “points” refers to an amount credited to, debited from, or otherwise maintained relative to a social networking user, where the amount is maintained by the rewards server. As used herein, the word “points,” and the terms “point value” and “point total,” do not require any particular usage or context for the point, point values and/or point totals. In different embodiments, the system may confer other units to social networking users for various social networking events, where the units could include credits, dollars, pennies, tokens, or any other word that refers to an enumerated value that may be incremented, decremented, maintained or otherwise operated upon. As will be disclosed, in some embodiments of the invention, the “point values” are accumulated as a “point total,” wherein a portion of the point total may be redeemed for a benefit to the social networking user. However, the instant disclosure is intended to be non-limiting as far as the terms “point value,” “point total,” and “points.” Any synonymous terms consistent with the meaning disclosed herein are within the context of the instant application. 
         [0035]    In a different, exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, the rewards server  122  as depicted in  FIG. 1  may confer point values for social networking users  102 ,  104  and  10 N when the users conduct a social networking activity on the social network server  120 . As discussed elsewhere herein, the rewards server may be operated by the same entity as the operator of the social network, wherein the rewards server may be a separate logical server from the logical social network server, or may be collocated with the social network server. Or, as discussed within the context of the first exemplary embodiment of operational flow  300 , the rewards server may be operated by a different entity from the operator of the social network as explained elsewhere herein. Throughout the remainder of the instant application, it will be understood that the operational flow relating to conferring points may take place on a system and/or logical network and/or entity either internal or external to that of the social network, and that exemplary operations discussed with reference to  FIG. 1  may equally apply with respect to  FIG. 2 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 4  illustrates alternative embodiments of the example operational flow  300  of  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 4  illustrates example embodiments where the receiving operation  302  may include at least one additional operation. Additional operations may include operation  402 , operation  404 , operation  406 , operation  408  and/or operation  410 . 
         [0037]    At the operation  402 , event information is received from a social networking system. For example, a rewards server  122  may receive information indicative of a social networking user and a social networking event type from a social networking server. The information may include, for example, an indication from a particular social network  120  that social networking user  100  created a profile for the social network. As previously discussed elsewhere herein, receiving information from a social network may include receiving information from an online community service, a search engine, a newspaper site, an email host, or any other site in which a user&#39;s social networking credentials are associated with an activity the social networking user performs on that site. A user may, for example, leave a comment on a newspaper article at an online newspaper site in which comments are enabled using site visitors&#39; social networking credentials, where the social networking credentials were established for an online community site that is different from the online newspaper site. Further refining the example, the rewards server may receive an event information including information that a Facebook user left a comment on a news article hosted by the seattlepi.com site, the comment being associated with the Facebook user&#39;s Facebook credentials. 
         [0038]    In particular, in an example operation  404  that may be performed in addition to, or in association with, operation  402 , the event information may be received from a social networking system that is external. As previously discussed elsewhere herein, the rewards server  202  may be operated by a third party, the third party providing rewards services to the social networking service, although the rewards server may be operated by the same operator as the social networking service. 
         [0039]    At the operation  406 , event information is received indicative of at least one of a user event type or a content event type. For example, the event information may include data indicative that a social networking user performed some action relative to the user&#39;s profile. In particular, in an example operation  408  that may be performed in addition to, or in association with, operation  406 , the event information may include event information indicative of a social networking user  100  signing up for the social network, adding another social network user to a friends list, or blocking another social network user. Of course, it will be understood that a variety of social networking user events exist, with a partial listing of such events being included elsewhere herein, and that any such social networking user event that is received is represented within the context of the instant disclosure. 
         [0040]    Also, in particular, in an example operation  410  that may be performed in addition to, or in association with, operation  406 , the event information may include event information indicative of a social networking user  100  posting an image, posting a status update, writing on a wall of another social network user, commenting on content posted by another social network user, or deleting content previously posted. It will be understood that a variety of social networking content events exist, with a partial listing of such events being included elsewhere herein, and that any such social networking content event that is received is represented within the context of the instant disclosure. 
         [0041]      FIG. 5  illustrates alternative embodiments of the example operational flow  300  of  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 5  illustrates example embodiments where the conferring operation  304  may include at least one additional operation. Additional operations may include operation  502 , operation  504 , operation  506 , operation  508  and/or operation  510 . 
         [0042]    At the operation  502 , the social networking user is conferred with a point value, the point value determined by a point value determinator component. For example, a point value determinator component may examine the social networking user and social networking event type and determine a point value to confer upon the social networking user. Some point values may be positive point values, and some point values may be negative point values. A point value determinator component may be one or more of a program, a lookup table, a stored procedure, a trigger, a subroutine, a module, a component, a piece of software, a service, an engine, a server, a device, a class library, a method, a function, and/or a different structure capable of and suited for implementation of a point value determinator component. The point value determinator component may be collocated with or separate from the rewards server  122 , the social network  120 , or be located at any other appropriate and suitable point in the logical configuration of the social network and rewards server. 
         [0043]    In particular, in an example operation  504  that may be performed in addition to, or in association with, operation  502 , the social networking user is conferred with a point value determined by a point value determinator component immediately upon receiving an event information. For example, the point value may be immediately determined upon receiving an event information indicative that social networking user  100  created a user profile on the social networking site  120 . 
         [0044]    Alternatively, in an example operation  506  that may be performed in addition to, or in association with, operation  502 , the social networking user is conferred with a point value determined by a point value determinator component at a future time after receiving an event information. For example, when receiving an event information indicative that social networking user  100  uploaded a picture to the social networking site  120 , the point value determinator may confer the social networking user with a point value a year after the picture has been uploaded. 
         [0045]    Alternatively, in an example operation  508  that may be performed in addition to, or in association with, operation  502 , the social networking user is conferred with a point value determined by a point value determinator component according to a hierarchy. For example, when receiving an event information indicative of social networking user  100  performing a social networking activity, the point value determinator component may determine a point value based upon a hierarchy of point values assigned to social networking events and/or user types. The hierarchy may include creating a social networking profile associated with 10 points, uploading a picture associated with 15 points, completing the social networking profile associated with 25 points, becoming an elevated type of user (for example, a user who has posted 500 or more times) associated with 30 points, and/or blocking another user being associated with −5 points. The point values may be constant for all users, or may have “accelerators” established by which users who conduct more activity receive bonus points for conducting additional activity, where, for example, a new user creating a post is associated with 10 points but an elevated user creating a post is associated with 20 points. In different embodiments, the point value hierarchy associates negative point values for affirmative activities such as uploading content and positive point values for negative activities such as removing content. In other embodiments, the point value hierarchy associates fractions of points for various activities. In different embodiments, the point value hierarchy associates points maintained in a different number base, such as a binary, octal or hexadecimal numbering system. In yet another embodiments, the point value hierarchy associates points according to a percentage, a set of point values, a vector and a magnitude, a real number and an imaginary number, or any other means of associating one or more enumerated values with an activity. 
         [0046]    Alternatively, in an example operation  510  that may be performed in addition to, or in association with, operation  502 , the social networking user is conferred with a point value determined by a point value determinator component according to a measured impact. For example, when receiving an event information indicative of social networking user  100  performing a social networking activity, the point value determinator component may determine a point value based upon an impact of the activity that is measured. The determined impact of a post created by a user may include a particular number of users commenting on the created post. Say, for example, user  100  creates a social networking post. If 3 users subsequently comment on the social networking post, the post may be associated with 10 points, but if 30 users subsequently comment on the social networking post, the post may be associated with 100 points. Or, if user  100  has 5 followers and user  102  has 50 followers, when user  100  comments on a post, the comment may be associated with 10 points, but if user  102  comments on the post, the comment may be associated with 100 points. In some embodiments, the point value determinator component may measure the impact. In different embodiments, the point value determinator component may receive a measured impact from a separate impact-measurement component, the separate impact-measurement component being operated either by the same operator, or by a third party such as Google Analytics, alexa.com or any other provider of traffic information, popularity, impact or other metrics. 
         [0047]      FIG. 6  illustrates alternative embodiments of the example operational flow  300  of  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 6  illustrates example embodiments where the conferring operation  304  and the determining operation  502  may include at least one additional operation. Additional operations may include operation  604 , operation  606 , operation  608  and/or operation  610 . 
         [0048]    At the operation  604 , the social networking user is conferred with a point value, the point value determined by a point value determinator component according to an estimated impact. For example, when receiving an event information indicative of social networking user  100  performing a social networking activity, the point value determinator component may determine a point value based upon an impact of the activity that is estimated. The estimated impact of a post created by a user may include a particular number of users predicted to comment on the created post. Say, for example, user  100  creates a social networking post. If social networking posts created by user  100  historically attract comments from 3 users, the new post may be associated with 10 points. Or, if social networking posts created by user  100  historically attract comments from 30 users, the new post may be associated with 15 points. Alternatively, if user  100  uploads a video about a non-controversial topic, such as user  100 &#39;s new lawn mower, the video may be associated with 3 points. However, if user  100  uploads a video about a topic the point value determinator component estimates to be controversial and comment-provoking, such as by comparing a video description written by the user with a topical search, the video may be associated with 30 points. 
         [0049]    At the operation  606 , the social networking user is conferred with a point value, the point value determined by a point value determinator component according to voting by other social networking users. For example, when a social networking user  100  posts a picture, the social network  120  may establish a voting scheme by which other social networking users  102  up to  10 N may vote on the picture posted by user  100 . The point value determinator component may take voting into account when determining a point value to confer on social networking user  100  for the picture. 
         [0050]    At the operation  608 , the social networking user is conferred with a point value, the point value determined by a point value determinator component according to activity by other social networking users. For example, when a social networking user  100  posts a link or otherwise shares content with other social networking users, the other social networking users may repost the link or re-share the content. The point value determinator component may confer more points on the social networking user  100  each time an additional social networking user  10 N reposts or re-shares the content. 
         [0051]    At the operation  610 , the social networking user is conferred with a negative point value. For example, when a social networking user  100  blocks another social networking  102 , such that the activity of social networking user  102  is no longer visible to social networking user  100 , the point value determinator component may confer a negative point value on at least one of social networking user  100  and/or social networking user  102 . 
         [0052]      FIG. 7  illustrates an alternative embodiment of the example operational flow  300  of  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 7  illustrates an example embodiment where the conferring operation  304 , the determining operation  502  and the conferring operation  610  may include at least one additional operation. The additional operation may be operation  702 . At the operation  702 , the social networking user is conferred with a negative point value for one or more of deleting content previously posted or blocking another social networking user. For example, the social networking user  100  may delete content from the user&#39;s profile that the user previously posted. In some embodiments, the user  100  may have been conferred points associated with the posting of content. At operation  702 , the user  100  may be conferred with a negative point value associated with the removal of the same content. It will be understood that a variety of social networking content events exist, with a partial listing of such events being included elsewhere herein, and that any such social networking content event that is received may be associated with a negative point value consistent with the context of the instant disclosure. 
         [0053]      FIG. 8  illustrates alternative embodiments of the example operation flow  300  of  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 8  illustrates example embodiments where the operational flow may have at least additional operation  806  and may further have additional operation  808 . 
         [0054]    At operation  806 , the point value is accumulated for the social networking user as a point total. For example, when a social networking user  100  creates a new status update on the social network  102 , the point value with which the social networking user  100  was conferred at operation  304  will be accumulated with point values previously conferred on the social networking user. In this manner, the social networking user accumulates both positive and negative point values associated with particular social networking event types as a point total. 
         [0055]    At operation  808 , a facilitating operation takes place, in which redemption of at least a portion of the point total of the social networking user is facilitated for at least a benefit to the social networking user. For example, at operation  808 , redemption of 1000 points accumulated by the social networking user  100  in exchange for an airline ticket is facilitated. The benefit to the social networking user for which points may be redeemed may include cash, merchandise, services, travel, credits for future system usage, credits for future usage of a different system, or anything which may have value to a social networking user. 
         [0056]      FIG. 9  illustrates a partial view of an exemplary computer program product  900  that includes a computer program  904  for executing a computer process on a computing device. An embodiment of the exemplary computer program product  900  is provided using a non-transitory computer readable medium  902 , and may include at least one of one or more instructions for receiving an event information, the event information indicative of a social networking user and a social networking event type; and one or more instructions for conferring the social networking user with a point value, the point value associated with the social networking event type. The one or more instructions may be, for example, computer executable and/or logic-implemented instructions. In one implementation, the non-transitory computer readable medium  902  may include a recordable medium  906 . In one implementation, the non-transitory computer readable medium  902  may include a communications medium  908 . In one implementation, the non-transitory computer readable medium  902  may include a signal-bearing medium  910 . 
         [0057]      FIG. 10  presents a block diagram of an exemplary environment in which the methods and systems described herein may operate. In some embodiments, a rewards server  122  and/or a rewards server  202  may be implemented as a system  1000 . In some embodiments, system  1000  may have an event component  1002 , the event component adapted for at least receiving event information indicative of a social networking user and a social networking event type. In some embodiments, system  1000  may have a point determinator component  1004 , the point determinator component being configured for at least determining a point value to confer upon a social networking user associated with a particular social networking event type. 
         [0058]    In some embodiments, system  1000  may have a database engine  1006 , the database engine providing at least storage, storage routines, and other such functions for at least event information, points, and other data and structures as described more fully elsewhere herein. In some embodiments, system  1000  may have a communication component  1008 , the communications component configured to at least receive information from a social network server  120 . 
         [0059]    In some embodiments, system  1000  may have an event impact measurement component  1010 , the event impact measurement component configured to at least measure the impact of one or more of a social networking activity and/or a social networking user. In some embodiments, system  1000  may have an event impact estimation component  1012 , the event impact measurement component configured to at least estimate the impact of one or more of a social networking activity and/or a social networking user. 
         [0060]    Those having skill in the art will recognize that the state of the art has progressed to the point where there is little distinction left between hardware and software implementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware or software is generally (but not always, in that in certain contexts the choice between hardware and software can become significant) a design choice representing cost vs. efficiency tradeoffs. Those having skill in the art will appreciate that there are various vehicles by which processes and/or systems and/or other technologies described herein can be effected (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware), and that the preferred vehicle will vary with the context in which the processes and/or systems and/or other technologies are deployed. For example, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmware vehicle; alternatively, if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly software implementation; or, yet again alternatively, the implementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. Hence, there are several possible vehicles by which the processes and/or devices and/or other technologies described herein may be effected, none of which is inherently superior to the other in that any vehicle to be utilized is a choice dependent upon the context in which the vehicle will be deployed and the specific concerns (e.g., speed, flexibility, or predictability) of the implementer, any of which may vary. Those skilled in the art will recognize that optical aspects of implementations will typically employ optically-oriented hardware, software, and/or firmware. 
         [0061]    The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood by those within the art that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment, several portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or other integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and/or firmware would be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described herein applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearing medium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable type medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a Compact Disc (CD), a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), a digital tape, a computer memory, etc.; and a transmission type medium such as a digital and/or an analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wired communications link, a wireless communication link, etc.). 
         [0062]    In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various aspects described herein which can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof can be viewed as being composed of various types of “electrical circuitry.” Consequently, as used herein “electrical circuitry” includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms of random access memory), and/or electrical circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem, communications switch, or optical-electrical equipment). Those having skill in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be implemented in an analog or digital fashion or some combination thereof. 
         [0063]    Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the art to describe devices and/or processes in the fashion set forth herein, and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such described devices and/or processes into data processing systems. That is, at least a portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be integrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those having skill in the art will recognize that a typical data processing system generally includes one or more of a system unit housing, a video display device, a memory such as volatile and non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digital signal processors, computational entities such as operating systems, drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs, one or more interaction devices, such as a touch pad or screen, and/or control systems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/or adjusting components and/or quantities). A typical data processing system may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially available components, such as those typically found in data computing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems. 
         [0064]    The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable components. 
         [0065]    While particular aspects of the present subject matter described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from the subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this subject matter described herein. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). 
         [0066]    While preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of these preferred and alternate embodiments. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6