Patent ID: 8549073

Claim:
A method of aggregating social networking data comprising: sending a first social networking application to a user terminal from an application service in response to a request from the user terminal, the request made at a first social networking service; receiving first authentication information for the first social networking service, the first authentication information allowing access to information in a first user account and being received, over a communications network, from the first social networking application, the first social networking application receiving the authentication information from the first social networking service; sending a second social networking application from the application service in response to a request made at a second social networking service, the second social networking application being different than the first social networking application; receiving second authentication information for the second social networking service, the second authentication information allowing access to information in a second user account and being received, over the communications network, from the second social networking application, the second social networking application receiving the authentication information from the second social networking service; requesting, over the communications network, first information regarding the first user account from the first social networking service using the first authentication information; receiving, over the communications network, the first information regarding the first user account from the first social networking service and storing the received first information; requesting, over the communications network, second information regarding the second user account from the second social networking service using the second authentication information; receiving, over the communications network, the second information regarding the second user account from the second social networking service and storing the received second information; determining that the first and second accounts belong to a common user based on one or more common information items in the first and second information; responsive to determining that the first and second accounts belong to the common user, creating an association with the first and second information in a data-store; receiving a request from the first social networking application for information on the common user; and responsive to receiving the request, sending at least a portion of the first and second information to the first social networking application, wherein the application service is a different network service than the first and second social networking services.