Patent ID: 8166069

Claim:
A method comprising: storing, via a computing device, a selected relationship between a publishing user in a social network and a receiving user in the social network, wherein the selected relationship indicates a degree of a personal relationship between the publishing user and the receiving user in the social network, the selected relationship based on portal behaviors that are tracked as they occur outside of the social network separate from interactions with any other user and social network behaviors within the social network for both the receiving user and the publishing user; storing, via the computing device, a required relationship between the publishing user and the receiving user, wherein the required relationship is needed to make an electronic content update accessible to the receiving user; detecting, via the computing device, an instruction from the publishing user to make available the electronic content update, which is associated with the publishing user; and enabling, via the computing device, the receiving user to access the electronic content update if the selected relationship comprises the required relationship.