Patent ID: 8719255

Claim:
A method, comprising: detecting content request traffic including a plurality of individual content requests directed to a content source, wherein each given one of the individual content requests corresponds to a respective referrer from which the given individual content request originated, such that each given one of the individual content requests corresponds to a respective path from a respective referrer to the content source, and wherein detecting content request traffic includes receiving a report of a content request from said content source via a web services interface; for a plurality of distinct paths from respective referrers to the content source, determining a respective time rate of change of said content request traffic along each of said distinct paths, wherein said time rate of change of said content request traffic is indicative of a change in said content request traffic per unit of time, and wherein determining said time rate of change comprises numerically computing a derivative of said content request traffic with respect to time; for each of the distinct paths, determining a respective indication of content interest, wherein said indication is dependent upon said time rate of change of said content request traffic along a corresponding one of the distinct paths; and storing said indications of content interest associated with the distinct paths on a computer-accessible medium; wherein each of said detecting content request traffic, said determining a respective time rate of change, said determining a respective indication of content interest, and said storing said indications of content interest is performed by one or more computer systems.