Computer method and system for searching and navigating published content on a global computer network
A computer system for publishing content includes a categorization member, a rating module, a user profiling assembly and a suggested-reading engine. The categorization member enables an author-user and reader-users of an authored work to categorize content of the authored work using a fixed taxonomy, keywords, tags and/or keyword combinations. The rating module enables reader-users to rate authored works and makes a determination of quality of each authored work in the system. Rating includes reader-user response activity such as number of times the reader recommends, forwards or otherwise effectively promotes the authored work. The user profiling assembly measures words and word combinations used (written or read) by a user and generates therefrom a profile of the user. The suggested-reading engine is responsive to the rating module and provides a ranked list of suggested reading (authored works) for a user. The suggested reading is based on the user's ratings of authored works, respective relevance of authored works to the user and editorial promotion of certain articles/authored works.
1. A computer system for categorizing digital works using user-suggested keywords on a global computer network, said system comprising:
at least one server coupled through a global network to client devices, each client device associated with a user, the at least one server having:
a processor configured to execute instructions of a computer program, the computer program including instructions to, for each of a plurality of digital works:
provide the digital work to client devices together with a form for accepting user-suggested keywords for the work,
accept one or more user-suggested keywords,
compile the one or more user-suggested keywords into a set of user-suggested keywords, and
determine, for each of the one or more user-suggested keywords, a count of users that submitted each keyword; and
a searchable database storing:
the plurality of digital works, and
an index comprising categorization tables associated with each of the plurality of digital works, each respective categorization table storing:
a set of navigational keywords for the digital work,
the set of user-suggested keywords for the digital work, and
the count of users that submitted each of the user-suggested keywords;
the processor further configured to execute the computer program, the computer program further including instructions to:
without further human intervention and for each respective categorization table, add at least some of the user-suggested keywords for the digital work to the set of navigational keywords for the associated digital work, based on the count of users that submitted each of the user-suggested keywords, thereby generating an updated set of navigational keywords, and resulting in an updated index; and
in response to a request from one of the client devices:
perform a search of the searchable database using search terms received from the client device and the updated index; and
return search results to the client device.
2. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 , the computer program further including instructions to:
display a hierarchy or cascade of at least some of the keywords in the updated set of navigational keywords of a given digital work in a manner that enables users to select any level of the hierarchy or cascade; and
in response to user selection of a level of the hierarchy or cascade, enable display of additional digital works with associated categorization tables having navigational keywords matching the navigational keywords in the selected level of the hierarchy or cascade.
3. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 , the computer program further including instructions to display in rank order the navigational keywords assigned to the digital work.
4. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 , the computer program further including instructions to, for each digital work:
obtain at least some of the user-suggested keywords from a user responsible for creating the respective digital work or submitting the respective digital work to the searchable database.
5. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 , the categorization table for each digital work further including a geographical categorization.
6. A computer system as claimed in claim 5 , the geographical categorization including common geographic boundaries, culturally expressed boundaries, distances from a certain location, a user's hometown, a user's current location or a user's areas of frequent travel.
7. A computer system as claimed in claim 6 , computer program further including instructions to: automatically provide a list of geographical categorizations in total or in part.
8. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 , the categorization table for each digital work further including a demographic categorization, the demographic categorization referring to demographics of a target audience of the respective digital work.
9. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 , the categorization table for each digital work further including a maturity level categorization.
10. A computer system as claimed in claim 9 , computer program further including instructions to perform the search of the searchable database at least partially based on maturity level categorization.
11. A computer system as claimed in claim 1 , the computer program further including instructions to display a given digital work and one or more keywords in the updated set of navigational keywords for the given digital work.
12. A computer system as claimed in claim 11 , the computer program further including instructions to:
in response to a user selecting one of the displayed navigational keywords, perform a search of the searchable database by matching the selected displayed navigational keyword with the navigational keywords in categorization tables associated with other digital works, resulting in search results.
13. A computer system as claimed in claim 12 , the computer program further including instructions to:
return and display a list of other navigational keywords, the other navigational keywords being navigational keywords of the categorization tables associated with the other digital works in the search results.
14. A computer system as claimed in claim 13 , the computer program further including instructions to:
narrow or adjust the search results in response to the user operating on one of the other navigational keywords.
15. A computer method for categorizing digital works using user-suggested keywords on a global computer network, said method comprising:
storing, in a searchable database, a plurality of digital works, and an index comprising categorization tables associated with each of the plurality of digital works, each respective categorization table storing:
a set of navigational keywords for the digital work,
a set of user-suggested keywords for the digital work, and
a count of user that submitted each of the user-suggested keywords;
for each of the plurality of digital works:
providing, to client devices associated with a respective user, the digital work with a form for accepting user-suggested keywords for the digital work,
accepting one or more user-suggested keywords,
compiling the one or more user-suggested keywords into the set of user-suggested keywords, and
determining, for each of the one or more user-suggested keywords, the count of users that submitted each keyword;
without further human intervention and for each respective categorization table, adding at least some of the user-suggested keywords for the digital work to the set of navigational keywords for the associated digital work, based on the count of users that submitted each of the user-suggested keywords, thereby generating an updated set of navigational keywords, and resulting in an updated index; and
in response to a request from one of the client devices:
performing a search of the searchable database using search terms received from the client device and the updated index; and
returning search results to the client device.
16. A computer method as claimed in claim 15 , the categorization table for each digital work further including a geographical categorization and a demographic categorization.
17. A computer method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising:
providing to users on-line reading access to the plurality of digital works, different digital works having different respective authors; and
enabling a respective author to designate which users are allowed to view the digital work.
18. A computer method as claimed in claim 15 further comprising:
for each digital work, (i) obtaining ratings from each user that views the digital work and (ii) making a determination of quality of the digital work based on the obtained ratings across users, the ratings being in multiple rating areas and include actions taken on that digital work by a user.
19. A computer method as claimed in claim 18 , the determination of quality being further based on an average rating across all users that viewed the a digital work to determine quality of the digital work.
20. A computer method as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising rating an author of a given digital work within a taxonomical category or within a keyword combination based on average rating of digital works by that author.
21. A computer method claimed in claim 18 , the obtained ratings including ratings from experts in addition to or instead of users wherein one or more experts are allowed to promote the digital work.
22. A computer method as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising determining popularity of an digital work based on any combination of how many times the digital work is read, bookmarked, forwarded, recommended among users, commented on and subscribed to.
23. A computer method as claimed in claim 22 , further comprising ranking authors or digital works by popularity within taxonomical categories and within keyword combinations.
24. A computer method as claimed in claim 22 , the popularity of an author being determined based on average popularity of the author's respective digital works.
25. A computer method as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising counting a number of times that the given user recommends the digital work to other users.
26. A computer method as claimed in claim 18 , further comprising generating a ranked list of suggested digital works for a user based on at least one of users ratings of digital works, experts ratings of digital works, respective relevance of digital works to the user, and editorial promotion of certain digital works.
27. A computer method as claimed in claim 26 , further comprising adjusting the list of suggested digital works with respect to (i) all digital works of the system, (ii) digital works within one taxonomical category, (iii) digital works of one keyword or keyword combination, (iv) digital works by a certain user, or (v) a user-selected subset of digital works.
28. A computer method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising:
for a given user, generating a ranked list of suggested reading based on digital works viewed by one or more other users each having a respective profile similar to the profile of the given user.
29. A computer method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising measuring (i) words and word combinations an user uses, and (ii) words and word combinations a user reads, and
generating a profile of a user based on said measured words and word combinations.
30. A computer method as claimed in claim 29 , further comprising generating a list of suggested reading for the user based on digital works viewed by one or more other users each having a respective profile similar to the profile of the user.
31. A computer method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising:
displaying a given digital work and one or more navigational keywords in the updated set of navigational keywords for the digital work.
32. A computer method as claimed in claim 31 , further comprising:
in response to a user selecting one of the displayed navigational keywords, perform a search of the searchable database by matching the selected displayed navigational keyword with the navigational keywords in categorization tables associated with other digital works, resulting in search results.
33. A computer method as claimed in claim 32 , further comprising:
returning and displaying a list of other navigational keywords, the other navigational keywords being navigational keywords of the categorization tables associated with the other digital works in the search results.
34. A computer method as claimed in claim 33 , further comprising:
narrowing or adjusting the search results in response to the user operating on one of the other navigational keywords.