Promoting participation of low-activity users in social networking system
View Patent ↗Method or system for allowing a social networking system to retain users of a social networking system by identifying low-activity users who are likely to become inactive/dormant users and prompting users to initiate interactions with the low-activity users. The low-activity users are identified by monitoring activities and interactions of the users via the social networking system. If the pattern of activities and interactions satisfy one or more criteria, a computer device for providing the social networking system initiates an intervention scheme where users are induced to initiate interactions with the low-activity users. In response to the interactions, the low-activity users are likely to resume interactions via the social networking system.
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
maintaining a plurality of connections for a user of a social networking system;
receiving a request for a page of information from the user;
identifying a low-activity user among the user's connections based on a level of activity in the social networking system of the low-activity user;
generating a recommendation for the user to interact with the low-activity user in the social networking system; and
sending the recommendation to the user for display.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the recommendation is based on at least one of (i) information of the low-activity user maintained in the social networking system, (ii) whether the recommendation was previously made or acted upon by one or more users connected to the low-activity user, and (iii) information about the low-activity user's activities.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the recommendation excluding a type of interaction responsive to a number of times that the type of interaction was taken by other users connected to the low-activity user exceeds a threshold number of times.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sending the recommendation comprises sending data for one or more user interface elements, each user interface element representing an action for interacting with the low-activity user; and responsive to the user selecting one of the user interface elements, initiating an action related to the selected user interface element.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the recommendation comprises determining a degree of affinity between the user and the user's connections including the low-activity user.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the recommendation comprises determining statistical data related to a frequency that a type of action was recommended to the low-activity user by other users of the social networking system.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recommendation comprises at least one of (i) writing or posting information related to the low-activity user, (ii) introducing another user with whom the low-activity user may form a connection in the social networking system, (iii) suggesting updating of a user profile of the low-activity user, (iv) sending a message to the low-activity user, and (v) sending a gift item to the low-activity user.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the recommendation comprises, responsive to the low-activity user having a number of connections exceeding a threshold, at least one of (i) writing or posting information related to the low-activity user, (ii) suggesting updating of a user profile of the low-activity user, (iii) sending a message to the low-activity user, and (iv) sending a gift item to the low-activity user.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recommendation is selected based on likelihood that the user will act on the recommendation.
10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for providing a social networking system, the instructions when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
maintain a plurality of connections for a user of a social networking system;
receive a request for a page of information from the user;
identify a low-activity user among the user's connections based on a level of activity in the social networking system of the low-activity user;
generate a recommendation for the user to interact with the identified low-activity user in the social networking system; and
send the recommendation to the user for display.
11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the recommendation is based on at least one of (i) information of the low-activity user maintained in the social networking system, (ii) whether the recommendation was previously recommended or acted upon by other users connected to the low-activity user, and (iii) information provided by the low-activity user.
12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the recommendation excluding a type of interaction responsive to a number of times that the type of interaction was taken by other users connected to the low-activity user exceeds a threshold number of times.
13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein instructions to:
send data for one or more user interface elements, each user interface element representing an action for interacting with the low-activity user; and
responsive to the user selecting one of the user interface elements, initiate an action related to the selected user interface element.
14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein instructions to generate the recommendation comprising instructions causing the processor to determine a degree of affinity between the user and the user's connections.
15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions to generate the recommendation comprises instructions for determining statistical data related to a frequency that a type of action was recommended to the low-activity user by other users of the social networking system.
16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the recommendation comprises at least one of (i) writing or posting information related to the low-activity user, (ii) introducing another user with whom the low-activity user may form a connection in the social networking system, (iii) suggesting updating of a user profile of the low-activity user, (iv) sending a message to the low-activity user, and (v) sending a gift item to the low-activity user.
17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the recommendation, responsive to the low-activity user having a number of connections exceeding a threshold, comprising at least one of (i) writing or posting information related to the low-activity user, (ii) suggesting updating of a user profile of the low-activity user, (iii) sending a message to the low-activity user, and (iv) sending a gift item to the low-activity user.
18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the recommendation is selected based on likelihood that the user will act on the recommendation.
19. A computing device for providing a social networking system, comprising, comprising:
a processor;
a database configured to maintain a plurality of connections for a user of a social networking system;
a user activity monitor configured to identify a low-activity user among the user's connections based on a level of activity in the social networking system of the low-activity user;
an action recommendation module configured to generate a recommendation for the user to interact with the low-activity user in the social networking system; and
a communication module configured to:
receive a request for a page of information from the user; and
send the recommendation to the user for display.
20. The computing device of claim 19 , wherein the action recommendation module is configured to generate the recommendation based on at least one of (i) information of the low-activity user maintained in the social networking system, (ii) whether the recommendation was previously made or acted upon by one or more users connected to the low-activity user and (iii) information about the low-activity user's activities.