Selectively Providing Locations of Users Based on Notification Rules in a Social Network

1 . A computer accessible non-transitory memory medium comprising program instructions for providing location information to a first user, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

receive location information of each of a plurality of second users, wherein the location information of each of the plurality of second users is received over a wide area network, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user;

store first information corresponding to the first user, wherein the first information regards desired notification of location of one or more of the plurality of second users; and

selectively provide the location information of one or more of the plurality of second users to the first user based on the received location information of the plurality of second users and the first information.

2 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein said selectively providing the location information is performed periodically, wherein a period of said selectively providing is based on a stored notification parameter.

3 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein said selectively providing the location information to the first user comprises selectively providing the location information over the wide area network to a communication device the first user.

4 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 3 ,

wherein said selectively providing the location information to the first user is configured to generate an alert on the communication device of the first user.

5 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises information regarding when to provide the location information to the first user.

6 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises information regarding, for a particular second user, when to provide the location information of the particular second user to the first user.

7 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises information regarding, for a particular group of second users, when to provide the location information of the particular group of second users to the first user.

8 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises information for selective provision of the location information based on a location of the first user.

9 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises information regarding, for a particular second user, provision of the location information of the particular second user to the first user based on the location of the second user.

10 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises information regarding, for a particular group of second users, provision of the location information of the particular group of second users to the first user based on the location of the particular group of second users.

11 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises second information regarding when to provide the location information to the first user;

wherein said selectively providing is performed at a time based on the second information.

12 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises second information regarding, for a particular second user, when to provide the location information of the particular second user to the first user;

wherein said selectively providing provides the location information of the particular second user to the first user at a time based on the second information.

13 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises second information regarding, for a particular group of second users, when to provide the location information of the particular group of second users to the first user;

wherein said selectively providing provides the location information of the particular group of second users to the first user at a time based on the second information.

14 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises information for selective provision of the location information based on a location of the first user;

wherein said selectively providing is performed based on the location of the first user.

15 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises information regarding, for a particular second user, provision of the location information of the particular second user to the first user based on the location of the second user;

wherein said selectively providing comprises providing the location information of the particular second user based on the location of the second user.

16 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises second information regarding, for a particular group of second users, provision of the location information of the particular group of second users to the first user based on the location of the particular group of second users;

wherein said selectively providing comprises providing the location information of one or more second users of the particular group of second users based on the second information.

17 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises a specification of a time period during which the location information can be shared.

18 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises a specification of geographic restrictions on the notification of the location information.

19 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises specification of a proximity restriction on the notification of the location information.

20 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the first information comprises a specification of one or more location labels for use in the location information.

21 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the at least a subset of the location information provided to the first user comprises one or more location labels for display on the client device display, wherein each of the one or more location labels identifies a location where a respective one of the plurality of second users is located.

22 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

examine constraint information corresponding to at least one of the plurality of second users;

wherein the program instructions are executable to selectively provide the at least a subset of the location information based on the constraint information.

23 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the program instructions execute as part of a social networking service.

24 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein the program instructions execute as part of a social networking website.

25 . A method for providing location information to a first user, the method comprising:

receiving location information of each of a plurality of second users, wherein the location information of each of the plurality of second users is received over a wide area network, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user;

storing notification information corresponding to the first user, wherein the notification information regards desired notification of location of one or more of the plurality of second users; and

selectively providing second location information to the first user based on the received location information of the plurality of second users and the notification information.

26 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein said selectively providing location information is performed periodically, wherein a period of said selectively providing is based on a stored notification parameter.

27 . The method of claim 26 ,

wherein said selectively providing second location information to the first user comprises selectively providing the second location information over the wide area network to a communication device of the first user.

28 . The method of claim 27 ,

wherein said selectively providing second location information to the communication device of first user is configured to generate an alert on the communication device of the first user.

29 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the notification information comprises information regarding when to provide the second location information to the first user.

30 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the notification information comprises information regarding, for a particular second user, when to provide the location information of the particular second user to the first user.

31 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the notification information comprises information regarding, for a particular group of second users, when to provide the location information of the particular group of second users to the first user.

32 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the notification information comprises information for selective provision of the second location information based on a location of the first user.

33 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the notification information comprises information regarding, for a particular second user, provision of the location information of the particular second user to the first user based on the location of the second user.

34 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the notification information comprises information regarding, for a particular group of second users, provision of the location information of the particular group of second users to the first user based on the location of the particular group of second users.

35 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the notification information comprises a specification of a time period during which the location information can be shared.

36 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the notification information comprises a specification of geographic restrictions on the notification of the location information.

37 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the notification information comprises specification of a proximity restriction on the notification of the location information.

38 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the notification information comprises a specification of one or more location labels for use in the location information.

39 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the at least a subset of the location information provided to the first user comprises one or more location labels for display on the client device display, wherein each of the one or more location labels identifies a location where a respective one of the plurality of second users is located.

40 . The method of claim 25 , further comprising:

examining constraint information corresponding to at least one of the plurality of second users;

wherein said selectively providing comprises selectively providing the at least a subset of the location information based on the constraint information.

41 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the method is implemented as part of a social networking service.

42 . The method of claim 25 ,

wherein the method is implemented as part of a social networking website.

43 . A system for providing location information to a first user, the system comprising:

a network port for coupling to a wide area network;

a processor;

a non-transitory memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the non-transitory memory medium comprises program instructions for providing location information to the first user, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

receive location information of each of a plurality of second users, wherein the location information of each of the plurality of second users is received over a wide area network, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user;

store notification information corresponding to the first user, wherein the notification information regards desired notification of location of one or more of the plurality of second users; and

selectively provide second location information to the first user based on the received location information of the plurality of second users and the notification information.

44 . A system for providing location information to a first user, the system comprising:

a network port for coupling to a wide area network;

a processor;

a non-transitory memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the non-transitory memory medium comprises program instructions for providing location information to the first user, wherein the program instructions comprise:

a location detection module executable to receive location information of each of a plurality of second users, wherein the location information of each of the plurality of second users is received over a wide area network, wherein the plurality of second users are associated with the first user; and

a friend list management module executable to: 1) store notification information corresponding to the first user, wherein the notification information regards desired notification of location of one or more of the plurality of second users;

and 2) selectively provide second location information to the first user based on the received location information of the plurality of second users and the notification information.

45 . A computer accessible non-transitory memory medium comprising program instructions for managing location information provided to a first user, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

store first information of a first user, wherein the first information regards desired notification of location of one or more of a plurality of second users;

selectively present second location information to the first user based on location information of the plurality of second users and the first information.

46 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein the first information comprises information regarding when to present the second location information to the first user.

47 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein the first information comprises information regarding, for a particular second user, when to present the location information of the particular second user to the first user.

48 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein the first information comprises information regarding, for a particular group of second users, when to present the location information of the particular group of second users to the first user.

49 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein the first information comprises information for selective presentation of the second location information based on a location of the first user.

50 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein the first information comprises information regarding, for a particular second user, presentation of the location information of the particular second user to the first user based on the location of the second user.

51 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein the first information comprises information regarding, for a particular group of second users, presentation of the location information of the particular group of second users to the first user based on the location of the particular group of second users.

52 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein said selectively presenting location information is performed periodically, wherein a period of said selectively presenting is based on a stored notification parameter.

53 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein said selectively presenting comprises receiving the second location information over the wide area network based on location information of the plurality of second users and the first information.

54 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein said selectively presenting second location information to the first user comprises generating an alert on the communication device of the first user.

55 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein the first information comprises a specification of a time period during which the location information can be shared.

56 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein the first information comprises a specification of geographic restrictions on the notification of the location information.

57 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein the first information comprises specification of a proximity restriction on the notification of the location information.

58 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein the first information comprises a specification of one or more location labels for use in the location information.

59 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein the at least a subset of the location information presented to the first user comprises one or more location labels for display on the client device display, wherein each of the one or more location labels identifies a location where a respective one of the plurality of second users is located.

60 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

examine constraint information corresponding to at least one of the plurality of second users;

wherein the program instructions are executable to selectively present the at least a subset of the location information based on the constraint information.

61 . The computer accessible non-transitory memory medium of claim 45 ,

wherein the program instructions execute as part of a social networking service.

62 . A computer accessible non-transitory memory medium comprising program instructions for managing location information provided to a first user, wherein the program instructions are executable to:

receive location information of a plurality of second users, wherein the location information is provided based on notification information entered by a first user, wherein the notification information regards desired notification of location of one or more of the plurality of second users; and

present the received location information on a display to indicate locations of the plurality of second users to the first user;

wherein the program instructions implement a portion of a social networking service.