WEB-BASED SYSTEM FOR PUBLISHING OWNER CONFIGURABLE WEB SITES
A web-based system allows for publishing a website with features and access configured on a user-by-user basis by the website owner to present personal data as well as social network feeds in a single interface. The website owner can update and manage his/her social media from the same page, as well as organize private data if desired. The system includes a messaging function, in accordance with which users can drop a message into the message service of a site owner, and it gets delivered to the site owner in exactly the manner specified by the site owner.
1 . A web-based system for publishing a website comprising:
a configurable web server;
a communications link between the configurable web server and a network;
user access hardware;
a communications link between the user access hardware and the network;
owner website data on the configurable web server;
software executing on the configurable web server for providing permitted users with access to the owner website;
the owner website providing the permitted users with access to functions of other websites on a per-function and per-permitted user basis.
2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising
user setup hardware;
a communications link between the user setup hardware and the network;
software executing on the user setup hardware to provide user setup data for the owner website from a user to the configurable web server.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the user setup data comprises one or more of owner website account data; owner website revision data; owner website function selection data; owner website function access control data; and owner website status update data.
4 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
software executing on the user access hardware for transmitting an authentication to the configurable web server;
software executing on the configurable web server for displaying on the owner website a selection of other websites in response to the authentication;
software executing on the user access hardware to accept a user choice from among the selection of other websites and to transmit the choice to the configurable web server;
software executing on the configurable web server for displaying on the owner website a selection of functions accessible to the user for the chosen website;
software executing on the user access hardware to accept a user choice from among the selection of functions and to transmit the choice to the configurable web server;
software executing on the configurable web server for providing access to and displaying the chosen function to the user.
5 . A method of publishing a website comprising the steps of:
providing a configurable web server connected to a network;
receiving user setup data from user setup hardware with the configurable web server over the network;
receiving an authentication from user access hardware with the configurable web server over the network;
in response, transmitting from the configurable web server to the user access hardware over the network data identifying websites with functions accessible to a user;
receiving a selection from the user access hardware of a website from the data identifying websites with functions accessible to the user with the configurable web server over the network;
in response, transmitting from the configurable web server to the user access hardware over the network data identifying functions accessible to a user;
in response, transmitting from the configurable web server to the user access hardware over the network data identifying functions accessible to a user for the selected website;
receiving a selection from the user access hardware of a function from the data identifying functions accessible to the user with the configurable web server over the network; and
in response, transmitting from the configurable web server to the user access hardware over the network data relating to the selected function of the selected website.
6 . A web-based system for publishing a website comprising:
a web server accessible over a network, said web server having a processor;
a database of functions for use by said web server to retrieve and display third-party data on a website;
a database of website data including, on an owner-by-owner basis, a list of functions from said function database to be included on each of a plurality of websites and a list of users permitted to view the third-party data from each of the included functions on each of the plurality of websites; and
software executing on the processor for receiving a viewer authentication and for creating a page of one of the plurality of the websites for display to the viewer, the page including a portion for display of permitted ones of the plurality of websites, a portion for display of permitted functions on the selected website, and a portion for display of the third-party data from the selected function.
7 . The system of claim 6 wherein the page includes an indication of the website selected by the viewer.
8 . The system of claim 7 wherein the page includes an indication of the function selected by the viewer.
9 . The system of claim 8 wherein functions available to the viewer on the website other than the selected function are displayed as a scroll.
10 . The system of claim 7 wherein websites available to the viewer other than the selected website are displayed on a scroll.
11 . The system of claim 6 wherein the page is designed for use on a touch screen such that content selections are primarily made using graphical links instead of textual links.
12 . The system of claim 11 wherein the graphical links include text labels.
13 . The system of claim 6 wherein the page includes a link for quickly taking the viewer to the viewer's own home website on the system for updating the content of the viewer's own home website.
14 . The system of claim 13 wherein the updated content includes social media.
15 . The system of claim 6 wherein the functions include a secondary authentication to a third-party webserver and wherein the third-party data displayed on the website is retrieved from the third-party webserver using the secondary authentication.
16 . The system of claim 6 further comprising a third-party application programming interface (API) and wherein the third-party data is retrieved for display on the page using the third-party API.
17 . The system of claim 6 further comprising a website API for use by a third-party to create third-party functions.
18 . The system of claim 17 wherein said web server offers the third-party functions for use by owners on websites.
19 . The system of claim 18 wherein said web server charges a fee for use of the third-party functions on owner websites.
20 . The system of claim 19 wherein at least a portion of the fee is paid to the third-party.