System and Method for Media-Centric and Monetizable Social Networking

1 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining, by a computer processor and via a network, a first media content object attributed to a first user;

outputting, by the processor and via a graphical user interface display arrangement for a second user, the obtained first media content object;

receiving, by the processor, user input by interaction with the graphical user interface display arrangement; and

based on the user input, recording and transmitting over the network, a second media content object in association with the first media content object;

wherein:

the recording of the second media content object includes at least one of appending and inserting a tag selected by the user input from an inventory of tags, each of the tags linking to a respective media content object; and

the tag is associated with a posting rule that restricts media content objects to which the tag is able to be appended or into which the tag is insertable.

2 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining, by a computer processor and via a network, a first media content object attributed to a first user;

outputting, by the processor and via a graphical user interface display arrangement for a second user, the obtained first media content object;

receiving, by the processor, user input by interaction with the graphical user interface display arrangement; and

based on the user input, recording and transmitting over the network, a second media content object in association with the first media content object;

wherein:

the recording of the second media content object includes at least one of appending and inserting a tag selected by the user input from an inventory of tags, each of the tags linking to a respective media content object;

at least one of the first media content object and a post in which the first media content object is presented is associated with a posting rule that restricts which of a plurality of tags is able to be associated with the at least one of the first media content object and the post; and

the at least one of appended and inserted tag is associated with the first media content object in response to a determination that the tag satisfies the posting rule.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the rule restricts tags associable with the at least one of the first media object and the post to only tags in a tag store associated with an author of the at least one of the first media object and the post.

4 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining, by a computer processor, a tag from a store that includes a plurality of tags, the store being associated with a first user, the tag linking to a media content object; and

appending the tag, by the processor, to a post that is accessible via a network for consumption, wherein the appending is based on the association of the tag with the first user.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the post originates from an authoring by the first user, and only tags by the first user are appendible to the post.

6 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

aggregating, by a computer processor, postings authored by a plurality of users of a system and posted by the plurality of users to user pages of the system that are associated with respective users of the system; and

publishing, by the processor, a system-wide feeds page that is accessible to all users of a system, the system-wide feeds page including all of the aggregated postings.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein only those postings set as publicly available are aggregated for the system-wide feeds page.

8 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

outputting, by a computer processor, a graphical user interface (GUI) that is configured for user interaction therewith to create a post for publishing at a location accessible via a network;

wherein:

the GUI includes a list of links that are each user-selectable for insertion in the post;

each of at least one of the links is configured such that, when the respective link is inserted into the post and the post is accessed via the network, the respective link is selectable from within the post to responsively provide a media content element to which the respective link points.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the list of links is a drop-down list.

10 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining, by a computer processor and via a network, a first post that is attributed to a first user and that includes a user-selectable link to a content element arrangement;

outputting, by the processor and via a graphical user interface display arrangement for a second user, the obtained first post;

receiving, by the processor, user input by interaction with the graphical user interface arrangement to create and publish a reply post to the obtained first post; and

responsive to the user input, generating and publishing, by the processor, a reply post structure that includes the first post with the user-selectable link and the reply post with the user-selectable link, the processor automatically inserting the user-selectable link into the reply post.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the content element arrangement to which the link links varies depending on whether the link is selected from within the first post or within the reply post.

12 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

storing, by a computer processor, a link in association with a plurality of rules;

wherein:

the link is selectable in a post-authoring environment, for insertion into a post to be published at a network accessible location;

the link, subsequent to the insertion into the post, is selectable from within the post; and

the plurality of rules are configured to cause a processor to differently respond to the selection of the link from within the post, depending on a context in which the selection of the link from within the post occurs.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the responses to the selection of the link from within the post differ with respect to which of a plurality of content elements is output in response to the selection.

14 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

outputting, by a computer processor, a post that includes a link that is selectable via a first selection event to responsively cause the processor to output a media content element and that is selectable by a user via a second selection event to cause the processor to one of (a) responsively save the link to a store of links accessible by the user for insertion into a post authored by the user and (b) responsively output an option that is selectable to responsively save the link to the store of links.

15 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

obtaining, by a computer processor and via a network, a first post that is attributed to a first user;

outputting, by the processor and via a graphical user interface display arrangement for a second user, the obtained first post; and

receiving, by the processor, user input by interaction with the graphical user interface arrangement to create and publish a reply post to the obtained first post, the reply post including one of a plurality of links to media content elements;

wherein, for the creation and publishing of the reply post, the processor blocks inclusion in the published reply post of a particular link of the plurality of links based on an association of the particular link with a different user than the first user.

16 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

maintaining, by a computer processor, a first set of user profiles identifying respective users as class A users and a second set of user profiles identifying respective users as class B users; and

providing access, by the processor to users logged in via any of the first user profiles, to a graphical user interface (GUI) that is user-interactable for authoring links to content elements;

wherein:

the graphical user interface is not accessible by users logged in via any of the second user profiles; and

with respect to each of the authored links, the respective link is insertable into posts by a user logged in via the respective user profile with which the respective link was authored.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

for each of at least one of the user profiles of the first set:

storing a plurality of link group identifications in association with the respective user profile; and

storing, for each of a subset of links authored using the respective profile, an association, set using the respective user profile, between the respective link and one or more of the link group identifications;

wherein:

the link group identifications are activatable and deactivatable by a user logged in via the respective user profile with which the link group identifications are associated; and

for all links of the subset, the respective link is functional, for linking to one or more content elements to which the respective link is set to link, only when one of (a) all link group identifications with which the respective link is associated are in an activated state and (b) at least one link group identification with which the respective is associated is in an activated state, such that the linking functionality of the respective link is deactivatable even after being published in a post.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein each of the links includes a respective text string that is displayed when output in a post.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein all of the text strings include a same predefined character in a predetermined position of the respective text string.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the predetermined position is the first character position of the text string.

21 . The method of claim 16 , wherein, with respect to each of the links, visible characteristics of the respective link when output in a post consist of a text string.

22 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the GUI for authoring links includes components that are user-interactable for setting rules on use of an authored link by a user not logged in with the user profile with which the link was authored.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein one of the settable rules is whether the respective link is reusable by users who are not logged in with the profile via which the respective link was authored for inclusion in posts authored by the users who are not logged in with the profile via which the respective link was authored.

24 . The method of claim 22 , wherein one of the settable rules includes a time period during which the user not logged in with the user profile with which the link was authored is permitted to save the authored link for reuse.

25 . The method of claim 22 , wherein one of the settable rules includes a time period during which the user not logged in with the user profile with which the link was authored is permitted to reuse the authored link.

26 . The method of claim 22 , wherein one of the settable rules includes whether the user not logged in with the user profile with which the link was authored is permitted to reuse the authored link.

27 . The method of claim 22 , wherein one of the settable rules includes whether the user not logged in with the user profile with which the link was authored is permitted to save the authored link for reuse.

28 . The method of claim 22 , wherein different rules are settable regarding permissions granted to users logged in via any of the class A profiles which is not the profile with which the link was authored and permissions granted to users logged in via any of the class B profiles.

29 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the settable rules include specification of one or more contexts in which a user not logged in via the user profile with which the link was authored is permitted or not permitted to save the link for reuse.

30 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the settable rules allow for differentiation between whether or not the link is provided to the user not logged in via the user profile with which the link was authored in an original post created using the user profile with which the link was authored.

31 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the settable rules allow for prohibiting saving of the link for reuse from within a reply post to an original post, which original post was created using the user profile with which the link was authored, but allowing for saving of the link for reuse from within the original post.

32 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the settable rules allow for differentiation between which of a plurality of content providers provide a post in which the link is output to the user not logged in via the user profile with which the link was authored.

33 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the settable rules allow for permission for inclusion of the link into a post by a user not logged in via the user profile with which the link was authored to be made dependent on a type of content included in the post.

34 . The method of claim 33 , wherein text mining is used for identifying the content type of the post.

35 . The method of claim 33 , wherein image recognition is used for identifying the content type of the post.

36 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

maintaining in association with one of the user profiles of the second set of user profiles a list of links that had been authored in association with a plurality of the first set of user profiles, wherein the links of the list are selected for inclusion in the list by a user logged in via the one of the user profiles of the second set.

37 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

for each of at least one of the links:

tracking selections of the respective link by users not logged in via the respective user profile via which the respective link was authored; and

updating a record of charges to one of the respective user profile via which the respective link was authored and an account associated with the respective user profile via which the respective link was authored to include a charge for the tracked selections.

38 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

publishing, by a computer processor, a post to a location accessible via a network, the post being associated with a link to at least one media content element; and

transmitting copies of the post responsive to respective requests for the post published at the location, wherein the link is visible in only those of the copies transmitted in response to respective ones of the requests that meet predefined contextual conditions.

39 . The method of claim 38 , wherein the contextual conditions are stored in association with the link prior to association of the link with the post.

40 . The method of claim 38 , wherein the contextual conditions are stored in association with the post.

41 . The method of claim 38 , wherein at least one of the contextual conditions is stored in association with the link prior to association of the link with the post and at least one of the contextual conditions is specific to the post and not applied to other posts including the link.