METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING LENGTHS OF TIME FOR RETAINING MEDIA ASSETS

1 . A method for retaining media content, the method comprising:

receiving, at an account associated with a user, a media asset addressed to the user from an entity;

identifying, using processing circuitry, a class of the entity based on a comparison of the entity with a contacts list associated with the user, wherein the contacts list is stored in storage circuitry associated with the account;

cross-referencing, using the processing circuitry, the class with a database listing lengths of time for retaining content from different classes to determine a length of time to retain the media asset; and

storing the media asset in the storage circuitry for the determined length of time.

2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining an actual length of time the media asset has been stored;

comparing the actual length of time the media asset has been stored to the determined length of time; and

in response to determining that the actual length of time the media asset has been stored corresponds to the determined length of time, deleting the media asset from the storage circuitry.

3 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a keyword associated with the media asset;

comparing the keyword to a user preference for keywords; and

modifying the determined length of time based on the keyword comparison.

4 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a context associated with the media asset;

comparing the context of the media asset to a user preference for contexts of media assets; and

modifying the determined length of time based on the context comparison.

5 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a file type associated with the media asset;

comparing the file type of the media asset to a user preference for file types; and

modifying the determined length of time based on the file type comparison.

6 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a storage requirement associated with the media asset;

comparing the storage requirement of the media asset to a user preference for storage requirements; and

modifying the determined length of time based on the file type comparison.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the entity includes an advertiser, a content provider, or another user.

8 . The method of claim 1 further comprising generating for display a media asset identifier associated with the media asset on a user interface for the determined length of time.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the media asset identifier is generated for display on a social networking page associated with a user that received the media asset.

10 . The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting the determined length of time based on whether the user accesses the media asset during the determined length of time.

11 . A system for retaining media content, the system comprising:

storage circuitry configured to:

store a media asset for a length of time; and

store a database listing lengths of time for retaining content from different classes; and

processing circuitry configured to:

receive, at an account associated with a user, the media asset addressed to the user from an entity;

identify a class of the entity based on a comparison of the entity with a contacts list associated with the user, wherein the contacts list is stored in storage circuitry associated with the account; and

cross-reference the class with the database to determine the length of time to retain the media asset.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

determine an actual length of time the media asset has been stored;

compare the actual length of time the media asset has been stored to the determined length of time; and

in response to determining that the actual length of time the media asset has been stored corresponds to the determined length of time, delete the media asset from the storage circuitry.

13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

identify a keyword associated with the media asset;

compare the keyword to a user preference for keywords; and

modify the determined length of time based on the keyword comparison.

14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

identify a context associated with the media asset;

compare the context of the media asset to a user preference for contexts of media assets; and

modify the determined length of time based on the context comparison.

15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

identify a file type associated with the media asset;

compare the file type of the media asset to a user preference for file types; and

modify the determined length of time based on the file type comparison.

16 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

identify a storage requirement associated with the media asset;

compare the storage requirement of the media asset to a user preference for storage requirements; and

modify the determined length of time based on the file type comparison.

17 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the entity includes an advertiser, a content provider, or another user.

18 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate for display a media asset identifier associated with the media asset on a user interface for the determined length of time.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the media asset identifier is generated for display on a social networking page associated with a user that received the media asset.

20 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to adjust the determined length of time based on whether the user accesses the media asset during the determined length of time.

21 - 50 . (canceled)