Determining criteria for selecting target audience for content

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing, by an online system, a set of user profiles describing users of the online system, each user profile comprising one or more user attributes describing a user;

receiving, by the online system, information identifying an input content item for sending to users of the online system;

configuring a first user interface to a client device, the first user interface configured to receive a target audience criteria for selecting users for receiving the input content item, the first user interface comprising a widget for mapping a user attribute to a set of values;

sending the first user interface to the client device;

receiving, via the first user interface a target audience criteria;

identifying one or more content attributes describing the input content item;

determining a plurality of subsets of values of the user attribute, each subset of values associated with a set of users having a value from the subset of values for the user attribute;

configuring a second user interface comprising a plurality of widgets, each widget associated with a subset of values of the user attribute, the second user interface displaying in connection with the widget, a measure of interest of users of the subset of users in the input content item, wherein the measure of interest is determined as a value inversely related to the number of past interactions with a matching content item indicating a dislike towards the matching content item, wherein the matching content item has content attributes matching content attributes of the input content item;

sending the second user interface to the client device;

receiving, via one or more widgets from the plurality of widgets of the second user interface, a selection of a subset of values;

determining a modified target audience criteria based on the selected subset of values; and

distributing the input content item to users selected based on the modified target audience criteria.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying one or more matching content items that have content attributes matching content attributes of the input content item, and

wherein determining the measure of interests of users of the subset of users in the input content item is based on past interactions of users of the subset with the one or more matching content items.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein an interaction indicating dislike of a user towards a content item comprises:

the user flagging the content item as inappropriate, or

the user hiding the content item.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein:

determining the measure of interest of the users comprises determining a measure of likelihood of interaction of the users with the input content item as a value directly proportionate to the number of past interactions with a matching content item, indicating an affinity towards the matching content item.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein past interactions of a user with an identified content item, indicating an affinity towards the matching content item, comprise one or more of:

the user liking the matching content item,

the user commenting on the matching content item,

the user recommending the matching content item,

the user forwarding the matching content item, or

the user performing a financial transaction associated with the matching content item.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a content attribute of the input content item describes metadata associated with the input content item.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a content attribute of the content item describes a user who uploaded the content item.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a content attribute of the content item describes a category of an activity presented in the content.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a content attribute of the content item describes a category of an object presented in the content.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a content attribute of the content item describes a topic based on keywords associated with the content.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a content attribute of the content item describes a content provider of the content.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein a content attribute of the content item is based on other content from the content provider.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein a content attribute of the content item is based on another content provider matching the content provider.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content is sponsored by a content provider.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions for:

storing, by an online system, a set of user profiles describing users of the online system, each user profile comprising one or more user attributes describing a user;

receiving, by the online system, information identifying an input content item for sending to users of the online system;

configuring a first user interface to a client device, the first user interface configured to receive a target audience criteria for selecting users for receiving the input content item, the first user interface comprising a widget for mapping a user attribute to a set of values;

sending the first user interface to the client device;

receiving, via the first user interface a target audience criteria;

identifying one or more content attributes describing the input content item;

determining a plurality of subsets of values of the user attribute, each subset of values associated with a set of users having a value from the subset of values for the user attribute;

configuring a second user interface comprising a plurality of widgets, each widget associated with a subset of values of the user attribute, the second user interface displaying in connection with the widget, a measure of interest of users of the subset of users in the input content item, wherein the measure of interest is determined as a value inversely related to the number of past interactions with a matching content item indicating a dislike towards the matching content item, wherein the matching content item has content attributes matching content attributes of the input content item;

sending the second user interface to the client device;

receiving, via one or more widgets from the plurality of widgets of the second user interface, a selection of a subset of values;

determining a modified target audience criteria based on the selected subset of values; and

distributing the input content item to users selected based on the modified target audience criteria.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , further storing instructions for:

identifying one or more matching content items that have content attributes matching content attributes of the input content item; and

determining the measure of interests of users the subset of users in the input content item is based on past interactions of users of the subset with the one or more matching content items.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein an interaction indicating dislike of a user towards a content item comprises:

the user flagging the content item as inappropriate, or

the user hiding the content item.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , further storing instructions for:

determining a measure of interest of the users comprises determining a measure of likelihood of interaction of the users with the input content item as a value directly proportionate to the number of past interactions with a matching content item indicating an affinity towards the matching content item.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein a content attribute of the content item describes one or more of:

a user who uploaded the content item,

a category of an activity presented in the content,

a category of an object presented in the content, or

a topic based on keywords associated with the content.

20. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing, by an online system, a set of user profiles describing users of the online system, each user profile comprising one or more user attributes describing a user;

receiving, by the online system, information identifying an input content item for sending to users of the online system;

configuring a first user interface to a client device, the first user interface configured to receive a target audience criteria for selecting users for receiving the input content item, the first user interface comprising a widget for mapping a user attribute to a set of values;

sending the first user interface to the client device;

receiving, via the first user interface a target audience criteria;

identifying one or more content attributes describing the input content item;

determining a plurality of subsets of values of the user attribute, each subset of values associated with a set of users having a value from the subset of values for the user attribute;

configuring a second user interface comprising a plurality of widgets, each widget associated with a subset of values of the user attribute, the second user interface displaying in connection with the widget, a measure of interest of users of the subset of users in the input content item, wherein the measure of interest is determined as a value inversely related to the number of past interactions with a matching content item indicating a dislike towards the matching content item, wherein the matching content item has content attributes matching content attributes of the input content item;

sending the second user interface to the client device;

receiving, via one or more widgets from the plurality of widgets of the second user interface, a selection of a subset of values; and

recommending a modified target audience criteria based on the selected subset of values, wherein the modified target audience criteria is used for distributing the input content item to users that satisfy the modified targeting criteria.