Slideshows in Search
Techniques are provided to allow users to access interested information without performing engaging searches. A content-providing system may track collective interests of a large set of users and/or individual interests of a user. User-selectable items may be presented to the user directly without the user performing searches. Some of the user-selectable items may be associated with slideshows that are, for example, pre-deposited or curated to provide interesting information relating to these user-selectable items. The user may easily access a slideshow and the content therein using easily comprehensible controls presented on a display page.
1 . A method comprising:
selecting two or more terms from a plurality of terms based on usage frequencies of the two or more terms, wherein the usage frequencies of the two or more terms are based on usage by a set of users;
wherein the two or more terms include a particular term;
after the particular term has been selected based on usage frequency, automatically assembling a slideshow related to the particular term;
wherein automatically assembling the slideshow includes:
obtaining a set of primary materials from a plurality of distinct sources;
selecting, from the set of primary materials, examples of imagery related to the particular term;
creating captions for the examples of imagery; and
assembling the selected examples of imagery, and the captions created for the examples of imagery, into the slideshow;
causing to be displayed, in a first display page, to a user, a first set of two or more user-selectable links which, when activated, cause retrieval of content that relates to the two or more selected terms;
wherein the two or more user-selectable links includes a particular user-selectable link which, when activated, causes retrieval of content that relates to the particular term;
receiving an indication of selection, by the user, of the particular user-selectable link of the two or more user-selectable links;
in response to the indication of selection the particular user-selectable link, causing concurrent display, in the first display page, of:
the slideshow, wherein the slideshow comprises a sequence of content items and a navigation mechanism by which to navigate from a content item in the sequence to a next content item in the sequence;
the first set of two or more user-selectable links; and
search results related to at least one of (a) the slideshow, or (b) a current content item of the slideshow;
wherein a computer system performs each step of the method.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein causing concurrent display of the slideshow includes:
causing the first set of two or more user-selectable links to be displayed on a first display portion of the first display page;
causing imagery data of an initial content item in the slideshow to be displayed on a second display portion of the first display page;
causing a caption and a text passage explaining the imagery data to be displayed on a third display portion of the first display page; and
causing one or more controls, by which to navigate through all content items in the slideshow, to be presented.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the imagery data is one or more of videos, still photographic images, artworks or cartoons.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first display page is a webpage served by a website and wherein the two or more user-selectable links are presented as a group of textual terms on a webpage.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more user-selectable links are selected and ranked for the user based in part on a user profile associated with the user.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the user profile comprises information derived from prior visits to webpages by the user.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the slideshow is stored in a repository and is accessible by any user of the set of users.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the slideshow is stored in a repository and is accessible by an external operator.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the slideshow comprises one or more advertisements.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one content item, or information therein, in the slideshow is edited by a curator and wherein the curator is authorized to edit content provided on display pages of an operator that causes the slideshow to be displayed to the user.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the slideshow is associated with the particular term only and is not specifically associated with any user.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more terms are not inputted by the user.
13 . A system comprising:
front-end servers executing on a first set of one or more computing devices;
back-end servers executing on a second set of one or more computing devices;
wherein the front-end servers provide display pages to users;
wherein the back-end servers provide content to the front-end servers upon request;
wherein the front-end servers select two or more terms from a plurality of terms based on usage frequencies of the two or more terms by a set of users;
wherein the two or more terms include a particular term;
after the particular term has been selected based on usage frequency, automatically assembling a slideshow related to the particular term;
wherein automatically assembling the slideshow includes:
obtaining a set of primary materials from a plurality of distinct sources;
selecting, from the set of primary materials, examples of imagery related to the particular term;
creating captions for the examples of imagery; and
assembling the selected examples of imagery, and the captions created for the examples of imagery, into the slideshow;
wherein the front-end servers are configured to cause to be displayed, in a first display page, to a user a first set of two or more user-selectable links which, when activated, cause retrieval of content that relate to the two or more selected terms;
wherein the two or more user-selectable links includes a particular user-selectable link which, when activated, causes retrieval of content that relates to the particular term;
wherein the front-end servers are configured to receive an indication of selection, by the user, of the particular user-selectable link of the two or more user-selectable links;
wherein the front-end servers, in response to the indication of selection of the particular user-selectable link, are configured to cause concurrent display of:
the slideshow, wherein the slideshow comprises a sequence of content items and a navigation mechanism by which to navigate from a content item in the sequence to a next content item in the sequence;
the first set of two or more user-selectable links; and
search results related to at least one of (a) the slideshow, or (b) a current content item of the slideshow.
14 . An apparatus comprising one or more computer devices, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform:
selecting two or more terms from a plurality of terms based on usage frequencies of the two or more terms by a set of users;
after the particular term has been selected based on usage frequency, automatically assembling a slideshow related to the particular term;
wherein automatically assembling the slideshow includes:
obtaining a set of primary materials from a plurality of distinct sources;
selecting, from the set of primary materials, examples of imagery related to the particular term;
creating captions for the examples of imagery; and
assembling the selected examples of imagery, and the captions created for the examples of imagery, into the slideshow;
causing to be displayed, in a first display page, to a user, a first set of two or more user-selectable links which, when activated, cause retrieval of content that relate to the two or more selected terms;
receiving an indication of selection, by the user, of a particular user-selectable link of the two or more user-selectable links;
wherein the particular user-selectable link corresponds to a particular term, of the two or more terms;
in response to the indication of selection of the particular user-selectable link, causing concurrent display of:
the slideshow, wherein the slideshow comprises a sequence of content items and a navigation mechanism by which to navigate from a content item in the sequence to a next content item in the sequence;
the first set of two or more user-selectable links; and
search results related to at least one of (a) the slideshow, or (b) a current content item of the slideshow.
15 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform:
selecting two or more terms from a plurality of terms based on usage frequencies of the two or more terms by a set of users;
wherein the two or more terms include a particular term;
after the particular term has been selected based on usage frequency, automatically assembling a slideshow related to the particular term;
wherein automatically assembling the slideshow includes:
obtaining a set of primary materials from a plurality of distinct sources;
selecting, from the set of primary materials, examples of imagery related to the particular term;
creating captions for the examples of imagery; and
assembling the selected examples of imagery, and the captions created for the examples of imagery, into the slideshow;
causing to be displayed, in a first display page, to a user, a first set of two or more user-selectable links which, when activated, cause retrieval of content that relate to the two or more selected terms;
wherein the two or more user-selectable links includes a particular user-selectable link which, when activated, causes retrieval of content that relates to the particular term;
receiving an indication of selection, by the user, of the particular user-selectable link of the two or more user-selectable links;
in response to the indication of selection of concurrent display of:
the slideshow, wherein the slideshow comprises a sequence of content items and a navigation mechanism by which to navigate from a content item in the sequence to a next content item in the sequence;
the first set of two or more user-selectable links; and
search results related to at least one of (a) the slideshow, or (b) a current content item of the slideshow.
16 . The media of claim 15 , wherein causing concurrent display of the slideshow includes:
causing the first set of two or more user-selectable links to be displayed on a first display portion of the first display page;
causing imagery data of an initial content item in the slideshow to be displayed on a second display portion of the first display page;
causing a caption and a text passage explaining the imagery data to be displayed on a third display portion of the first display page; and
causing one or more controls, by which to navigate through all content items in the slideshow, to be presented.
17 . The media of claim 16 , wherein the imagery data is one or more of videos, still photographic images, artworks or cartoons.
18 . The media of claim 16 , wherein the first display page is a webpage served by a website and wherein the two or more user-selectable links are presented as a group of textual terms on a webpage.
19 . The media of claim 15 , wherein the two or more user-selectable links are selected and ranked for the user based in part on a user profile associated with the user.
20 . The media of claim 19 , wherein the user profile comprises information derived from prior visits to webpages by the user.
21 . The media of claim 15 , wherein the slideshow is stored in a repository and is accessible by any user of the set of users.
22 . The media of claim 15 , wherein the slideshow is stored in a repository and is accessible by an external operator.
23 . The media of claim 15 , wherein the slideshow comprises one or more advertisements.
24 . The media of claim 15 , wherein at least one content item, or information therein, in the slideshow is edited by a curator and wherein the curator is authorized to edit content provided on display pages of an operator that causes the slideshow to be displayed to the user.
25 . The media of claim 15 , wherein the slideshow is associated with the particular term only and is not specifically associated with any user.
26 . The media of claim 15 , wherein the two or more terms are not inputted by the user.