Third party system reporting actions performed through the third party system by an online system user in response to messages received by the online system user
An online system allows users to exchange messages with other users, including entities such as businesses. A user, such as a business, may use a third party system to manage messages with users of the online system. The online system provides the third party information with instructions comprising tracking mechanisms that identify specific actions between users from messages exchanged between users. For example, if a user purchases a product from another user via a message thread, a tracking mechanism identifies the purchase and transmits information reporting the purchase and identifying users to the online system. Hence, the tracking mechanism transmits a description of an action and information identifying the users to the online system, and may also transmit additional information, such as a value of the action to a user. The online system may use the descriptions of actions for content targeting or measurement and reporting of actions.
1. A method comprising:
maintaining, at an online system, a thread of one or more messages between a sending user of the online system and a receiving user of the online system transmitted through the online system, the thread identifying the sending user and the receiving user and including obfuscated copies of the one or more messages preventing the online system from accessing content of the one or more messages;
receiving, at the online system, information from a third party system in which the receiving user generates messages to the sending user, the third party system in a domain different than a domain of the online system, the information received from a tracking mechanism the third party system obtained from the online system, the tracking mechanism comprising instructions that, when executed by the third party system, cause the third party system to:
determine an action performed by the receiving user via the third party system in response to one or more messages in the thread between the sending user and the receiving user matches a specific action included in the tracking mechanism, the specific action associating an item provided by the receiving user with the sending user via the third party system;
obtain the information from the third party system comprising information identifying the sending user, information identifying the receiving user, and an action by the sending user via the one or more messages of the thread corresponding to the action taken by the receiving user via the third party system in response to one or more messages in the thread;
identifying, by the online system, the sending user from the received information from the third party system describing one or more actions by the sending user of the online system with the receiving user of the online system;
identifying, by the online system, the receiving user from the received information describing from the third party system describing one or more actions by the sending user of the online system with the receiving user of the online system; and
storing information at the online system describing the action by the sending user corresponding to the action taken by the receiving user via the third party system in association with the sending user and in association with the receiving user.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information received from the third party system describing one or more actions by the sending user of the online system with the receiving user of the online system includes a value of an action to the receiving user.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein from the third party system describing one or more actions by the sending user of the online system with the receiving user of the online system includes a product included in an action.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more actions are defined by the receiving user.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more actions are defined by the online system.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying, by the online system, the sending user from the received information from the third party system describing one or more actions by the sending user of the online system with the receiving user of the online system comprises:
identifying a third party specific user identifier from the received information from the third party system;
identifying a thread identifier including the messages between the sending user and the receiving user from the received information; and
retrieving an online system user identifier associated with the third party specific user identifier and with the tread identifier by the online system.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the specific action is selected from a group consisting of: adding a product to an online shopping cart, viewing content provided by the receiving user, adding a product to a list of products associated with the sending user by the receiving user, requesting information from the receiving user, subscribing to a service provided by the receiving user, and any combination thereof.
8. A method comprising:
receiving one or more messages from a sending user of an online system to a receiving user of the online system at a third party system in a domain different than a domain of the online system;
receiving instructions at the third party system from the online system that, when executed by the third party system, cause the third party system to:
identify, by the third party system, an action performed by the receiving user via the third party system in response to a message from the sending user to the receiving user received by the third party system that matches a specific action included in the instructions, the specific action associating an item provided by the receiving user with the sending user via the third party system;
transmit information from the third party system describing an action by the sending user of the online system via the one or more messages with the receiving user of the online system that corresponds to the identified action performed by the receiving user of the online system via the third party system, identifying the sending user, and identifying the receiving user from the third party system to the online system in response to the identifying by the third party system of the action by the receiving user.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the information describing the action by the sending user of the online system based on the identified action, identifying the sending user, and identifying the receiving user further identifies a value of the identified action to the receiving user.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the information describing the action by the sending user of the online system based on the identified action, identifying the sending user, and identifying the receiving user further identifies a product associated with the identified action.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the action by the receiving user is specified by the online system.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the action by the receiving user is specified by the receiving user.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the specific action is selected from a group consisting of: adding a product to an online shopping cart, viewing content provided by the receiving user, adding a product to a list of products associated with the sending user by the receiving user, requesting information from the receiving user, subscribing to a service provided by the receiving user, and any combination thereof.
14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the information identifying the sending user comprises a third party specific user identified received from the online system in conjunction with a message from the sending user and a thread identifier of a thread including the one or more messages from the sending user to the receiving user.
15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
maintain, at an online system, a thread of one or more messages between a sending user of the online system and a receiving user of the online system transmitted through the online system, the thread identifying the sending user and the receiving user and including obfuscated copies of the one or more messages preventing the online system from accessing content of the one or more messages;
receive, at the online system, information from a third party system in which the receiving user generates messages to the sending user, the third party system in a domain different than a domain of the online system, the information received from a tracking mechanism the third party system obtained from the online system, the tracking mechanism comprising instructions that, when executed by the third party system, cause the third party system to:
determine an action performed by the receiving user via the third party system in response to one or more messages in the thread between the sending user and the receiving user matches a specific action included in the tracking mechanism, the specific action associating an item provided by the receiving user with the sending user via the third party system;
obtain the information from the third party system comprising information identifying the sending user, information identifying the receiving user, and an action by the sending user via the one or more messages of the thread corresponding to the action taken by the receiving user via the third party system in response to one or more messages in the thread;
identify, by the online system, the sending user from the received information from the third party system describing one or more actions by the sending user of the online system with the receiving user of the online system;
identify, by the online system, the receiving user from the received information describing from the third party system describing one or more actions by the sending user of the online system with the receiving user of the online system; and
store information at the online system describing the action by the sending user corresponding to the action taken by the receiving user via the third party system in association with the sending user and in association with the receiving user.
16. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the information received from the third party system describing one or more actions by the sending user of the online system with the receiving user of the online system includes a value of an action to the receiving user.
17. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein from the third party system describing one or more actions by the sending user of the online system with the receiving user of the online system includes a product included in an action.
18. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the one or more actions are defined by the receiving user.
19. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the one or more actions are defined by the online system.
20. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein identify, by the online system, the sending user from the received information from the third party system describing one or more actions by the sending user of the online system with the receiving user of the online system comprises:
identify a third party specific user identifier from the received information from the third party system;
identify a thread identifier including the messages between the sending user and the receiving user from the received information; and
retrieve an online system user identifier associated with the third party specific user identifier and with the tread identifier by the online system.