Patent Application
20160313886
The present invention relates to social networking services, to systems and methods for posting content to user webpages of social networking services, for cataloguing posts to webpages of social networking services, and to a calendar including calendared links to posts to webpages of social networking services.
Starting a business is an achievement, but maintaining one is the larger challenge. Standard challenges that face every business owner include building a brand, accessing capital, developing an infrastructure of people and equipment, and advertising and marketing, especially online advertising and marketing, marketing and advertising that uses the Internet to deliver promotional marketing messages to consumers. Over 1 billion people worldwide surf the Internet every day. As a consequence, businesses throughout the world engage in online advertising as a means to showcase products and services.
Online advertising includes email marketing, search engine marketing, display advertising, such as web banner advertising, mobile advertising, and social media advertising. Social media advertising uses social networking services, online social media or social networking platforms to build social networks or social relations among people who share interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life connections through user pages, for advertising campaigns via posting, placing messages on a website. Although social networking services offer paid advertising opportunities, business owners routinely establish user pages through selected social networking services and post content to the user pages that serves a commercial purpose of creating interest by prospective customers in the products, services, expertise, knowledge, or qualifications of the given business, for the commercial opportunity of prospective customers purchasing products or services from the business owner.
The use by businesses of user pages of social networking services for posting content having a commercial purpose for creating a commercial opportunity for the businesses associated with the user pages presents a problem of creating and posting content to the user webpages. It is one thing to have a social network user page, and another thing entirely to post content to the user page. Although many businesses create social network user pages with the good intentions of posting content on a regular basis for creating commercial impressions in users accessing those webpages, content posting is routinely inconsistent, inappropriate, or not made at all. Although content posting to social network user webpages presents a unique advertising opportunity for business owners, actually creating and posting content has proven especially challenging, in that it is either not done, not done consistently, or done ineffectively. This problem of posting online advertising posts to webpages of social networking services, a problem specifically arising in the realm of computer networks, is due to a variety of reasons, which can include the lack of skill or time on the part of businesses to create and post content, the lack of capital to hire a professional to create and post content, and the lack of the skill or ability to create and post content. Businesses often delegate “social media updating”, i.e. posting content to webpages of social networking services, including all creative messaging, photography, and customer communications, to an employee. However, employee unreliability, employee turnover, and the lack of employee training and supervision routinely results in stagnant, inconsistent, and ineffective content creating and posting. When the business owner hires an outside social media firm, often at considerable expense, to perform the social media updating on behalf of the business, similar issues routinely arise. In each scenario, relinquishing control of a social media advertising campaign to an employee or a third party is risky to a business, and can cause the business to lose its competitive advantage, and to capitalize on a powerful marking tool, online social media advertising.
After content is posted to user webpages, there is nothing that enables a user to track or catalogue the posts to, in turn, enable a user to track the success or failure of an online posting campaign. Again, although content posting to social network user webpages presents a unique advertising opportunity for business owners, tracking and cataloguing posts is simply unavailable. This problem of tracking and cataloging posts for future reference, a problem specifically arising in the realm of online social media posting campaigns, is due to a variety of reasons, not the least of which includes the inability of skilled artisans to keep up with the evolving landscape of using social media platforms for posting campaigns. The inability to track and catalogue online posts can cause a business to persist with posts that are ineffective, and not learn and evolve for improving the content of posts over time.
According to the principle of the invention, a social media content posting system includes a content provider serving a first user webpage, and a computer store containing posts, each associated with a post select control, for being posted to a second user webpage of a social networking service. The first user webpage displays an external posting link associated with the computer store and the second user webpage. A computer server at the content provider is coupled to the computer store and for each of the posts the computer server is programmed to receive from a web browser of a computer user a signal indicating activation of the post select control of a selected one of the posts displayed by the first user webpage, automatically link the selected one of the posts to the external posting link, receive from the web browser of the computer user a signal indicating activation of the external posting link, and automatically issue the selected one of the posts to the second user webpage for posting thereon. The first user webpage is different from the second user webpage. Each one of the posts serves a commercial purpose for creating a commercial opportunity.
A social media content posting system includes a content provider serving a first user webpage, and a computer store containing posts, each associated with a post select control, for being posted to second user webpages of respective social networking services. The first user webpage is different from each of the second user webpages, the second user webpages are different from each other, and the social networking services are different from each other. The first user webpage displays an external posting link associated with the computer store and the second user webpages. A computer server at the content provider is coupled to the computer store and for each of the posts is programmed to receive from a web browser of a computer user a signal indicating activation of the post select control of a selected one of the posts displayed by the first user webpage, automatically link the selected one of the posts to the external posting link, receive from the web browser of the computer user a signal indicating activation of the external posting link, and automatically issue the selected one of the posts to the second user webpages for posting thereon. Each one of the post serves a commercial purpose for creating a commercial opportunity.
According to the principle of the invention, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations that include generating a graphical representation of calendar days at a calendar platform in communication with a social media platform, and posting a link to a graphically-represented calendar day when a post is made to the social media platform from the calendar platform on a calendar day represented by the graphically-represented calendar day, the link being to the post. The link is graphically represented by an icon, and the icon is a representation of the social media platform. The operations further include the calendar platform posting a reaction graphic adjacent to the link when a user posts a reaction to the post on the social media platform.
According to the principle of the invention, a system for submitting posts to an online social media platform, and for calendrically cataloging posts to the online social media platform, includes a calendar platform in communication with an online social media platform. The calendar platform includes a calendar, being graphically represented calendar days. For each one of the graphically represented calendar days, the calendar platform is for automatically posting a link to a post on the graphically represented calendar day when the post is made to the online social media platform from the calendar platform on a calendar day represented by the graphically-represented calendar day. The link is graphically represented by an icon, and the icon is a representation of the social media platform. The calendar platform is also for automatically posting a reaction graphic adjacent to the link on the graphically represented calendar day when a reaction to the post is made on the online social media platform.
Referring to the drawings:
An online content library includes posts for being posted to user webpages of social networking or social services, online platforms to build social networks or social relations among people who share interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life connections through user pages. Each one of the posts serves a commercial purpose, for creating a commercial opportunity both for visitors visiting the user webpages of the social networking services from visitor computers, and for the users of the user webpages of the social networking services. There are at least two different webpages for each user of a potentially vast number of users, a first user webpage of a content provider, and at least one second user webpage of a social networking service. The content provider serves the first user webpage, and the social networking service serves the second user webpage. The first user webpage is a content posting webpage, and the second user webpage is a social networking user webpage. A computer store, a digital computer database, contains the posts. The posts can be categorized, such as by subject matter or field as examples. Each post is associated with a post select control, an internal link of the first user webpage. The first user webpage displays an external posting link associated with the computer store and the second user webpage. A computer server at the content provider is coupled to the computer store and is programmed to receive from a web browser of a computer user signals to browse through the posts. For each of the posts the computer server is programmed to receive from a web browser of a computer user, a visitor user using a visiting computer, a signal indicating activation of the post select control of a selected one of the posts displayed by the first user webpage, automatically link the selected one of the posts to the external posting link, receive from the web browser of the computer user a signal indicating activation of the external posting link, and automatically issue the selected one of the posts to the second user webpage for posting thereon.
Turning now to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views, attention is first directed to
The party associated with each user computer 22 is a business user, e.g. a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service. Each business user has a content posting account, accessible via a respective one of user computers 22, with content provider 26, and is allocated a content posting user webpage of website 25 as part of this content posting account. Each business user also has a social networking account, accessible via the respective one of user computers 22, with social networking service 31, and is allocated a social networking user webpage of website 30 as part of the social networking account. Content provider 26 serves content posting webpage 27 of website 25, and social networking service 31 serves social networking webpage 32 of website 30. For ease of the ensuing discussion, the invention is discussed in connection with one user computer, user computer 22A of a business user, connected to websites 25 and 30 via Internet 20, with the understanding that the ensuing discussion of the invention is the same for every user computer using websites 25 and 30 according to this disclosure.
The business user, the computer user of user computer 22A, has a content posting account 29 with content provider 26. Content posting account 29, accessible via user computer 22A, is allocated content posting user webpage 27A of website 25. The business user also has a social networking account 34 with social networking service 31. Social networking account 34, accessible via user computer 22A, is assigned social networking user webpage 32A of website 30. Reference numeral 27A denotes the term “content posting user webpage” of website 25, with the understanding that the term “content posting user webpage” associated with reference numeral 27A is used as a matter of convention and can be a single content posting user webpage of website 25 or a plurality of content posting user webpages of website 25. Reference numeral 32A denotes a “social networking user webpage” of website 30, with the understanding that the term “social networking user webpage” associated with reference numeral 32A is used as a matter of convention and can be a single social networking webpage of website 30 or a plurality of social networking user webpages of website 30.
Access to user webpage 27A by the business owner from user computer 22A is username/password protected in accordance with known techniques. Access to social networking user webpage 32A by the business user from user computer 22A is username/password protected in accordance with known techniques. Like all social networking user webpages 32 of website 30 of social networking service 31, social networking user webpage 32A is used by the business user to share content, such as posts. Like all user webpages 27, user webpage 27A is used to access and send posts from content provider 26 to webpage 32A of website 30 of social networking service 31.
Social networking service 31 is an existing online platform (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) used by online users, including the computer user of user computer 22A, to build social networks or social relations among people who share interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life connections through user webpages 32. The social networking account 34 of the business user is a user profile created by the business user through website 30 from user computer 22A by filling out and submitting the online signup form or user profile through website 30. Conventionally, the online signup form or user profile includes graphical control elements, text fields and the like, used by the business user from user computer 22A to enter the business user's information (e.g., name, address, email address(es), phone number(s), etc.), chosen login credentials (e.g., username and password) to access social networking account 34, user preferences, and the like, into the online signup form or user provide and then submit the completed form/profile from which social networking account 34 is generated.
Similarly, the content posting account 29 of the business user is a user profile created by the business user through website 25 from user computer 22A by filling out and submitting the online signup form or user profile through website 25. Conventionally, the online signup form or user profile accessed through website 25 includes graphical control elements, text fields and the like, used by the business user from user computer 22A to enter the business user's information (e.g., name, address, email address(es), phone number(s), etc.), chosen login credentials (e.g., username and password) to access content posting account 29, social networking service 31 to associate with content posting account 29, user preferences, and the like, into the online signup form or user provide and then submit the completed form/profile from which content posting account 29 is generated. A dropdown menu or other graphical user interface is incorporated into the form/profile that is used by the business user operating user computer 22A to select social networking service 31 to associate with content posting account 29, and to enter the credentials used to access the business user's social networking account 34.
After social networking account 34 content posting account 29 are activated, from user computer 22A the business user accesses content posting website 29 via Internet 20 through an Internet address (i.e., a Uniform recourse locator or “URL”) and logs in to content posting account 29 to access webpage 27A, browse through posts 45, and post selected posts 45 to webpage 32A of website 30. To log into content posting account 27, using user computer 22A the business user accesses website 25 via its designated web address, and presents the chosen login credentials at a login screen to obtain access to webpage 27A allocated to content posting account 29. In response to logging into content posting account 29, computer server 40, specifically processor 40A of computer server 40, is programmed retrieve the social networking service 31 login credentials previously supplied by the business user and concurrently log into social networking account 34 through website 30 of social networking service 31 for allowing posts 45 to be shared/posted on webpage 32A of the business user's social networking account 34 from webpage 27A of the business user's content posting account 29. Computer server 40 includes the customary processor 40A and storage 40B for housing computer store 41 and website 25.
To initiate a post, from the home page in
In this example, the business user is a restaurant and selects the restaurant category of drop-down menu 71 in
Each post 45 is associated with a post select control 46 (
In the example of the system discussed above, webpage 32A of networking service 31 is associated with webpage 27A of content provider 26. On the home page in
Additional webpages 32A of different social networking services can be associated with webpage 27A of content in alternate embodiments for allowing content posting from webpage 27A of website 25 to multiple webpages, simultaneously or individually, of different websites of different social networking services. In creating content posting account 29, or by updating content posting account 29, the business user can associate two or more webpages of other social networking services with webpage 27A of website 25 of content provider 26.
As a matter of example, in
In this example, computer server 40 is coupled to computer store 41 and for each of the posts 45 is programmed to receive from the web browser of user the computer user, user computer 22A used by the business user, a signal indicating activation of the post select control 46 of a selected one of the posts 45 displayed by webpage 27A as discussed above, automatically link the selected one of the posts 45 to external posting link 50, receive from the web browser of the computer user a signal indicating activation of external posting link 50, and automatically issue the selected one of the posts 45 to the different web pages of the websites of the respective social networking services associated with webpage 27A. Through the posting process disclosed herein, a post can be shared to a selected webpage of a social networking service or to multiple webpages of different social networking services simultaneously. This posting process is repeated for each post 45 posted from webpage 27A to multiple webpages of different social networking services.
To initiate a post to webpage 32A and webpage 92A, from the home page in
In the preceding example of the system discussed above, there are two different webpages 32A and 92A of two different social networking services 31 and 91 associated with webpage 27A of content provider 26. Dialog boxes 80A and 100A are selected in the example above for concurrent content posting to webpages 32A and 92A of social networking services 31 and 92 associated with website 25 in response to selecting posting link 50 after selecting a selected post for posting as discussed above. To post content on just webpage 32A, dialog box 80A is selected and dialog box 100A is either not selected or deselected. To post content on just webpage 92A, dialog box 100A is selected and dialog box 80A is either not selected or deselected. The posting process is as above in either case, with the difference being that the selected content is posted only to webpage 32A when dialog box 80A is selected and dialog box 100A is either not selected or deselected, and the selected content is posted only to webpage 92A when dialog box 100A is selected and dialog box 80A is either not selected or deselected.
In the example above, the business user is a restaurant and selects the restaurant category of drop-down menu 71 in
As explained above, provider 26 is both a content provider and a social media post manager, and can be referred to as such interchangeably. Post manager 26 will now be discussed.
In
Calendar 121 is an electronic calendar showing dates and days of the week of each month of the year. Calendar 121 is preferably displayed month-by-month, displaying the days and weeks of each month.
After the business owner navigates to calendar platform 110, the webpage represented by the screen captures in
Storage 40B houses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising instructions which, responsive to being executed by processor 40A of server 40, cause processor 40A of server 40 to perform operations according to following discussion of calendar platform 110. To initiate a post, from calendar home page 120 in
In this example, the user initiates a post to webpage 32A by clicking on link 141, which brings up content posting page 144 in
Link 165 to the post that was made is graphically represented and displayed by an icon, which is a picture, a symbol, a brand symbol, or other graphical representation of social networking service 31. Accordingly, the user is taken to the post on webpage 32A when the user clicks on link 165, which enables a user to view that post, and to view any reactions to the post from other users, according to the principle of the invention. Accordingly, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, being instructions which, responsive to being executed by processor 40A, cause processor 40A to perform operations including generating the month view or calendar home page, the graphical representation of calendar days at calendar platform 110 in communication with social media service 31, namely, webpage 32A of website 30, and automatically posting link 165 to a graphically-represented calendar day, selected day 130A in this example, when a post is made to social media service 31, namely, webpage 32A of website 30, from content posting page 144 of calendar platform 110 on the selected calendar day, day 130A in this example, represented by the graphically-represented calendar day 130A, link 165 being to the post.
Application of link 165, represented graphically by an icon identifying social networking service 31 in day 130A in calendar home page 120 in
According to the principle of the invention, the operations according to the invention further include calendar platform 110 automatically posting a reaction graphic or graphical element 165A adjacent to link 165 in day 130A when a user, a follower, posts a reaction, such as a comment or a reaction icon or graphic, to the post corresponding to link 165 on social networking service 31, namely, webpage 32A of website 30. In this example, reaction graphic 165A is the number “1,” which indicates that a user has posted a reaction, such as a comment, to the post corresponding to link 165. Reaction graphic 165A in day 130A changes to a “2” when another reaction post is made to the post associated with link 165, changes to a “3” when a third reaction post is made to the post associated with link 165, etc.
Another reaction graphic or graphical element 175 is also associated with link 165 in this example. Reaction graphic 175, a “thumbs-up” icon with a “1” adjacent to it, is automatically placed on day 130A of calendar 121 adjacent to link 165 by calendar platform 110 when at webpage 32A a user or follower “likes” the post associated with link 165. A number 175A, a graphic or graphical element, next to reaction graphic 175, the “thumbs-up” icon in this example, changes to a “2” when a second user “likes” the post associated with link 165, changes to a “3” when a third user “likes” the post associate with link 165, etc. And so at a glance, a user can view day 130A, see that a post was made webpage 32A of website 30 when link 165 is present in day 130A, and see the indication of user reactions to the post associate by link 165 when one or more reaction graphics are applied to day 130A adjacent to link 165. Again, the user is taken to the post when the user clicks on link 165 from calendar home page 120 in
To initiate a post to webpage 92A of website 93 of social networking service 91 on day 130A from calendar home page 120, a user need only click on link 142 from menu page 140 and then process the post as previously discussed. The selected content is automatically posted to webpage 92A, the user is automatically redirected to calendar home page 120, and a link 180 is automatically posted to day 130A, when a post is made from content posting page 144 when the user clicks on post link 160 in
Accordingly, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, being instructions which, responsive to being executed by processor 40A, cause processor 40A to perform operations including generating the month view or calendar home page, the graphical representation of calendar days at calendar platform 110 in communication with social media service 91, namely, webpage 92A of website 93, and automatically posting link 180 to a graphically-represented calendar day, selected day 130A in this example, when a post is made to social media service 91, namely, webpage 92A of website 93, from content posting page 144 of calendar platform 110 on the selected calendar day, day 130A in this example, represented by the graphically-represented calendar day 130A, link 180 being to the post.
Application of link 180, represented graphically by an icon, a graphical representation of social networking service 91 in day 130A in calendar home page 120 in
According to the principle of the invention, the operations according to the invention further include calendar platform 110 automatically posting a reaction graphic or graphical element 180A adjacent to link 180 in day 130A when a user, a follower, posts a reaction, such as a comment or a reaction icon or graphic, to the post corresponding to link 180 on social networking service 91, namely, webpage 92A of website 93. In this example, reaction graphic 180A is the number “1,” which indicates that a user has posted a reaction, such as “like” or other reaction, to the post corresponding to link 180. Reaction graphic 180A in day 130A changes to a “2” when another reaction post is made to the post associated with link 180, changes to a “3” when a third reaction post is made to the post associated with link 180, etc.
Another reaction graphic or graphical element 185 is also associated with link 180 in this example. Reaction graphic 185, a “text bubble” icon with a “1” adjacent to it, is automatically placed on day 130A of calendar 121 adjacent to link 180 by calendar platform 110 when at webpage 92A a user or follower posts a comment to the post associated with link 180. A number 185A next to reaction graphic 185, the “text bubble” icon in this example, changes to a “2” when a second user posts a comment to the post associated with link 180, changes to a “3” when a third user posts a comment to the post associate with link 180, etc. And so at a glance, a user can view day 130A, see that a post was made webpage 92A of website 93 when link 180 is present in day 130A, and see the indication of user reactions to the post associate by link 180 when one or more reaction graphics are applied to day 130A adjacent to link 180. Again, the user is taken to the post when the user clicks on link 180, which enables the user to view the post and to view user reactions to that post.
This posting and calendaring process is repeated for each day or selected days that posts are made through calendar platform 110. As a matter of example,
In sum, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, being instructions which, responsive to being executed by processor 40A, cause processor 40A to perform operations including generating a graphical representation of calendar days, calendar home page 120, at calendar platform 110 in communication with a social media service or platform and posting a link to a graphically-represented calendar day when a post is made to the social media platform from calendar platform 110 on a calendar day represented by the graphically-represented calendar day, wherein the is to the post. The link is graphically represented by an icon, and the icon represents the social media platform graphically. The operations further include calendar platform 110 automatically posting a reaction graphic adjacent to the link when a user posts a reaction to the post on the social media platform.
In another aspect of the invention, a system for submitting posts to an online social media platform, and for calendrically cataloging posts to the online social media platform, includes calendar platform 110 in communication with an online social media platform. The calendar platform 110 includes calendar 121, being graphically represented calendar days. For each one of the graphically represented calendar days, calendar platform 110 is for automatically posting a link to a post on the graphically represented calendar day when the post is made to the online social media platform from the calendar platform 110 on a calendar day represented by the graphically-represented calendar day. The link is graphically represented by an icon, and the icon is a graphical representation of the social media platform. The calendar platform 110 is also for automatically posting a reaction graphic adjacent to the link on the graphically represented calendar day when a reaction to the post is made on the online social media platform.
The invention has been described above with reference to illustrative embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the nature and scope of the invention. Various changes and modifications to the embodiments herein chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to those skilled in the art. To the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope thereof.
Having fully described the invention in such clear and concise terms as to enable those skilled in the art to understand and practice the same, the invention claimed is:
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14661880 | Mar 2015 | US |
| Child | 15201554 | US |
