Interpersonal networking in virtual space using chatbot queries and a virtual facilitator

A computer program product for allowing meeting participants of a host-scheduled videoconferencing session to interact with each other via an online meeting user interface of a videoconferencing system using their respective participant computers, wherein the videoconferencing system includes (i) a database of user profiles for each of the meeting participants, (ii) a chatbot query engine, and (iii) a virtual facilitator in communication with the chatbot query engine, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly embodying computer-executable program instructions thereon that, when executed, cause one or more computing devices to:

• (a) generate, by the chatbot query engine, for selected meeting participants one or more queries to ask the selected meeting participants via the online meeting user interface of the videoconferencing system using the respective participant computers of the selected meeting participants, the chatbot query engine using the user profiles of the selected meeting participants to assist in generating the one or more queries;
• (b) electronically communicate, by the virtual facilitator, via the online meeting user interface of the videoconferencing system using the respective participant computers of the selected meeting participants to ask the one or more queries, receive their answers, and share the answers with selected other meeting participants, thereby facilitating electronic communication among the selected meeting participants,
• wherein the chatbot query engine updates the database of user profiles with the answers to the queries from the respective meeting participants;
• and
• (c) generate, by the chatbot query engine, using the answers from previous queries that were previously generated by the chatbot query engine and asked to one or more of the selected meeting participants by the virtual facilitator, one or more additional queries for the virtual facilitator to ask one or more of the selected meeting participants via the online meeting user interface of the videoconferencing system using the respective participant computers of the one or more selected meeting participants,
• wherein each query and each answer is synchronously heard by each of the selected meeting participants via their respective online user interfaces of the videoconferencing system.

An automated method for allowing meeting participants of a host-scheduled videoconferencing session to interact with each other via an online meeting user interface of a videoconferencing system using their respective participant computers prior to initiation of the host-scheduled videoconferencing session, wherein the meeting participants request to join the host-scheduled videoconferencing session by sending a request to the videoconferencing system from their respective participant computers, and wherein the videoconferencing system provides a waiting room for the meeting participants to be placed in prior to the initiation of the host-scheduled videoconferencing session, the videoconferencing system including (i) a chatbot query engine, (ii) a virtual facilitator in communication with the chatbot query engine, and (iii) a database of user profiles for each of the meeting participants, the method comprising:

• (a) electronically clearing meeting participants to participate in the host-scheduled videoconferencing session, by the video conferencing system, who have requested to join the host-scheduled videoconferencing session, wherein the electronically cleared meeting participants automatically join the host-scheduled videoconferencing session upon its initiation via their respective meeting participant computers, and
• wherein the electronically cleared meeting participants are in the waiting room prior to the initiation of the host-scheduled videoconferencing session;
• (b) creating, by the videoconferencing system, subsets of a pre-specified number of the electronically cleared meeting participants who are in the waiting room, wherein the electronically cleared meeting participants in each subset can interact with each other in a pre-meeting networking session, and wherein the electronically cleared meeting participants in each subset can interact only with other electronically cleared meeting participants in the same subset;
• (c) generating, using the chatbot query engine, one or more queries to ask each of the electronically cleared meeting participants in the same subset via the online meeting user interface of the videoconferencing system using the respective participant computers of the electronically cleared meeting participants in the same subset,
• wherein the chatbot query engine uses the user profiles for each of the meeting participants to assist in generating the one or more queries to ask each of the electronically cleared meeting participants in the same subset;
• (d) electronically communicating, by the virtual facilitator, via the online meeting user interface of the videoconferencing system using the respective participant computers of the electronically cleared meeting participants in the same subset to ask the one or more queries, receive their answers, and share the answers with each of the electronically cleared meeting participants in the same subset, thereby facilitating electronic communication among the electronically cleared meeting participants in the same subset,
• wherein the chatbot query engine updates the database of user profiles with the answers to the queries from the respective meeting participants;
• and
• (e) generating, by the chatbot query engine, using the answers from previous queries that were previously generated by the chatbot query engine and asked to one or more of the selected meeting participants by the virtual facilitator, one or more additional queries for the virtual facilitator to ask each of the electronically cleared meeting participants in the same subset via the online meeting user interface of the videoconferencing system using the respective participant computers of the electronically cleared meeting participants in the same subset,
• wherein each query and each answer is synchronously heard by each of the electronically cleared meeting participants in the same subset via their respective online user interfaces of the videoconferencing system.