# US 2008/0189174 A1 · Advertisement referral based on social ties

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2008/0189174 A1
- Document ID: US20080189174A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 11/670,013
- Filed: 2007-02-01
- Published: 2008-08-07
- Earliest claimed: 2007-02-01
- Assignees: Yahoo! Inc.
- Inventors: Paul Cameron Moore
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080189174A1

## CPC

- G06Q 30/0214: Referral reward systems
- G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
- G06Q 30/0239: {Online discounts or incentives}
- G06Q 30/0277: {Online advertisement}
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

It is determined that a particular user of network-based services has been presented or additionally has monetized a monetization opportunity (such as an advertisement) offered to the particular user via a computer network. Monetizing the monetization opportunity may include, for an advertisement, clicking on the advertisement such that money is made (typically at least in part by the service provider) as a result. Based on the determination, a monetization opportunity is caused to be referred, via the computer network, to at least one other user of the network-based services, other than the particular user, with whom the particular user has social ties. For example, the particular user may have a social tie with the at least one other user via network-based services, such as instant messaging. The social tie may be other than via network-based services, as well.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented monetization opportunity referral method, comprising:
determining that a particular user of network-based services has been presented a monetization opportunity offered to the particular user via a computer network;
based at least in part on the determination, causing a monetization opportunity to be referred, via the computer network, to at least one other user of the network-based services, other than the particular user, with whom the particular user has social ties.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the determining step further comprises determining that the particular user has additionally monetized the monetization opportunity.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the particular user has the social ties to the at least one other user of the network-based services via connections provided by the network-based services.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the particular user has the social ties to the at least one other user of the network-based services other than via connections provided by the network-based services.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
causing the monetization opportunity to be referred to the at least one other user includes causing the monetization opportunity to be referred without requiring an indication of action from the particular user other than an indication of action to monetize the monetization opportunity.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the monetization opportunity offered to the particular user is one of the group consisting of an advertisement, an offer to purchase a subscription and an offer to purchase a product or service.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the monetization opportunity referred to the at least one other user is one of the group consisting of an advertisement, an offer to purchase a subscription and an offer to purchase a product or service.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the step of determining whether the particular user has monetized a monetization opportunity includes determining whether there is an indication the particular user has performed an action with respect to the monetization opportunity that results in money being made.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
causing the monetization opportunity to be referred to the at least one other user includes causing the referred monetization opportunity to be presented to the at least one other user in a normal course of presenting monetization opportunities to the at least one other user.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
causing the monetization opportunity to be referred to the at least one other user includes causing the referred monetization opportunity to be directly delivered to the at least one other user, other than in a normal course of presenting monetization opportunities to the at least one other user.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
causing the monetization opportunity to be referred to the at least one other user includes providing an indication of the referral to a monetization opportunity targeting model.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising:
operating the monetization opportunity targeting model to consider the provided referral indication as one of a plurality of characteristics of the at least one other user to whom the referral is provided.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising:
causing adjustment of a weight corresponding to the indication of the referral provided to the monetization opportunity targeting model.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising:
receiving indications based on one or more of the at least one other user monetizing the referred monetization opportunity and, based thereon, causing adjustment of a weight corresponding to the indication of the referral provided to the monetization opportunity targeting model.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein:
causing adjustment of the weight includes determining the adjustment based on a lift corresponding to the referred monetization opportunity.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein:
causing adjustment of the weight includes increasing the weight as a function of positive lift corresponding to the referred monetization opportunity.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein:
causing adjustment of the weight includes decreasing the weight as a function of the zero or negative lift corresponding to the referred monetization opportunity.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving at least one indication that at least one of the at least one other user has monetized the monetization opportunity; and
based at least in part thereon, adjusting which users are included in the plurality of other users, with respect to referring subsequent monetization opportunities.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein:
the adjusting step is further based on characteristics of the social ties between the particular user and the at least one other user.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, wherein:
the adjusting step is further based on characteristics of the social ties between the particular user and the at least one other user in view of the social ties between the user and the indicated at least one of the at least one other user.

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
causing the monetization opportunity to be referred to the at least one other user includes causing the monetization opportunity to be referred based at least in part on an indication of additional action from the particular user in addition to an indication of action by the particular user to monetize the monetization opportunity.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein:
the indication of additional action from the particular user includes an indication of the at least one other user.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, further comprising:
causing a user interface to be presented to the particular user, indicating a plurality of other users with whom the particular user has social ties;
wherein the indication of the at least one other user is received via the presented user interface.

### Claim 24

A method of targeting a user of a network-based service with at least one monetization opportunity, comprising:
processing characteristics of the user relative to a targeting model, wherein a characteristic being processed includes an indication of a monetization opportunity referred to the user by a referring user;
based at least in part on the processing, determining the at least one monetization opportunity.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The method of claim 24, wherein:
the determined at least one monetization opportunity includes the referred monetization opportunity.

### Claim 26 (depends on 24)

The method of claim 24, wherein:
the indication of the referred monetization opportunity includes an associated weight.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The method of claim 26, further comprising:
adjusting the associated weight based on monetization of the referred monetization opportunity by other users to whom the referring user has referred the monetization opportunity.

### Claim 28

A method of maintaining a user information collection system usable by a targeting model to determine whether to target a particular user who has been referred a particular monetization opportunity by a particular referring user with whom the particular user has a social tie, comprising:
maintaining a targeting weight for the referral associated with the user and the particular monetization opportunity; and
adjusting the targeting weight for the referral to the particular user based at least in part on an amount of lift achieved as a result of referral of the particular monetization opportunity to users other than to the particular user.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The method of claim 28, wherein:
the adjusting step is additionally based on the lift achieved as a result of referral of the particular monetization opportunity to users other than to the particular user, as a function of characteristics of the social ties between the referring user and the users other than to the particular user, relative to a characteristic of the social tie between the referring user and the particular user.

### Claim 30

A system configured to refer monetization opportunities, comprising at least one computing device configured to:
determine that a particular user of network-based services has been presented a monetization opportunity offered to the particular user via a computer network;
based at least in part on the determination, cause a monetization opportunity to be referred, via the computer network, to at least one other user of the network-based services, other than the particular user, with whom the particular user has social ties.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

The system of claim 30, wherein:
the at least one computing device is further configured to determine additionally that the particular user has monetized the monetization opportunity offered to the particular user.