Providing streams of filtered photographs for user consumption

A computer-implemented method for providing a stream of one or more of photographs, photographs inter-mixed with videos, and hybrid photographs with animation, for viewing by a particular user connected to other users in a social network, the method comprising:

• obtaining, using one or more computing devices, one or more photographs from one or more sources for viewing by the particular user;
• generating external signals, using the one or more computing devices, to designate the one or more photographs of interest to the particular user, based at least in part on considering criteria predefined for the particular user;
• filtering, using the one or more computing devices, a select subset of the one or more photographs based at least in part on considering the external signals with respect to the one or more photographs;
• and
• generating, using the one or more computing devices, a stream of the select subset of the one or more photographs for viewing by the particular user.

A system including one or more computing devices for providing a stream of one or more of photographs, photographs inter-mixed with videos, and hybrid photographs with animation, for viewing by a particular user connected to other users in a social network, the system comprising:

• a photograph stream retrieval module configured to obtain one or more photographs from one or more sources associated with the particular user;
• a social graph retrieval module configured to retrieve a social graph associated with the particular user;
• a relevant photograph signal determination module configured to determine one or more relevant signals for each of the one or more photographs from the one or more sources associated with the particular user based at least in part on one or more predefined criteria;
• a weight assignment module configured to assign varying weights to the one or more relevant signals based at least in part on the one or more predefined criteria including the social graph for the particular user;
• a photograph ranking module configured to rank the one or more photographs by considering the varying weights assigned to the one or more photographs;
• a photograph filtering module configured to filter photographs with a low rank to generate a select subset of one or more photographs of special interest to the particular user based at least in part on the defined criteria and the social graph;
• and
• a user interface module configured to provide for display the select subset of the one or more photographs to the particular user for viewing.