Goal-based social networking to improve user motivation

A social networking system comprising:

• a processor configured to:
• dynamically determine a current progress level of a first user of a social networking system with respect to a goal of the first user based on data received from a sensor or user input associated with the first user;
• dynamically determine whether the current progress level of the first user satisfies a threshold progress level with respect to a goal of the first user;
• in response to determining that the current progress level satisfies the threshold progress level with respect to the goal of the first user, change a user profile of the first user to include an indication that the first user has reached an achievement level with respect to the goal of the first user;
• select the user profile of the first user of the social networking system from a plurality of user profiles of other users of the social networking system based on the indication in the user profile of the first user that the first user has reached the achievement level with respect to the goal of the first user;
• present the user profile of the first user to a second user;
• and
• in response to presentation of the user profile of the first user to the second user and selection of the user profile of the first user by the second user, change the user profile of the first user to include a network link to a user profile of the second user and changing the user profile of the second user to include a network link to the user profile of the first user.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media that include instructions stored thereon that are executable by one or more processors to perform or control performance of operations to create and to link user profiles in a social networking system, the operations comprising:

• dynamically determining a current progress level of a first user of a social networking system with respect to a goal of the first user based on data received from a sensor or user input associated with the first user;
• dynamically determining whether the current progress level of the first user satisfies a threshold progress level with respect to a goal of the first user;
• in response to determining that the current progress level satisfies the threshold progress level with respect to the goal of the first user, changing a user profile of the first user to include an indication that the first user has reached an achievement level with respect to the goal of the first user;
• selecting the user profile of the first user of the social networking system from a plurality of user profiles of other users of the social networking system based on the indication in the user profile of the first user that the first user has reached the achievement level with respect to the goal of the first user;
• presenting the user profile of the first user to a second user;
• and
• in response to presentation of the user profile of the first user to the second user and selection of the user profile of the first user by the second user, changing the user profile of the first user to include a network link to the user profile of the second user and changing the user profile of the second user to include a network link to the user profile of the first user.