Maintaining relationships between users in a social network by emphasizing a post from a first user in a second user's activity stream based on detected inactivity between users

A computer program product for maintaining relationships between users in a social network, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code comprising the programming instructions for:

• monitoring online interactions between said users in said social network;
• determining a time of a last communication from a first user to a second user in said social network from said monitored online interactions;
• determining a period of inactivity of communication from said first user to said second user in said social network based on said determined time of said last communication from said first user to said second user;
• selecting a communication posted by said second user in said social network in response to said period of inactivity of communication from said first user to said second user in said social network exceeding a threshold;
• and
• emphasizing said selected communication posted by said second user above other communications in an activity stream of said first user.

A system, comprising:

• a memory unit for storing a computer program for maintaining relationships between users in a social network;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory unit, wherein the processor is configured to execute the program instructions of the computer program comprising:
• monitoring online interactions between said users in said social network;
• determining a time of a last communication from a first user to a second user in said social network from said monitored online interactions;
• determining a period of inactivity of communication from said first user to said second user in said social network based on said determined time of said last communication from said first user to said second user;
• selecting a communication posted by said second user in said social network in response to said period of inactivity of communication from said first user to said second user in said social network exceeding a threshold;
• and
• emphasizing said selected communication posted by said second user above other communications in an activity stream of said first user.