Facilitating Following a Content Provider

A method comprising:

• obtaining a creative for presentation to users in response to requests for content;
• receiving, by a content server, selection criteria and a bid from a content sponsor associated with the creative, wherein:
• the selection criteria controls when the creative is eligible for presentation;
• and
• the bid controls whether the creative is delivered when the creative is eligible for presentation;
• augmenting, by the content server, the creative to include a control that adds a user as a follower of the content sponsor in a social network automatically upon interaction with the control that is included in the augmented creative;
• transmitting, by the content server over a network and to a publisher server that differs from the content server, the augmented creative for presentation to the user within a resource that is provided by the publisher server to a device of the user, the augmented creative being provided by the content server based at least in part on the selection criteria and the bid;
• determining, by the content server, that the user has interacted with the control included in the augmented creative while the augmented creative is presented within the resource at the device of the user, based on interaction information transmitted by the device of the user to the content server;
• transmitting, by the content server and to a social network server that differs from the content server and the publisher server, a request that the social network server perform an update that adds the user as a follower of the content sponsor within the social network based on the determination that the user has interacted with the control included in the augmented creative;
• adding, by the social network server, the user as a follower of the content sponsor in the social network, based on the request by the content server that the social network server perform the update;
• and
• transmitting, from the social network server and to the device of the user, content posted to the social network by the content sponsor based on the user being added as a follower of the content sponsor in the social network.

A computer system comprising:

• one or more data processing devices;
• and
• one or more data stores storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more data processing devices, cause the one or more data processing devices to perform operations comprising:
• obtaining a creative for presentation to users in response to requests for content;
• receiving, by a content server, selection criteria and a bid from a content sponsor associated with the creative, wherein:
• the selection criteria controls when the creative is eligible for presentation;
• and
• the bid controls whether the creative is delivered when the creative is eligible for presentation;
• augmenting, by the content server, the creative to include a control that adds a user as a follower of the content sponsor in a social network automatically upon interaction with the control that is included in the augmented creative;
• transmitting, by the content server over a network and to a publisher server that differs from the content server, the augmented creative for presentation to the user within a resource that is provided by the publisher server to a device of the user, the augmented creative being provided by the content server based at least in part on the selection criteria and the bid;
• determining, by the content server, that the user has interacted with the control included in the augmented creative while the augmented creative is presented within the resource at the device of the user, based on interaction information transmitted by the device of the user to the content server;
• transmitting, by the content server and to a social network server that differs from the content server and the publisher server, a request that the social network server perform an update that adds the user as a follower of the content sponsor within the social network based on the determination that the user has interacted with the control included in the augmented creative;
• adding, by the social network server, the user as a follower of the content sponsor in the social network, based on the request by the content server that the social network server perform the update;
• and
• transmitting, from the social network server and to the device of the user, content posted to the social network by the content sponsor based on the user being added as a follower of the content sponsor in the social network.

A computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer system including one or more servers, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising:

• obtaining a creative for presentation to users in response to requests for content;
• receiving, by a content server, selection criteria and a bid from a content sponsor associated with the creative, wherein:
• the selection criteria controls when the creative is eligible for presentation;
• and
• the bid controls whether the creative is delivered when the creative is eligible for presentation;
• augmenting, by the content server, the creative to include a control that adds a user as a follower of the content sponsor in a social network automatically upon interaction with the control that is included in the augmented creative;
• transmitting, by the content server over a network and to a publisher server that differs from the content server, the augmented creative for presentation to the user within a resource that is provided by the publisher server to a device of the user, the augmented creative being provided by the content server based at least in part on the selection criteria and the bid;
• determining, by the content server, that the user has interacted with the control included in the augmented creative while the augmented creative is presented within the resource at the device of the user, based on interaction information transmitted by the device of the user to the content server;
• transmitting, by the content server and to a social network server that differs from the content server and the publisher server, a request that the social network server perform an update that adds the user as a follower of the content sponsor within the social network based on the determination that the user has interacted with the control included in the augmented creative;
• adding, by the social network server, the user as a follower of the content sponsor in the social network, based on the request by the content server that the social network server perform the update;
• and
• transmitting, from the social network server and to the device of the user, content posted to the social network by the content sponsor based on the user being added as a follower of the content sponsor in the social network.