Method and apparatus for automating the conduct of surveys over a network system

A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the one or more sequences of one or more instructions including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

• maintaining, on a computer-readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;
• causing an interface to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey;
• after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to the user interacting with said interface displayed at said particular client, performing the steps of:
• creating a survey at a server that is remotely located from said particular client based on information received over said network system from said interface;
• after maintaining the electronic information, using an automated survey system to read said electronic information;
• after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information, said automated survey system identifying one or more target resources into which to embed links to said survey;
• wherein the one or more target resources are located at locations that are remote relative to said automated survey system and accessible to said automated survey system over said network system;
• after the automated survey system identifies the one or more target resources, the automated survey system inviting participation in said survey by causing one or more links to said survey to be embedded in said one or more target resources to allow users of said network to request participation in said survey by accessing one of said target resources over said network and activating said link in said one of said target resources.

A method for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining, on storage accessible to said automated survey system, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;
• receiving from a plurality of clients, over said network system, first information that defines surveys and second information that defines characteristics of desired survey takers, wherein said second information does not specify any specific individuals or any group of specific individuals;
• creating surveys at a server that is remotely located from said plurality of clients based on said first information;
• after maintaining the electronic information and receiving said second information, using said automated survey system to read said electronic information and said second information;
• after the automated survey system reads the electronic information and the second information, based on said electronic information and said second information, said automated survey system automatically inviting participation in said surveys by performing the following steps for the survey of each particular client of said plurality of clients:
• using said second information and said electronic information to determine where to field said survey;
• and
• after using the second information and the electronic information to determine where to field said survey, fielding said survey as determined based on said second information and said electronic information.

A method for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining, on a computer readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;
• causing an interface to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey;
• after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to a user interacting with said interface displayed at said particular client, the automated survey system automatically performing the steps of:
• creating the survey based on information received over said network system from said interface;
• after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;
• after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information, said automated survey system identifying one or more target locations on said network, wherein said one or more target locations are associated with one or more target resources;
• after identifying the one or more target locations, inviting participation in said survey by causing one or more links to said survey to be embedded in said one or more target resources to allow users of said network to request participation in said survey by accessing one of said target resources over said network and activating said link in said one of said target resources;
• after the automated survey system invites participation in said survey, gathering results of said survey at a server that is remotely located from said client and generating therefrom a set of compiled statistics at said server;
• and
• after generating the set of compiled statistics, delivering said set of compiled statistics to said particular client over said network system.

A method for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining, on a computer readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;
• causing an interface to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey and to specify characteristics of a target group for participating in the survey without identifying individual members of said target group;
• after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to a user interacting with said interface displayed at said particular client, the automated survey system automatically performing the steps of:
• creating the survey based on information received from said interface;
• after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;
• after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information and said characteristics specified by said user, said automated survey system identifying one or more target locations on said network;
• and
• after identifying the one or more target locations, inviting participation in said survey by causing a link to said survey to be presented at said one or more target locations on said network.

A computer-readable medium carrying instructions for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the instructions including instructions for performing the steps of:

• maintaining, on a computer readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;
• causing an interfere to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey;
• after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to a user interacting wit said interface displayed at said particular client, the automated survey system automatically performing the steps of
• creating the survey based on information received over said network system from said interface;
• after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;
• after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information, said automated survey system identifying one or more target locations on said network, wherein said one or more target locations are associated with one or more target resources;
• after identifying the one or more target locations, inviting participation in said survey by causing one or more links to said survey to be embedded in said one or more target resources to allow users of said network to request participation in said survey by accessing one of said target resources over said network and activating said link in said one of said target resources;
• after the automated survey system invites participation in the survey, gathering results of said survey at a server that is remotely located from said client and generating therefrom a set of compiled statistics at said server, and
• after generating the set of compiled statistics, delivering said set of compiled statistics to said particular client over said network system.

A computer-readable medium carrying instructions for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the instructions comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

• maintaining, on a computer readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;
• causing an interface to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey and to specify characteristics of a target group for participating in the survey without identifying individual members of said target group;
• after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to a user interacting with said interface displayed at said particular client, the automated survey system automatically performing the steps of
• creating the survey based on information received from said interface;
• after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;
• after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information and said characteristics specified by said user, said automated survey system identifying one or more target locations on said network;
• and
• after identifying one or more target locations, inviting participation in said survey by causing a link to said survey to be presented at said one or more target locations on said network.

A method for providing an automated survey system over a network system, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining, on a computer readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;
• receiving at the automated survey system, over the network system, information that specifies characteristics about desired takers of a survey without specifying any specific individual or group of specified individuals;
• after receiving the information that specifies characteristics, the automated survey system automatically inviting users of said network system to participate in the survey by performing the steps of:
• after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;
• after reading said electronic information, based on said electronic information and said information that specifies characteristics, the automated survey system selecting resources into which to embed links to an electronic version of the survey;
• and
• after the automated survey system selects resources into which to embed links, the automated survey system causing links to said electronic version of the survey to be embedded in said selected resources.

A method for automatically inviting participation in surveys over a network system, the method comprising the steps of:

• maintaining, on a computer readable medium, electronic information for use in determining where to field surveys;
• causing an interface to be displayed at a particular client of said network system, wherein the interface allows a user of said particular client to define a survey;
• after causing the interface to be displayed, and in response to the user interacting with said interface displayed at said particular client, automatically creating said survey at a server that is remotely located from said particular client based on information received over said network system from said particular client;
• receiving target participation data over said network system, wherein the target participation data identifies one or more target users for requesting participation in said survey;
• after maintaining the electronic information, using the automated survey system to read said electronic information;
• after reading said electronic information and receiving the target participation data, the automated survey system using the electronic information and said target participation data to request participation in said survey by said one or more target users;
• after requesting participation in the survey, automatically gathering results from participation in said survey by said one or more target users;
• and
• after automatically gathering the results, providing over said network system, data that reflects said results.