Cliprank: ranking media content using their relationships with end users

A computer-implemented method of ranking a plurality of pieces of media content for a specific user of a plurality of users, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of media content has at least one relationship with at least one of the plurality of users and each of the plurality of users has at least one relationship with at least one of the plurality of pieces of media content, each user and each piece of media content being a node, the plurality of users and the plurality of pieces of media content being a multiplicity of nodes, each node having at least one relationship with at least one other node, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of media content is associated with a weight, each of the plurality of users is associated with a weight, and each relationship is associated with a weight, comprising:

• assigning, in a computer system, an initial value to the weight associated with each of the plurality of pieces of media content, wherein an initial value of a weight associated with a piece of media content is determined based on a content rating associated with the piece of media content obtained for the specific user;
• for each of the multiplicity of nodes, recursively calculating and updating the weight associated with the node until the difference between the weights associated with the multiplicity of nodes calculated during a current iteration and the weights associated with the multiplicity of nodes calculated during a previous iteration is less than a predefined threshold, wherein the weight associated with each node is calculated based on the weights of the at least one relationship and the weights of the at least one node with which the node has the at least one relationship;
• and
• ranking the plurality of pieces of media content according to their respectively associated weights.

A computer program product for ranking a plurality of pieces of media content, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of media content has at least one relationship with at least one of a plurality of users and each of the plurality of users has at least one relationship with at least one of the plurality of pieces of media content, and wherein each of the plurality of pieces of media content is associated with a weight, each and each piece of media content being a node, the plurality of users and the plurality of pieces of media content being a multiplicity of nodes, each node having at least one relationship with at least one other node, wherein each of the plurality of users is associated with a weight, and each relationship is associated with a weight, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having a plurality of computer program instructions stored therein, which are operable to cause at least one computing device to:

• for each node, recursively calculate and update, in a computer system, the weight associated with the node until a difference between the weights associated with the multiplicity of nodes calculated during a current iteration and the weights associated with the multiplicity of nodes calculated during a previous iteration is less than a predefined threshold, wherein the weight associated with each node is calculated based on the weights of the at least one relationship and the weights of the at least one node with which the piece of media content or the user has the at least one relationship;
• and
• rank the plurality of pieces of media content according to their respectively associated weights.

A system for ranking a plurality pieces of media content, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of media content has at least one relationship with at least one of a plurality of users and each of the plurality of users has at least one relationship with at least one of the plurality of pieces of media content, each user and each piece of media content being a node, the plurality of users and the plurality of pieces of media content being a multiplicity of nodes, each node having at least one relationship with at least one other node, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of media content is associated with a weight, each of the plurality of users is associated with a weight, and each relationship is associated with a weight, comprising:

• a relationship graph builder configured to construct and initialize a relationship graph, wherein the relationship graph includes the multiplicity of nodes, relationships among the multiplicity of nodes, predefined weights associated with the relationships, and initial weights associated with the plurality of pieces of media content and the plurality of users, wherein one of the users has at least two distinct relationships with one of the pieces of media content, the at least two distinct relationships having distinct weights and representing different types of relationships between the one of the users and the one of the pieces of media content;
• and
• a weight calculator configured to calculate the final weights associated with the plurality of pieces of media content and the plurality of users by repeatedly calculating and updating the weights associated with the plurality of pieces of media content and the plurality of users until a difference between the weights calculated during a current iteration and the weights calculated during a previous iteration is less than a predefined threshold.