# US 8,751,578 B2 · Providing an answer to a question from a social network site using a separate messaging site > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,751,578 B2 - Document ID: US8751578B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/781,589 - Filed: 2013-02-28 - Published: 2013-10-24 - Granted: 2014-06-10 - Earliest claimed: 2010-02-08 - Assignees: Yellowpages.Com LLC - Applicants: Yellowpages.com LLC - Inventors: Justin Marcucci; Coby P. Randquist - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8751578B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/10: Office automation; Time management - G06Q 10/40: Business processes related to social networking or social networking services - G06Q 10/42: Determination of affinities or common interests between users - G06Q 10/48: using social graphs - G06Q 30/02: Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising - H04L 51/216: Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads - H04L 51/52: for supporting social networking services - H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) - H04W 4/21: for social networking applications - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A question is received on a first social network site from a first user. The question is sent to a second user of a second social network site who receives the question from the second social network site. The first social network site receives an answer to the question from the second user via the second social network site and provides the answer to the first user. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving, via a computing device, information that was posted on a first social network site by a first user that is a member of the first social network site; sending, via the computing device, a question to a second social network site, such that the question is posted on the second social network site and is directed to a second user that is a member of a second social network site, wherein the question is based on the information that was posted on the first social network site by the first user; receiving, via the computing device, an answer to the question from the second user, wherein the answer is received from the second social network site; receiving, via the computing device, one or more prior questions corresponding to the first user that were sent to the second social network site; receiving, via the computing device, one or more answers to the one or more prior questions that were sent to the second social network site; correlating, via the computing device, the answer to the question from the second user with the question, and correlating, via the computing device, the one or more prior questions with the one or more answers to the one or more prior questions; and providing, via the computing device, an activity feed to the first user on the first social network site, the activity feed comprising the question, the answer correlated to the question, the one or more prior questions, and the one or more answers correlated to the one or more prior questions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: forming, via the computing device, the question based on the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user corresponds to an information request by the first user. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second user is identified by searching, via the computing device, network data of the second social network site to identify prior activity related to a subject matter of the question. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user corresponds to a location. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the second user is identified by searching, via the computing device, network data of the second social network site to identify prior activity related to a subject matter of the question and to the location. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a list of aliases and corresponding user names, a first alias of the list of aliases corresponding to the first user, wherein the answer received from the second social network site is addressed to the first alias. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the activity feed further comprises a plurality of favorites received from other users of the second social network site, wherein each of the other users has previously provided a respective one of the favorites in a message sent to the second social network site. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second social network site is a microblogging website, and further comprising storing data, on at least one a storage device, recording a plurality of friends of the first user, the data including a user name for each respective friend, and the friends including the second user. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the second social network site is a microblogging website, the question sent to the second user is a microblogging message, and the first social network site is integrated with the second social network site using an application program interface for the microblogging website. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first user is a member of the second social network site, and the computing device has previously received an indication from the first user permitting the computing device to send questions received from the first user to the second social network site for forwarding to other members of the second social network site. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: parsing the answer received from the second social network site to determine a location contained within the answer; and providing the location, with the answer provided to the first user, for display on a user device of the first user. ### Claim 13 A system comprising: one or more network interfaces accessible from a network; one or more repositories to retain content corresponding to a first user; one or more processors coupled to at least one of the one or more network interfaces and to at least one of the one or more repositories, the one or more processors to execute instructions to: receive information that was posted on a first social network site by a first user that is a member of the first social network site; send a question to a second social network site, such that the question is posted on the second social network site and is directed to a second user that is a member of a second social network site, wherein the question is based on the information that was posted on the first social network site by the first user; receive an answer to the question from the second user, wherein the answer is received from the second social network site; receive one or more prior questions corresponding to the first user that were sent to the second social network site; receive one or more answers to the one or more prior questions that were sent to the second social network site; correlate the answer to the question from the second user with the question, and correlating, via the computing device, the one or more prior questions with the one or more answers to the one or more prior questions; and provide an activity feed to the first user on the first social network site, the activity feed comprising the question, the answer correlated to the question, the one or more prior questions, and the one or more answers correlated to the one or more prior questions. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are to further execute instructions to: form the question based on the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user corresponds to an information request by the first user. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user corresponds to a location. ### Claim 17 A non-transitory machine-readable medium having machine-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive information that was posted on a first social network site by a first user that is a member of the first social network site; send a question to a second social network site, such that the question is posted on the second social network site and is directed to a second user that is a member of a second social network site, wherein the question is based on the information that was posted on the first social network site by the first user; receive an answer to the question from the second user, wherein the answer is received from the second social network site; receive one or more prior questions corresponding to the first user that were sent to the second social network site; receive one or more answers to the one or more prior questions that were sent to the second social network site; correlate the answer to the question from the second user with the question, and correlating, via the computing device, the one or more prior questions with the one or more answers to the one or more prior questions; and provide an activity feed to the first user on the first social network site, the activity feed comprising the question, the answer correlated to the question, the one or more prior questions, and the one or more answers correlated to the one or more prior questions. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to: form the question based on the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user corresponds to an information request by the first user. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the information that was posted on a first social network site by the first user corresponds to a location.