Content monitoring in a high volume on-line community application

Abstract

Disclosed are embodiments a system and method for managing an on-line community. Electronic postings are pre-screened based on one or more metrics to determine a risk value indicative of the likelihood that an individual posting contains objectionable content. These metrics are based on the profile of a poster, including various parameters of the poster and / or the poster's record of objectionable content postings. These metrics can also be based on the social network profile of a poster, including the average of various parameters of other users in the poster's social network and / or a compiled record of objectionable content postings of other users in the poster's social network. If the risk value is relatively low, the posting can be displayed to the on-line community immediately. If the risk value is relatively high, display of the posting can be delayed until further content analysis is completed. Finally, if the risk value is above a predetermined high risk threshold value, the posting can be removed automatically.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 622,112 filed Jan. 11, 2007, the complete disclosure of which, in its entirety, is herein incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The embodiments of the invention generally relate to on-line communities and, more particularly, to a system and method for filtering the content of postings to on-line communities.[0004]2. Description of the Related Art[0005]Online communities allow groups of people to communicate and interact via various online media, such as blogs, wikis, internet forums, chat rooms, instant messaging, electronic mail lists, etc. Each of these online communities may have its own community standards related to the content of online media postings. For example, as with real world media, such online media may have standards to prevent the dissemination of objectionable content as defined by each community's own preset or pre-esta...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]The content management system (CMS) (e.g., web server, WAP server, etc.) can further be adapted to perform different processes, depending upon whether or not the risk value of a given posting, as determined by the pre-screener, is below a predetermined low risk threshold value, above a predetermined high risk threshold value or somewhere in between. For example, to minimize delay for low risk postings, the CMS can be adapted to allow the given posting to be immediately displayed on the website, if the risk value is below the predetermined low risk threshold value. To minimize the risk of exposure of online community members to objectionable content, the CMS can be adapted to automatically remove a given posting from the website without further review, if the risk value is above a predetermined high risk threshold value. However, if the risk value is above the low risk threshold value (e.g., between the low risk threshold value and the high risk threshold value), the CMS can be adapted to request a posting confirmation and / or to analyze the posting itself for objectionable content.

[0016]Once the risk value is determined, then different method steps are performed depending upon whether or not the risk value of a given posting is below a predetermined low risk threshold value, above a predetermined high risk threshold value or somewhere in between. For example, if the risk value is below the predetermined low risk threshold value, then to minimize delay for low risk postings, a given posting can be immediately displayed on the website. Whereas, if the risk value is above a predetermined high risk threshold value, then to minimize the risk of exposure of online community members to objectionable content, a given posting can be automatically removed from the site without further review. However, if the risk value is above the low risk threshold value (e.g., between the low risk threshold value and the high risk threshold value), additional method steps can be performed.

Problems solved by technology

However, as these online communities continue to increase in size, limitations in the ability of current manual and / or automated content review systems to remove objectionable material from community websites in a timely manner have become increasingly apparent.

Images