Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

To promote the expansion of the scope of activities of experts active on news sites.SOLUTION: An information processing device for performing processing related to a news site comprises a setting information acquisition unit, a comment information acquisition unit, and a provision unit. The setting information acquisition unit acquires a target user requesting the post of a comment to an article content published on a news site and setting information related to comment theme settings of the comment from experts in a specific industry, the target user being a service user who uses the news site. The comment information acquisition unit acquires a posted comment corresponding to a comment theme from the target user. The provision unit provides the posted comments acquired by the comment information acquisition unit, distinguished from other comments.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present application relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] With the rapid spread of the Internet, news sites have become well known, providing content that can be freely viewed by service users, such as news and topics from various fields, both domestic and international. In relation to such news sites, a technology has been proposed for displaying distributed content and each piece of posted content for the distributed content (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-197422 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional technologies have room for improvement in terms of expanding the scope of activities of experts working on news sites. For example, experts have no other opportunities to work than writing articles to be published on news sites and posting comments, and there is a demand for improving services by expanding the scope of experts' activities.

[0005] The present application has been made in view of the above, and aims to expand the scope of activities of experts working on news sites. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing device according to the present application is an information processing device that executes processing related to a news site, and includes a setting information acquisition unit, a comment information acquisition unit, and a providing unit. The setting information acquisition unit acquires setting information from experts in a specific industry regarding target users who are service users of the news site and are requested to post comments on article content posted on the news site, and regarding settings for comment themes for the comments. The comment information acquisition unit acquires posted comments corresponding to the comment themes from the target users. The providing unit provides the posted comments acquired by the comment information acquisition unit, distinguishing them from other comments. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the embodiment, it is possible to expand the scope of activities of experts active on news sites. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of information processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a comment display according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the system configuration of the information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an outline of article information stored in the article information DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an overview of expert information stored in the expert information DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an overview of user information stored in the user information DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of information processing executed by the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram illustrating an example of a computer that realizes the functions of the information processing device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, modes for implementing an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program according to the present application (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the information processing device, the information processing method, and the information processing program according to the present application are not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the respective embodiments can be appropriately combined within the scope of not causing any contradiction in the processing content. Furthermore, the same components in the following embodiments will be assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] [Embodiment] [1. An example of information processing] An example of information processing according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of information processing according to the embodiment.

[0011] The information processing according to the embodiment is realized by an information processing system SYS (see, for example, FIG. 3) including a plurality of terminal devices 10, such as the terminal device 10A and the terminal device 10B shown in FIG. 1, and the information processing device 100 shown in FIG. 1. The terminal devices 10 and the information processing devices 100 are each connected to a network N (see, for example, FIG. 3) by wire or wirelessly. Furthermore, the terminal devices 10 and the information processing devices 100 can communicate with other devices through the network N.

[0012] The information processing device 100 is operated and managed by a service provider that provides various online services. For example, the service provider operates a news site, as one of the various online services, where service users can freely browse topics such as news and current events in various fields, both domestic and international. The information processing device 100 executes information processing according to the embodiment described below in relation to the provision of article content to be posted on the news site. The article content may be news articles, columns, essays, interviews, product reviews, feature articles, articles about people, or other content. The information processing device 100 is realized, for example, by one or more servers or cloud systems.

[0013] The terminal device 10A is used by a special user UA, who is a service user who acts as an expert in a specific industry on a news site, among service users of various online services. Service providers who provide various online services conduct registration screening in response to requests from service users who wish to act as experts on the news site, and register service users who pass the screening as special users UA who are experts.

[0014] The terminal device 10B is used by a general user UB who is a service user of various online services and is a service user other than the special user UA. Note that the information processing device 100 may perform information processing by regarding the special user UA, who is in a different industry from the industry of the article content, as the general user UB.

[0015] 1, a special user UA, who is an expert, sets target users to be requested to post comments on article content displayed on a news site screen W-1 and a comment theme. The terminal device 10A transmits setting information regarding the target users and comment theme settings set by the special user UA to the information processing device 100 (step S01).

[0016] For example, the information processing device 100 displays, on the news site screen W-1, a comment request setting area A for accepting settings of target users to be requested to post comments and comment themes. The information processing device 100 may display the comment request setting area A on the news site screen W-1 in response to an operation of the special user UA on the news site screen W-1.

[0017] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may be configured to automatically display a comment request setting area A on the news site screen W-1 when a service user viewing the news site screen W-1 is registered as a special user UA who is an expert. In this case, the information processing device 100 may display a comment request setting area A on the news site screen W-1 when the industry corresponding to the special user UA matches the industry corresponding to the article content displayed on the news site screen W-1. In other words, the information processing device 100 may limit the casting authority of the special user UA for the target user (i.e., the setting authority for the target user) to a specific industry in which the special user UA has expertise.

[0018] The comment request setting area A has a setting area A-1 for the special user UA to set a comment theme, and a setting area A-2 for setting target users to whom the special user UA is requested to post a comment.

[0019] The setting area A-1 accepts input of a comment theme from the special user UA. The comment theme input in the setting area A-1 becomes the content of a posting request message, which is an offer letter sent to the target user when requesting the posting of a comment. Among service users of the online service, all general users UB except the special user UA can be target users.

[0020] The setting area A-2 presents a list of candidate users that the special user UA can select as target users. The setting area A-2 may list, from among general users UB, general users UB who have posted comments on article content that the special user UA is viewing as candidate users.

[0021] Furthermore, general users UB who are highly related to the special user UA may be listed as candidate users presented in the setting area A-2. Examples of general users UB who are highly related to the special user UA include general users UB who have purchased article content posted by the special user UA that requires a fee to view, general users UB who have taken an action indicating a high rating for article content posted by the special user UA, and general users UB who have bookmarked article content posted by the special user UA.

[0022] The setting area A-2 displays user information J, such as user information J1 and user information J2, corresponding to the general user UB listed as a candidate user. The user information J includes, for example, the username of the general user UB, the contents of comments previously posted by the general user UB, and an offer icon for sending a request to the general user UB to post a comment. When the terminal device 10A detects an operation on the offer icon, it determines that the general user UB corresponding to the offer icon on which the operation was detected has been selected as a target user, and determines that it has received a request to send setting information related to the setting of the target user and comment theme.

[0023] In addition, general users UB with a low discomfort index may be listed as candidate users in the setting area A-2. The discomfort index is a numerical value that indicates whether other general users UB who view the content of a comment posted by the general user UB will feel uncomfortable, based on the content of the comment, for example, and is set in advance by the service provider.

[0024] When the terminal device 10A completes setting of a comment theme in the setting area A-1 and detects an operation of an offer icon corresponding to the target user in the setting area A-2, the terminal device 10A transmits setting information related to the setting of the target user and the comment theme to the information processing device 100. The setting information related to the setting of the target user may be any information that can identify the target user, such as the username of the target user, a user ID associated with the target user's comment, or the content and posting date and time of the target user's comment. The setting information related to the setting of the comment theme corresponds to text information input by the special user UA as the comment theme.

[0025] The special user UA may select multiple general users UB as target users. In this case, the information processing device 100 may provide a function for selecting multiple general users UB as target users at once in the setting area A-2.

[0026] When the information processing device 100 receives setting information regarding the settings of the target user and comment theme from the terminal device 10A, it uses the received setting information to send a posting request message to the target user requesting them to post a comment regarding the comment theme set by the special user UA (step S02).

[0027] For example, when the information processing device 100 acquires the user ID of the target user as setting information related to the target user's settings, the information processing device 100 sends a posting request message to the target user (e.g., a general user UB) via a push notification of a user application installed on the terminal device 10, addressed to the acquired user ID, to request the target user to post a comment on the comment theme set by the special user UA. The user application is an application program equipped with various functions for using a news site, and is used by service users as appropriate. Furthermore, if there is an email address associated with the target user's user ID, the information processing device 100 may send the posting request message to the email address.

[0028] When the terminal device 10B receives a posting request message from the information processing device 100, it displays the received posting request message. The terminal device 10B displays a comment posting screen W-2 in accordance with an action of the general user UB in response to the posting request message. For example, when the terminal device 10B detects an operation on a hyperlink inserted in the posting request message, it obtains information on the comment posting screen W-2 according to the hyperlink and displays the comment posting screen W-2 using the obtained information.

[0029] Furthermore, when the terminal device 10B receives a request to send a posted comment from the general user UB, the terminal device 10B sends information about the posted comment to the information processing device 100 (step S03).

[0030] When the information processing device 100 receives comment information regarding the posted comment from the terminal device 10B, it displays the posted comment included in the received comment information as a comment requested by the special user UA, associates it with the article content being viewed by the special user UA, and displays it on the news site screen W-1, thereby providing it distinct from other comments (step S04), and makes it publicly available for viewing by all service users viewing the news site.

[0031] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a comment display according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, a posted comment display area B is displayed on a news site screen W-1. The posted comment display area B has a comment theme display area B-1 and a posted comment display area B-2. This makes it possible to distinguish between the posted comment posted by the target user at the request of the special user UA and the other comments, if there are other comments on the article content displayed on the news site screen W-1.

[0032] The comment theme display area B-1 displays information indicating the comment theme set by the special user UA for the article content displayed on the news site screen W-1. The comment theme display area B-1 also displays information J-3 (for example, "expert UA-1") indicating that the comment theme is a theme set by the special user UA. This allows users to distinguish which expert requested each comment, even if there are, for example, a comment posted by a target user at the request of a first expert, the special user UA, and a comment posted by a target user at the request of another special user UA, the second expert, for the article content displayed on the news site screen W-1.

[0033] The posted comment display area B-2 displays information indicating the content of the posted comment posted by the target user in response to a posting request from the special user UA. Also, the posted comment display area B-2 displays information J-4 (for example, "Guest") indicating that the posted comment was posted in response to a posting request from the special user UA.

[0034] Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may provide, for each of a plurality of special users UA, posted comments posted by target users in response to a posting request from the special user UA, in a lump sum. In this case, the information processing device 100 provides a posted comment display area B-2 on the news site screen W-1 for each special user UA who has requested a comment.

[0035] As described above, when the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment receives a request from a special user UA in a specific industry to set a target user to post a comment and a comment theme, the information processing device 100 requests the target user to post a comment and acquires the posted comment from the target user. The information processing device 100 according to the embodiment then provides the acquired posted comment, distinguishing it from other comments. In this way, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment can provide a place for the special user UA to act as an expert on a news site to enrich comments on article content, thereby expanding the scope of activities of experts active on the news site.

[0036] [2. System Configuration] The configuration of the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment includes a plurality of terminal devices 10 such as a terminal device 10A and a terminal device 10B, and an information processing device 100.

[0038] The terminal device 10 and the information processing device 100 are connected to a network N by wire or wirelessly. Each of the terminal device 10 and the information processing device 100 can communicate with other devices via the network N.

[0039] The network N includes, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network) such as the Internet, and a mobile communication network such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), or 5G (5th Generation: fifth generation mobile communication system).

[0040] The terminal device 10 is connected to a network N by short-range wireless communication such as a mobile communication network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or wireless LAN (Local Area Network), and can communicate with other devices such as the information processing device 100 through the network N. Each of the multiple terminal devices 10 is used by a different service user.

[0041] The terminal device 10A is used by a special user UA, who is a service user of various online services and who acts as an expert in a specific industry on a news site. Service providers that provide various online services conduct registration screening in response to requests from service users who wish to act as experts in the online services, and register service users who pass the screening as special users UA who are experts.

[0042] The terminal device 10B is used by a general user UB who is a service user of various online services and is a service user other than the special user UA who is an expert. Note that the information processing device 100 may perform information processing by regarding the special user UA, whose industry of expertise is different from the industry of the article content, as a general user.

[0043] In addition to news sites, online services provided to service users may include, for example, search services, travel information services, SNS (Social Networking Services), e-commerce services, electronic payment services, online games, online banking services, online trading services, hotel reservation services, ticket reservation services, video distribution services, music distribution services, map information services, route search services, route guidance services, line information services, operation information services, weather information services, question services, etc. Note that the various online services may also include API (Application Programming Interface) services corresponding to various applications.

[0044] For example, the terminal device 10 can display web content provided by the information processing device 100 using a user application. When the terminal device 10 receives control information for realizing information display processing from the information processing device 100, the terminal device 10 realizes the display processing in accordance with the control information.

[0045] Furthermore, when the terminal device 10 receives control information for realizing predetermined information processing from the information processing device 100, the terminal device 10 realizes the information processing in accordance with the control information. Here, the control information is described in, for example, a script language such as JavaScript (registered trademark), a style sheet language such as CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), a programming language such as Java (registered trademark), or a markup language such as HTML (HyperText Markup Language). Note that a predetermined application itself delivered from the information processing device 100 or the like may also be considered as control information.

[0046] 1 illustrates a case where the terminal device 10 is a smartphone, but the terminal device 10 may be, for example, a notebook PC (Personal Computer), a desktop PC, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a wearable device, etc. Examples of wearable devices include, but are not limited to, smart glasses and smart watches.

[0047] The information processing device 100 is operated and managed by a service provider that provides various online services. For example, the service provider operates a news site, as one of the various online services, where service users can freely browse news and topics in various fields, both domestic and international. The information processing device 100 executes information processing according to the embodiment described below in relation to the provision of article content posted on the news site. The processing function units that the information processing device 100 has for realizing the information processing according to the embodiment will be described later.

[0048] The information processing device 100 is typically a server device, but may also be realized by a mainframe, a workstation, etc. Furthermore, when the information processing device 100 is realized by a server device, it may be realized by a single server device, or may be realized by a cloud system in which multiple server devices and multiple storage devices operate in cooperation with each other.

[0049] [3. Equipment configuration] An example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 100 included in the information processing system SYS according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the information processing device 100 includes a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130.

[0050] (Communication unit 110) The communication unit 110 is realized by, for example, a communication module or a network interface card (NIC). The communication unit 110 is connected to a network N by wire or wirelessly. The information processing device 100 transmits and receives information to and from other devices such as the terminal device 10 via the network N.

[0051] (Storage unit 120) The storage unit 120 stores, for example, programs and data used for control and calculation by the control unit 130. For example, the storage unit 120 is realized by a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. For example, the storage unit 120 has an article information DB 121, an expert information DB 122, and a user information DB 123. Note that the storage unit 120 is not particularly limited to the example shown in FIG. 4 and can store data necessary for executing the information processing according to the embodiment as appropriate.

[0052] (Article information DB121) The article information DB 121 stores article information about articles published on news sites. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an outline of the article information stored in the article information DB 121 according to the embodiment.

[0053] The article information stored in the article information DB 121 has an "article ID" field and an "associated industry" field, as shown in Fig. 5. These fields of the article information are associated with each other.

[0054] The "article ID" field stores an article ID, which is identification information unique to the article content and is assigned to the article content in order to identify the article content posted on the news site.

[0055] The "corresponding industry" item stores information indicating the industry corresponding to the topic such as news or a topic that is taken up in the article content.

[0056] For example, information indicating the industry corresponding to the article content is referenced when determining whether the topic covered in the article content corresponds to a special user UA who is an expert.

[0057] (Expert Information DB122) The expert information DB 122 stores, as expert information, information about special users UA who are service users who act as experts in specific industries on the news site. Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an overview of the expert information stored in the expert information DB 122 according to the embodiment.

[0058] The expert information stored in the expert information DB 122 has multiple items such as a "user ID" item, a "service industry" item, a "posted article" item, a "follower" item, and a "paying user" item, as shown in Fig. 6. These items in the expert information are associated with each other.

[0059] The "user ID" field stores a user ID, which is identification information unique to a service user that is assigned to the service user in order to identify the service user who acts as a special user UA.

[0060] The "corresponding industry" field stores information indicating the industry in which the service user acting as the special user UA has expertise.

[0061] The "posted article" field stores an article ID for identifying an article posted to a news site by a service user acting as a special user UA.

[0062] The "followers" item stores user IDs for identifying service users who have bookmarked articles posted by the special user UA on the news site.

[0063] The "paid user" field stores a user ID for identifying a service user who has purchased a paid posted article from among the articles posted by the special user UA.

[0064] The expert information stored in the expert information DB 122 is referred to when listing target users.

[0065] (User information DB123) The user information DB 123 stores user information relating to service users of various online services. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an overview of the user information stored in the user information DB 123 according to the embodiment.

[0066] The user information stored in the user information DB 123 has multiple items such as a "user ID" item, a "bookmarked article" item, a "purchased article" item, and a "contact information" item, as shown in Fig. 7. These items in the user information are associated with each other.

[0067] The "user ID" field stores a user ID, which is identification information unique to the service user and is assigned to the service user in order to identify the service user.

[0068] The "bookmarked article" field stores an article ID for identifying article content that the service user has bookmarked on the news site.

[0069] The "purchased article" field stores an article ID for identifying article content that the service user has purchased on the news site.

[0070] The "Purchased Article" field stores an article ID for identifying article content that a service user has given a high rating to. High ratings include ratings given by a button function associated with the article content so that service users can give ratings, and rating scale information that can be set when service users post comments on the article content.

[0071] The "contact information" field stores information indicating the contact information of the service user, such as an email address or telephone number that the service user optionally registers.

[0072] 7 may be stored as user information. For example, the user information DB123 may store information on demographic attributes (also referred to as "demographic attributes") such as the name, age, sex, occupation, annual household income, place of residence, and type of residence of the service user U, or information on psychological attributes (also referred to as "psychographic attributes") such as the service user U's interests and concerns, lifestyle, thoughts, and thought tendencies of the service user U. The user information DB123 may also store behavioral information such as the service user's search history, browsing history, and purchase history.

[0073] (control unit 130) The control unit 130 is a controller, and is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), etc., executing various programs (examples of "information processing programs") stored in a storage device inside the information processing device 100 using RAM as a working area.

[0074] Furthermore, the control unit 130 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a general purpose graphic processing unit (GPGPU).

[0075] As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 130 has a setting information acquisition unit 131, a comment information acquisition unit 132, and a provision unit 133, and these units realize or execute the functions and actions of the information processing described below.

[0076] Note that control unit 130 may have an internal configuration divided into multiple processing units that realize or execute the information processing functions and actions described below. Also, control unit 130 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 4, and may have other configurations as long as they perform the information processing described below, and may have other functional units other than those shown in Fig. 4.

[0077] (Setting information acquisition unit 131) The setting information acquisition unit 131 acquires setting information related to the settings of target users who are requested to post comments on article content and the comment themes of the comments that the target users are requested to post from a special user UA who is an expert in a specific industry active on the news site. Specifically, the setting information acquisition unit 131 acquires, via the communication unit 110, setting information related to the settings of the target users and the comment themes transmitted from the terminal device 10A.

[0078] For example, in response to a request from a special user UA, the setting information acquisition unit 131 displays a comment request setting area A on the news site screen W-1 for accepting settings of target users to be requested to post comments and comment themes. If the service user viewing the news site screen W-1 is registered as a special user UA who is an expert, the setting information acquisition unit 131 may display the comment request setting area A in response to an operation of the service user on the news site screen W-1.

[0079] The comment request setting area A has a setting area A-1 for the special user UA to set a comment theme, and a setting area A-2 for setting target users to whom comments are requested (see, for example, Figure 1).

[0080] The setting area A-1 accepts input of a comment theme from the special user UA. The comment theme input in the setting area A-1 becomes the content of the posting request message sent to the target user when requesting the posting of a comment. Among the service users of the online service, all general users UB except the special user UA can be target users.

[0081] The setting area A-2 displays a list of candidate users that the special user UA can select as target users. The setting area A-2 may list, as candidate users, service users who have posted comments on the article content that the special user UA is viewing.

[0082] Furthermore, in the setting area A-2, service users who have a high degree of association with the expert may be listed as candidate users. Examples of service users who have a high degree of association with the expert include service users who are viewing article content posted by the special user UA that requires a fee to view, service users who have taken an action to give a high rating to the article content posted by the special user UA, and service users who have bookmarked the article content posted by the special user UA.

[0083] The setting area A-2 displays user information J, such as user information J1 and user information J2, corresponding to service users listed as candidate users. The user information J includes, for example, the username of the service user, the content of comments previously posted by the service user, and an offer icon for sending a request to the service user to post a comment. When the terminal device 10A detects an operation on the offer icon, it determines that the service user corresponding to the offer icon on which the operation was detected has been selected as a target user, and determines that it has received a request to send setting information related to the setting of the target user and comment theme.

[0084] In addition, general users UB with a low discomfort index may be listed as candidate users in the setting area A-2. The discomfort index is a numerical value that indicates whether other general users UB who view the content of a comment posted by the general user UB will feel uncomfortable, based on the content of the comment, for example, and is set in advance by the service provider.

[0085] The setting information acquisition unit 131 passes setting information relating to the target user and comment theme settings set by the special user UA to the comment information acquisition unit 132.

[0086] (Comment information acquisition unit 132) The comment information acquisition unit 132 acquires posted comments related to the comment theme set by the special user UA from the target user. Specifically, the comment information acquisition unit 132 uses the setting information related to the settings of the target user and the comment theme received from the setting information acquisition unit 131 to send a posting request message to the terminal device 10 used by the target user via the communication unit 110, requesting the target user to post a comment related to the comment theme set by the special user UA.

[0087] For example, when the comment information acquisition unit 132 acquires the user ID of the target user as setting information related to the target user's settings, the comment information acquisition unit 132 sends a posting request message to the target user via a push notification of a user app installed on the terminal device 10, addressed to the acquired user ID, to request the target user to post a comment on the comment theme set by the special user UA. The user app is an application program equipped with various functions for using a news site, and is used by service users as appropriate. Furthermore, when the user information stored in the user information DB 123 includes an email address associated with the user ID of the target user, the comment information acquisition unit 132 may send the posting request message to the email address.

[0088] When the comment information acquisition unit 132 acquires comment information related to the comment posted by the target user via the communication unit 110 , the comment information acquisition unit 132 passes the acquired comment information to the provision unit 133 .

[0089] (Provider 133) The providing unit 133 provides the posted comment acquired by the comment information acquiring unit 132 in a manner distinguished from other comments. Specifically, the providing unit 133 provides the posted comment included in the comment information received from the comment information acquiring unit 132 in a manner distinguished from other comments by displaying the posted comment included in the comment information received from the comment information acquiring unit 132 on the news site screen W-1 as a comment requested by the special user UA in association with the article content being viewed by the business entity UA.

[0090] For example, the providing unit 133 provides the posted comment of the target user with information (for example, information J-4 shown in Figure 2) indicating that the comment was posted by the target user in response to a posting request from the special user UA.

[0091] Furthermore, the providing unit 133 may provide, for each of a plurality of special users UA who are experts, a collection of posted comments that are comments posted by target users in response to posting requests from the special users UA.

[0092] 4. Processing Procedure According to the Embodiment The following describes the procedure of information processing executed by the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of information processing executed by the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment. The procedure of processing shown in Fig. 8 is executed by the control unit 130 of the information processing device 100. The procedure of processing shown in Fig. 8 is repeatedly executed while the information processing device 100 is operating.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 8, the setting information acquisition unit 131 acquires setting information from a special user UA, who is an expert, regarding the setting of target users to be requested to post comments on article content and the comment theme of the comments to be posted by the target users (step S101).

[0094] Furthermore, the comment information acquisition unit 132 acquires posted comments related to the comment theme set by the special user UA from the target users (step S102).

[0095] Furthermore, the providing unit 133 provides the posted comment acquired by the comment information acquiring unit 132, distinguishing it from other comments (step S103), and ends the processing procedure shown in FIG.

[0096] [5. Modifications] In the above-described embodiment, the setting information acquisition unit 131 may provide the special user UA, who is an expert, with a setting window separate from the news site screen W-1 for accepting settings of target users and comment themes from the special user UA.

[0097] Furthermore, the setting information acquisition unit 131 may set a minimum condition for a candidate user to be listed in the setting area A-2 that the candidate user has a history of purchasing paid article content posted by the special user UA.

[0098] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the comment information acquisition unit 132 may cause the terminal device 10B to display the comment posting screen W-2 on the condition that the target user accepts the posting request from the special user UA.

[0099] [6. Hardware Configuration] Moreover, the information processing device 100 according to the above-described embodiment and each modified example is realized, for example, by a computer 1000 configured as shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer that realizes the functions of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment and each modified example.

[0100] The computer 1000 is connected to an output device 1010 and an input device 1020, and has a configuration in which an arithmetic unit 1030, a primary storage device 1040, a secondary storage device 1050, an output IF (Interface) 1060, an input IF 1070, and a network IF 1080 are connected by a bus 1090.

[0101] The arithmetic device 1030 operates based on programs stored in the primary storage device 1040 and secondary storage device 1050, programs read from the input device 1020, and the like, and executes various processes. The primary storage device 1040 is a memory device, such as a RAM, that temporarily stores data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations. The secondary storage device 1050 is a storage device in which data used by the arithmetic device 1030 for various calculations and various databases are registered, and is realized by a ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD, flash memory, or the like.

[0102] The output IF 1060 is an interface for transmitting information to be output to an output device 1010 that outputs various types of information, such as a monitor or a printer, and is realized by a connector conforming to a standard such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), or HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), etc. The input IF 1070 is an interface for receiving information from various input devices 1020, such as a mouse, keyboard, and scanner, and is realized by, for example, USB.

[0103] The input device 1020 may be a device that reads information from an optical recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a PD (Phase Change Rewritable Disk), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. The input device 1020 may also be an external storage medium such as a USB memory.

[0104] The network IF 1080 receives data from other devices via the network N and sends it to the arithmetic device 1030, and also transmits data generated by the arithmetic device 1030 to other devices via the network N.

[0105] The arithmetic unit 1030 controls the output device 1010 and the input device 1020 via the output IF 1060 and the input IF 1070. For example, the arithmetic unit 1030 loads a program from the input device 1020 or the secondary storage device 1050 onto the primary storage device 1040 and executes the loaded program.

[0106] For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment, the arithmetic device 1030 of the computer 1000 executes a program (for example, an information processing program) loaded onto the primary storage device 1040, thereby realizing the same functions as the control unit 130. That is, the arithmetic device 1030 cooperates with the program (for example, an information processing program) loaded onto the primary storage device 1040 to realize the processing by the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment.

[0107] [7. Other] Of the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically using a known method. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data, and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed as desired unless otherwise specified.

[0108] Furthermore, the components of each device shown in the figure are conceptual functional components and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc.

[0109] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate within the scope of not causing any contradiction in the processing content.

[0110] The above describes in detail the embodiments of the present application based on several drawings, but these are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented in other forms that include the embodiments described in the Disclosure of the Invention section and that have been modified and improved in various ways based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0111] Furthermore, the above-mentioned "section, module, unit" can be read as "means" or "circuit," etc. For example, a control section can be read as control means or a control circuit.

[0112] [8. Effects] The information processing device 100 according to the embodiment is an information processing device that executes processing related to a news site, and includes a setting information acquisition unit 131, a comment information acquisition unit 132, and a providing unit 133. The setting information acquisition unit 131 acquires, from a special user UA who is an expert in a specific industry, setting information regarding target users who are service users who use the news site and are requested to post comments on article content posted on the news site, and setting information regarding comment themes for the comments. The comment information acquisition unit 132 acquires posted comments corresponding to the comment themes from the target users. The providing unit 133 provides the posted comments acquired by the comment information acquisition unit 132, distinguishing them from other comments.

[0113] Furthermore, the setting information acquisition unit 131 accepts the setting of the target user from among candidate users who have a high degree of association with the special user UA who is an expert.

[0114] Furthermore, the setting information acquisition unit 131 extracts, as candidate users, service users who have a history of purchasing paid article content that is posted by a special user UA who is an expert and requires a fee to view.

[0115] Furthermore, the setting information acquisition unit 131 extracts, as candidate users, service users who have taken an action to give a high rating to article content posted by a special user UA who is an expert.

[0116] Furthermore, the setting information acquisition unit 131 extracts, as candidate users, service users who have bookmarked article content posted by a special user UA who is an expert.

[0117] Furthermore, the setting information acquisition unit 131 extracts service users with low discomfort indices as candidate users.

[0118] Furthermore, the providing unit 133 provides the posted comment with information indicating that the comment was posted by the target user in response to a posting request from the special user UA who is an expert.

[0119] Furthermore, the providing unit 133 provides the posted comments of the target user collectively for each of a plurality of experts.

[0120] In this way, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment has the above-described characteristic configuration, and thus can provide a place for the special user UA, who is an expert, to act as an expert in enriching comments on article content on the news site, thereby expanding the range of activities of the experts active on the news site.

[0121] Furthermore, the above-described effects can also be realized by the processing executed by each of the above-described units, or by any combination of the processing executed by each unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0122] SYS Information Processing System N Network 10 Terminal Equipment 100 Information processing device 110 Communications Department 120 Storage section 121 Article Information DB 122 Expert Information DB 123 User information DB 130 Control Unit 131 Setting information acquisition unit 132 Comment information acquisition unit 133 Provision Department

Claims

1. An information processing device that executes processing related to a news site, a setting information acquisition unit that acquires, from experts in a specific industry, setting information regarding target users who are service users using the news site and are requested to post comments on article content posted on the news site, and setting information regarding comment themes for the comments; a comment information acquisition unit that acquires posted comments corresponding to the comment theme from the target user; a providing unit that provides the posted comments acquired by the comment information acquiring unit while distinguishing them from other comments; An information processing device comprising:

2. The setting information acquisition unit A list of the service users who are highly related to the expert is presented to the expert as candidate users who can be selected as the target user.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The setting information acquisition unit The article content posted by the expert is extracted as the candidate user from the service users who have a history of purchasing the article content, which requires a fee to be charged for viewing.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

4. The setting information acquisition unit The service users who have taken an action to give a high rating to the article content posted by the expert are extracted as the candidate users.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

5. The setting information acquisition unit The service users who have bookmarked the article content posted by the expert are extracted as the candidate users.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

6. The setting information acquisition unit The service users with a low discomfort index are extracted as the candidate users.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

7. The providing unit The posted comment is provided with information indicating that the comment was posted by the target user in response to a posting request from the expert.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

8. The providing unit The posted comments of the target users are provided together for each of a plurality of experts.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

9. An information processing method performed by a computer that executes processing related to a news site, a setting information acquisition step of acquiring, from experts in a specific industry, setting information regarding target users who are service users using the news site and who are requested to post comments on article content posted on the news site, and setting information regarding comment themes for the comments; a comment information acquisition step of acquiring posted comments corresponding to the comment theme from the target users; a providing step of providing the posted comments acquired by the comment information acquiring step in a manner that distinguishes them from other comments; An information processing method comprising:

10. The computer that processes the news site a setting information acquisition step of acquiring, from experts in a specific industry, setting information regarding target users who are service users of the news site and are requested to post comments on article content posted on the news site, and setting information regarding comment themes for the comments; a comment information acquisition step of acquiring posted comments corresponding to the comment theme from the target users; a providing step of providing the posted comments acquired by the comment information acquisition step in a manner distinguished from other comments; An information processing program characterized by causing the program to execute the above.

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