Media Guide Integrating Social Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media-related programming systems fail to integrate social connections effectively, limiting users' ability to discover and engage with media content shared by their friends and social circles, which hampers social interaction and media consumption experiences.
Innovation Solution
A system that integrates social networking features into media planning and viewing by allowing users to see what their friends are watching or listening to, enabling personalized media channels, instant messaging during media consumption, and targeted advertising based on user interests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional media programming systems are used, then media content delivery is straightforward, but social interaction and media discovery among users are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges media programming guide functionality with social networking features into a unified system. The program guide displays not only traditional media scheduling information but also integrates social data such as friends' viewing activities, social connections, and collaborative filtering recommendations, allowing users to discover media through social interactions while maintaining a single cohesive interface
Solution Approach 2:
The media programming guide system performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides traditional electronic program guide services, delivers social networking information about friends' media consumption, enables collaborative filtering for media recommendations, and facilitates social interaction around media content, thereby increasing adaptability without requiring separate systems
2Productivity
If media programming guides display only traditional scheduling information, then information presentation is simple, but user engagement and media discovery opportunities are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-processes and collects social data about friends' media consumption patterns, viewing histories, and preferences in advance. This preliminary gathering of social context information is stored and made readily available when users access the program guide, enabling immediate personalization and recommendation without requiring users to manually gather social information
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements collaborative filtering where users' media consumption choices and social interactions provide feedback that continuously refines recommendation algorithms. The program guide uses this feedback to dynamically adjust and personalize media recommendations based on both individual preferences and aggregated social patterns, improving media discovery efficiency over time
Data Source
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AI summary
A computer-implemented method, including receiving, at a computing device, a request from a user to display descriptors of media programming content for a time period; identifying people associated with the user employing information stored in a computer database, and identifying time-associated media programs electronically scheduled on behalf of the identified people; and providing for display, to the user, the descriptions of the identified people and of the time-associated media programs.