Real-Time Media Link Insertion in Social Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users in social networking systems face difficulties in accessing specific portions of media objects, particularly live media, as existing systems require followers to find described portions manually or wait for recorded versions, which can be inaccessible until the live event completes.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that automatically inserts a link to a portion of a media object in a social networking update, allowing users to access the specified part in real-time, eliminating the need for users to find or wait for the entire media object, by using an update manager to capture, analyze, and insert links to time-offsets within the media object.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a poster provides a link to the entire media object in a social networking update, then followers can access the media object, but followers cannot efficiently access only the specific portion of interest and must wait for live events to complete or manually search through the entire media object
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the media object by inserting a link that points to a specific time offset or portion of the media object rather than the entire object. This allows followers to directly access only the relevant segment of interest without having to search through or wait for the complete media object, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of accessing specific portions and time loss.
2Reliability
If followers wait for recorded versions of live media objects, then they can access the media object, but they cannot access it until the live event completes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by inserting a link to the media object portion at the specific time offset during the live event itself, before the event completes. This allows followers to access the media object portion immediately at the recorded time offset without waiting for the live event to finish or for a recorded version to be prepared, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability of access and time loss.
3Ease of operation
If users manually enter Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) to access media portions, then they can access specific portions, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an intermediary approach by automatically generating and inserting a simplified link containing a time offset or portion identifier into the social networking update. This intermediary link serves as a mediator between the user's simple click action and the complex media object access mechanism, eliminating the need for users to manually enter complex URIs while still enabling precise access to specific media portions, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described herein that are capable of providing a link to a portion of a media object (e.g., video, audio, etc.) in real time in a social networking update. For example, a user in a social networking system may generate a social networking update that references a media object while the user is consuming the media object. A determination may be made that the user is consuming the media object and that the user generates the social networking update while the user is consuming the media object. A link is inserted in the social networking update that references a portion of the media object that corresponds to a time instance at which the user generates the social networking update. For instance, the link may be automatically inserted in the social networking update.