Social Network Expert Identification via Information Propagation Tracing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current social networking systems lack effective methods to identify and utilize experts and influencers within their networks for targeted advertising and social grouping purposes, as existing approaches are either manual, time-consuming, or fail to accurately determine influence and expertise based on user interactions.
Innovation Solution
A method that analyzes user interactions and information sharing patterns within a social networking system to identify experts and influencers by tracing the origin and propagation of information, assigning scores based on the number of elements traced back to a user, and determining the rate of sharing to identify influencers, allowing for automatic and granular categorization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual methods are used to identify experts and influencers, then accuracy in identification may be improved, but time consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual identification methods with an automated computational system that uses algorithms to analyze user interactions, trace information propagation, and calculate influence scores. This substitution of mechanical (manual) processes with automated computational mechanisms resolves the contradiction by maintaining identification accuracy while dramatically reducing time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically analyzes its own data (user interactions, information sharing patterns) to identify experts and influencers without requiring external manual intervention. The computational system serves itself by processing its own operational data to generate insights, thereby eliminating time-consuming manual analysis while maintaining systematic accuracy.
2Ease of operation
If existing approaches are used to identify influencers, then ease of operation may be improved, but measurement precision of influence and expertise deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously monitors user interactions, traces information propagation, and updates influence scores based on actual user behavior patterns. This feedback loop allows the system to automatically adjust its identification criteria, maintaining ease of operation while improving measurement precision through data-driven refinement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes parameters such as influence scores, expertise metrics, and identification thresholds based on analyzed user interaction patterns. By adapting these parameters in response to actual usage data, the system maintains operational simplicity while achieving more precise measurement of influence and expertise.
3Productivity
If automated methods are used to identify experts and influencers, then productivity increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex identification process into distinct modular components: data collection modules, information propagation tracing modules, score calculation modules, and identification modules. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high productivity through automated processing while managing complexity by organizing functions into separate, manageable components that can be independently optimized.
Data Source
AI summary
On embodiment accesses a set of information comprising one or more elements of information relating to a subject matter, wherein the one or more elements of information have been shared among one or more users of a social-networking system; for each element of information, determines a rate of sharing of the element of information among the one or more users and identifies one or more first users who cause the rate of sharing of the element of information to increase; and identifies one or more influencers associated with the subject matter from the one or more first users identified for each element of information.