Maintaining Information Describing A Group Of Online System Users Specified By A Third-Party System

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016048881-A1
Application number	US-201414461361-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 15, 2014
Priority date	Aug 15, 2014
Publication date	Feb 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An online system receives information describing a target group of online system users from a third party system and determines whether to store the information describing the target group. Online system users included in the target group are identified and scores are determined for each of the identified user. A score associated with a user represents the online system's effectiveness in targeting content to the user via targeting criteria maintained by the online system. Based on the scores, the online system determines a group score associated with the target group and stores the information describing the target group if the group score satisfies one or more criteria. If the information describing the target group is stored, the online system may determine whether to continue storing the information describing the target group based on revenue obtained by the online system from presenting content based on the target group.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
receiving, at an online system, information from a third party system describing a target group including a plurality of users of the online system; identifying each of the plurality of users of the online system included in the target group; identifying information maintained by the online system associated with each user included in the target group, the information associated with one or more targeting criteria used by the online system to select content for presentation to one or more users of the online system; determining a score associated with each of a plurality of the users included in the target group based at least in part on the targeting criteria associated with each user, the score associated with a user providing a measure of efficiency with which the online system targets content to the user based on targeting criteria associated with the user; determining a group score associated with the target group based at least in part on the determined scores; and storing the information describing the target group in the online system in response to the group score satisfying one or more criteria.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the score associated with each user included in the target group based at least in part on the targeting criteria associated with each user comprises:
determining a number of groups associated with the user, each group associated with targeting criteria; and determining the score associated with the user based at least in part on the determined number of groups associated with the user.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein determining the score associated with the user based at least in part on the determined number of groups associated with the user comprises:
determining a value based on the determined number of groups associated with the user; determining an additional value based on an additional number of groups associated with the user, the additional number of groups determined by incrementing the determined number of groups by the target group; and determining the score associated with the user based at least in part on a difference between the additional value and the value.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the group score associated with the target group based at least in part on the determined scores comprises:
determining an average of the determined scores; and determining the group score based at least in part on the determined average of the determined scores.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein determining the group score based at least in part on the determined average of the determined scores comprises:
determining a sum of the determined scores; and determining the group score based at least in part on the determined average of the determined scores and the determined sum of the determined scores.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein determining the group score based at least in part on the determined average of the determined scores and the determined sum of the determined scores comprises:
determining the group score as a square root of a product of the determined average of the determined scores and the determined sum of the determined scores.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein storing the information describing the target group in the online system in response to the group score satisfying one or more criteria comprises:
storing the target group in the online system if the target group equals or exceeds a threshold value.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving content identifying the target group as including users eligible to be presented with the content.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting content for presentation a user of the online system based at least in part on whether the user is included in the target group, if the target group is stored by the online system; determining a monetization value associated with the target group, the monetization value based at least in part an amount of revenue to the online system from presenting content items identifying users in the target group as eligible to be presented with the content items; and removing the target group from the online system if the amount of revenue is less than a threshold amount.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the monetization value is determined based at least in part on one or more selected from a group consisting of: a total revenue to the online system during a time interval from presenting content items identifying users in the target group as eligible to be presented with the content items, an average revenue to the online system during a time interval from presenting content items identifying users in the target group as eligible to be presented with the content items, a total number of content items identifying users in the target group as eligible to be presented with the content items presented to users in the target user during the time interval, an average number of content items identifying users in the target group as eligible to be presented with the content items presented to a user in the target user during the time interval, and any combination thereof.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the monetization value associated with the target group comprises:
determining a total revenue to the online system during a time interval from presenting content items identifying users in the target group as eligible to be presented with the content items; determining an average revenue to the online system during a time interval from presenting content items identifying users in the target group as eligible to be presented with the content items; determining a total number of content items identifying users in the target group as eligible to be presented with the content items presented to users in the target user during the time interval; determining an average number of content items identifying users in the target group as eligible to be presented with the content items presented to a user in the target user during the time interval, and determining the monetization value as a product of the total revenue during the time interval, the average revenue during the time interval, the total number of content items, and the average number of content items.

12 . A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
receive, at an online system, information from a third party system describing a target group including a plurality of users of the online system; identify each of the plurality of users of the online system included in the target group; identify information maintained by the online system associated with each user included in the target group, the information associated with one or more targeting criteria used by the online system to select content for presentation to one or more users of the online system; determine a score associated with each of a plurality of the users included in the target group based at least in part on the targeting criteria associated with each user, the score associated with a user providing a measure of efficiency with which the online system targets content to the user based on targeting criteria associated with the user; determine a group score associated with the target group based at least in part on the determined scores; and store the information describing the target group in the online system in response to the group score satisfying one or more criteria.

13 . The computer

Assignees

• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Zhou Li
• Abernathy Ian K
• Gao Yunzhi
• Sutthimala Kosin

Classifications

• G06Q10/40

  Business processes related to social networking or social networking services · CPC title

• G06Q30/0247 Primary

  Calculate past, present or future revenues · CPC title

• H04L67/306

  User profiles · CPC title

• G06Q30/0277

  Online advertisement · CPC title

• G06Q30/0269 Primary

  based on user profile or attribute · CPC title