Techniques for implementing a secret mode in a social networking system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019132710-A1
Application number	US-201715800805-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 1, 2017
Priority date	Nov 1, 2017
Publication date	May 2, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to implementing a secret mode in a social networking system. The secret mode provides a separate space for users to share and interact with particular friends. To implement the secret mode, each user may have a feed that is separate from the user's primary feed, the feed sometimes referred to as a secondary feed. Accordingly, a first user and a second user may each have a secondary feed. The first user may identify the second user as included in an audience of the first user. Based on the second using being included in the audience of the first user, content posted to the audience of the first user may be sent to the secondary feed of the second user such that the second user may view the content.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
receiving, from a first user of a social networking system, a request to add a second user of the social networking system to an audience of the first user; and in response to the request, adding a unidirectional connection from the first user to the second user in a social graph stored by the social networking system, the unidirectional connection establishing that content is able to be sent from the first user to the second user based upon the unidirectional connection, the unidirectional connection further establishing that content is not able to be sent from the second user to the first user based upon the unidirectional connection.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of feeds are associated with the second user, wherein the plurality of feeds include a first feed and a second feed, wherein the first feed includes content sent based upon a bidirectional connection between a user of the social networking system and the second user, and wherein the second feed includes content sent based upon a unidirectional connection from a user of the social networking system to the second user.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the second feed includes content from a plurality of users of the social networking system, and wherein each of the plurality of users has added the second user to their own audience.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the unidirectional connection is added to the social graph without an action by the second user.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first user and the second user are connected by a bidirectional connection in the social graph in addition to the unidirectional connection, wherein the bidirectional connection is established at the same time or before the unidirectional connection, wherein the bidirectional connection establishes that content is able to be sent from the first user to the second user based upon the bidirectional connection, and wherein the bidirectional connection further establishes that content is able to be sent from the second user to the first user based upon the bidirectional connection.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the social graph includes connections between users of the social networking system.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein a bidirectional connection is included in the social graph, and wherein the bidirectional connection establishes that content is able to be sent between a user of the social networking system and another user of the social networking system based upon the bidirectional connection.

8 . A method comprising:
receiving content sent to an audience of a first user of a social networking system, the audience including one or more users of the social networking system, each user of the one or more users connected to the first user by a unidirectional connection from the first user to the user, the unidirectional connection establishing that content is able to be sent from the first user to the user based upon the unidirectional connection, the unidirectional connection further establishing that content is not able to be sent from the user to the first user based upon the unidirectional connection; identifying the one or more users included in the audience; and for each user of the one or more users, sending the content to the user based upon a unidirectional connection from the first user to the user.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the unidirectional connection is established from the first user to the user without an action by the user.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein each of the one or more users are also connected to the first user by a bidirectional connection, wherein the bidirectional connection is established at the same time or before the unidirectional connection, wherein the bidirectional connection establishes that content is able to be sent from the first user to the user based upon the bidirectional connection, and wherein the bidirectional connection further establishes that content is able to be sent from the user to the first user based upon the bidirectional connection.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein a plurality of feeds are associated with the first user, wherein the plurality of feeds include a first feed and a second feed, wherein the first feed includes content sent based upon a bidirectional connection between the first user and another user, and wherein the second feed includes content sent based upon a unidirectional connection from another user to the first user.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the first user sends the content to the audience from the first feed.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the second feed includes content from a plurality of users of the social networking system that have added the first user to their own audiences.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the content is included in a feed associated with a user for an amount of time, wherein upon expiration of the time, the content is removed from the feed such that the user is not able to view the content.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein when the content is removed from the feed associated with the user, the content is configured such that only the first user may view the content.

16 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors, the plurality of instructions when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to:
receive, from a first user of a social networking system, a request to add a second user of the social networking system to an audience of the first user; and in response to the request, add a unidirectional connection from the first user to the second user in a social graph stored by the social networking system, the unidirectional connection establishing that content is able to be sent from the first user to the second user based upon the unidirectional connection, the unidirectional connection further establishing that content is not able to be sent from the second user to the first user based upon the unidirectional connection.

17 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein a plurality of feeds are associated with the second user, wherein the plurality of feeds include a first feed and a second feed, wherein the first feed includes content sent based upon a bidirectional connection between a user of the social networking system and the second user, wherein the second feed includes content sent based upon a unidirectional connection from a user of the social networking system to the second user, wherein the second feed includes content from a plurality of users of the social networking system, and wherein each of the plurality of users has added the second user to their own audience.

18 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the unidirectional connection is added to the social graph without an action by the second user.

19 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the first user and the second user are connected by a bidirectional connection in the social graph in addition to the unidirectional connection, wherein the bidirectional connection is established at the same time or before the unidirectional connection, wherein the bidirectional connection establishes that content is able to be sent from the first user to the second user based upon the bidirectional connection, and wherein the bidirectional connection further establi

Assignees

• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Leach Christopher Anthony
• Chao Valerie
• Smiley Jonathan
• Wei Jason
• Murga Gabriela Alcala

Classifications

• G06Q10/40

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

• H04W4/08 Primary

  User group management · CPC title

• H04L51/32

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L51/12

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06Q50/01

  Physics · mapped topic