SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR POPULARITY AND INFLUENCE INDICATORS AND COMMERCIAL INCENTIVES BASED ON OBJECT-RELATED SOCIAL NETWORK REFERRALS

摘要

The present invention generally relates to popularity indicators, influence measures, and purchase incentives. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, the present invention relates to assessing and communicating the popularity or relative popularity of objects such as songs, books, documents, pictures, web links, comments, authors, artists, creators, based on either the number of user profiles with whom an object or a reference to an object was shared on one or more social network(s) by web users, or on the number or percentage of social network connections who acted on such a referral. It also relates to measuring the influence of a web user (or group thereof) with regard to a particular object or set of objects by using the number of user profiles with whom the web user (or group thereof) shared the object(s) or a reference(s) thereto on one or more social network(s), and offering commercial incentives based on that measure.