Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM FOR CREATING AND MAINTAINING A DATABASE
OF INFORMATION UTILIZING USER OPINIONS
BACKGROUND
This invention relates generally to systems for creating, maintaining and
using
database information. More particularly, it relates to a system for
automatically creating and
maintaining a database of information utilizing user opinions. Even more
particularly, it
relates to an Internet system assisting a population of users to automatically
maintain the
database content a,nd to improve the usefulness and quality of the database
information
without any substantial management by the website owner-manager.
Recently, a wide range of interactive devices has been developed to provide
information to consumers via communications networks. These interactive
devices include,
for example, computers connected to various computer on-line services,
interactive luoslcs,
interactive television systems and the like. In particular, the popularity of
computer on-line
services has grown immensely in popularity over the last decade. Computer on-
line services
are provided by a wide variety of different companies. In general, most
computer on-line
services are accessed via the Internet. The Internet is a global network of
computers. One
popular part of the Internet is the World Wide Web, or the "Web." The World
Wide Web
contains computers that display graphical and textual information. Computers
that provide
information on the World Wide Web are typically called "Web sites." A Web site
is defined
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by an Internet address that has an associated electronic page, often called a
"home page."
Generally, a home page is an electronic document that organizes the
presentation of text,
graphical images, audio and video into a desired display. These Web sites are
operated by a
wide variety of entities, which are typically called "providers."
A user may access the Internet via a dedicated high-speed line or by.using a
personal
computer (PC) equipped with a conventional modem. Special interface software,
called
"browser" software, is installed within the PC. When the user wishes to access
the Internet
by normal telephone line, an attached modem is automatically instmcted to dial
the telephone
number associated with the local Internet host server. The user can then
access information
at any address accessible over the Internet. Two well-known web browsers, for
example, are
the Netscape Navigator browser marketed by Netscape Communications Corporation
and the
Internet Explorer browser marketed by Microsoft Corporation.
Information exchanged over the Internet is typically encoded in HyperText Mark-
up
Language (HTML) format. The HTML format is a scripting language that is used
to generate
the home pages for different content providers. In this setting, a content
provider is an
individual or company that places information (content) on, the Internet so
that others can
access it. As is well lcnowri in the art, the HTML format is a set of
conventions for marking
different portions of a document so that each portion appears in a distinctive
format. For
example, the HTML format identifies or "tags" portions of a document to
identify different
categories of text (e.g., the title, header, body text, etc.). When a web
browser accesses an
HTML docLUnent, the web browser reads the embedded tags in the document so it
appears
formatted in the specified manner.
An HTML document can also include hyperlinks, which allow a user to move from
one document to another document on the Internet. A hyperlinlc is an
underlined or otherwise
emphasized portion of text that, when selected using an input device such as a
mouse,
activates a software connection module which allows the user to jump between
documents or
pages (i.e., within the same Web site or to other Web sites). Hyperlinlcs are
well l~nown in
the art, and have been sometimes referred to as anchors. The act of selecting
the hyperlink is
often referred to as "cliclcing on" the hyperlink.
As the popularity of the Internet and the World Wide Web has continued to
increase
over the years, companies continue to try finding ways to provide useful
content and to
promote their products and services in a cost-effective manner and to get
consumers to visit
their Web sites. To that end, computer on-line services often offer subject
search services to
their users and employ narrative descriptions of their content, user ratings
and user
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comments. Previous examples of such services include epinions.com, deja.corn
and
travelpage.com. These prior systems present a number of limitations and
drawbacks to the
consumer user of the system. Specifically, a consumer cannot search for a
subject based on
opinions or ratings of the users of the system. Instead, the search logic is
either hierarchical,
based on predefined classifications, such as geography, or text based using a
search for
ambiguous words or phrases contained in the subject's title or description.
Users' opinions
and ratings are normally not finely detailed nor measurable and are separate
and unrelated
and are not included in the search processes offered to users. Therefore a
user is unable to
search for a subject based entirely or partially on the users' opinions or
ratings.
Although computer on-line information services allow guests to personalize or
customize the information displayed to them on initial entry to the site, such
personalization
is limited because it~does not allow for consideration of the guest's
interests and related
opinions and ratings of the other users. Rather, the personalization is based
on personal
preferences in specific, rigid categories of information defined by the
information service
provider based on the search indexes of the database. As a result, information
is presented
across a spectrum of subjects that are of interest, but without regard to a
user's measures of
importance/relevance.
From the perspective of the consumer, the above-described model presents a
number
of drawbacks. First, highly structured hierarchical search rules force users
to search in
predetermined ways, and text-based searches rely on ambiguous words or phrases
and focus
on names or subjects, not concise descriptions and user's evaluations, making
identification
and selection of the most relevant content (to a particular searcher)
difficult. Second, because
Internet-based searches are either very rigid or very loosely structured, it
is difficult for users
to compare similar subjects across the spectrum of their interests. Finally,
the quality,
freshness and completeness of the database of information must be raised while
minimizing
costs.
Internet-based on-line information systems also present shortcomings for the
system
operators and managers. Specifically, they require a high degree of human
intervention to
maintain. On-line information service providers permit users to comment on and
rate
subjects within their site and routinely remove those that are out of date or
inappropriate
either manually or by automated means based on the age of the comment or
rating. However,
the current methods lack precision because of the ambiguous nature of the
ratings and
comments. The ambiguity requires a high level of human intervention if the
information is to
remain current and appropriate.
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On-line information service providers use groups or "populations" or
"communities"
of contributors, i.e., a population of users, to input and maintain the
subject content of the
database. These communities may be organized geographically or by subject
matter
expertise. These communities require significant effort and human intervention
to manage.
On-line information service providers accept content from users and
contributors with little or
no review before it is posted. Reviews done by humans are usually completed by
a limited
group who are subject matter experts or geographically close to the submitter.
Substantial
effort is required to manage this process.
Moreover, prior on-line information systems include incentive systems that
have
drawbacks. On-line information service providers provide incentives in a
variety of forms to
encourage contributors to input and maintain subject content. Incentives may
also be offered
to users of the service. On-line information service providers also employ
automated
processes to capture, summarize and report the accumulated incentives. The
granting of the
incentives is based on completion of a limited number of actions that have
limited influence
on contributors' behavior. There is no limit on the total amount the
information service
provider is obligated to pay. Each contributor's incentive value is calculated
using a rate per
action which malces it difficult to increase the value because it increases
the total potential
obligation and, conversely, lowering the rate per action will be a major
disincentive to
contributors. Moreover, prior on-line information service providers offer no
or limited
incentives for users to provide new information, ratings or opinions to the
database.
Conversely, users' access is not restricted to the information unless it is a
fee-based
subscription site. Users' behavior is little influenced by the incentives
except when
attempting to "game" the system and gain unfair or improper rewards.
Additionally, these same shortcomings and challenges also face corporations
attempting to gather, store and provide internal information other than
traditional factual
information such as sales numbers, accounting data or contract dates. In fact,
a great deal of
informal lcnowledge similar to opinions exists in many workplace environments.
This type of
lcnowledge is very much word-of mouth based and often very valuable, but not
well
dispersed through particular groups within the worlcplace. These challenges
exist particularly
within sales organizations which are often large and geographically dispersed.
This informal
knowledge often consists of information such as which sales techniques worlc
and which do
not, which products compete best, what the competition is doing, the primary
contacts at a
company and who is most knowledgeable about a product or other aspect of
selling is known
by salespersons, sales management and product management. Unfortunately, much
of this
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informal knowledge is not available in an organized and usable form to all the
sales, sales
support and product support people. This knowledge is created as each person
goes about
their daily routines, but generally they do not have the tools for easily
capturing and
classifying it. Similarly, those sales people who need this knowledge do not
always know the
best sources for it. Frequently, this "real-world" generated knowledge is
referred to as
"intellectual capital" because it is usually learned through experience and
shared informally.
This "intellectual capital" clearly represents a form of capital crucial to a
company's success
which is not readily available to all the people equally. As a result, sales
persons lacking this
knowledge may be hampered in their performance. Additionally, the informality
of the
sharing also tends to reduce the accuracy of the knowledge as it is shared
among co-worlcers.
Many of the automated sales management systems available today capture the
data and
information about sales activities such as units sold, total sales value, but
do not provide a
mechanism for capturing, organizing and shaxing "intellectual capital".
Additionally, initial capture of this "intellectual capital" is sometimes
difficult to
guide and direct even with training. General incentives and awards programs
are helpful in
generating overall enthusiasm and participation, but can not influence very
precisely the
nature and types of information captured. To be effective, the "intellectual
capital" that is
available must conform closely with the needs of the company the sales staff.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an improved system for creating,
managing and searching information databases assisting a population of users.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an obj ect and feature of this invention to provide such a
system to
develop and maintain content in a database of subjects (e.g., a product, a
service, a leisure
activity, an experience or a topic), which content can be easily and uniquely
searched by
users to help them make informed decisions about the database subjects that
axe particularly
relevant to their needs and desires. It is another object and feature of this
invention to
provide a system for collecting user opinions and/or reviews regarding the
database subjects
and for utilizing the user opinions and/or reviews to support database
searches and more
informed decision making about the subjects.
Yet another object and feature of the invention is to enable people worldwide,
with
diverse backgrounds, educational levels and qualifications to contribute
content to the
database, and to express opinions or reviews in the form of ratings of
database subj ects, all in
a way that improves the usefulness and quality of the information being added
or rated. It is
still another object and feature of the invention to reduce the need for
centralized control and
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management of the database content and the contributor community by leveraging
the talents,
slulls, and efforts of the user community to maintain the quality of the
database content and
the performance of the contributors. It is another object and feature of the
present invention
to provide a system for recruiting communities of people to create, maintain
and provide
opinions using Web sites focused on a variety of consumer decision support
categories such
~as leisure experiences, public opinions, products and services.
Yet another object and feature of the invention is to attract users and
develop user
loyalty, through personal involvement and content contribution, by way of the
use of a
personal journal and participation in the rewards of the success of the web
site. It is another
object and feature of the present invention to provide a system to compensate
contributors
and guests for their efforts in a manner that will ensure a dynamic,
comprehensive and
accurate database of information for use by guests to the Web sites. It is
still another object
and feature of the present invention to provide a method and system that
motivates g~.tests and
contributors to perform highly specific actions that will further the business
objectives of the
manager of the database.
Another primary object and feature of the present invention is to provide a
system for
capturing and sharing acquired "intellectual capital" within an organization.
"Intellectual
capital" is defined as information known by individuals within the
organization that is not
necessarily taught, but rather learned through experience. The present
invention is tailored to
capture and share "intellectual capital" particularly for sales. In most
cases, "intellectual
capital" is highly transitory since it is learned, generally not reduced to
writing and usually
informally shared. Once a person is no longer associated with the
organization, the person's
knowledge is also no longer available.
Still further, it is an object and feature of the present invention to provide
such a
system to increase and improve the effectiveness of individuals and
organizations that
employ it through effective capture, sharing and constant refreshing of
acquired intellectual
capital. Through structured sharing, collection and automated maintenance of
an
organization's intellectual capital, significant profitability benefits can be
realized.
Yet another primary object and feature of the present invention is to provide
such a
system that is designed to capture, maintain and classify "intellectual
capital" in a manner
that can be easily understood and used by all members of the organization. The
system
facilitates categorization of the information and manages the information
through automated
processes requiring very little human intervention to effectively manage vast
quantities of
information.
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Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be set
forth in the
description that follows and in part will be apparent from the description or
may be learned
by practice of the invention. The objects, features and advantages of the
invention rnay be
realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations
pointed out in the
appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with a preferred embodiment hereof, this invention provides a
system
for creating and maintaining information in a database of subjects, available
to a population
of users, comprising: describing a database subject using a plurality of
natural-language
terms, each of such plurality of natural-language terms having relevance to
the subject
according to an involved subset of such population of users; rating the degree
of relevance of
each of such plurality of natural-language terms to such, database subj ect
according to each of
such involved subset of such population of users; associating, in such
database, such
respective natural-language terms and respective degrees of relevance with
each such
database subject; and computing, for such involved subset of such population
of users, in
such database, an overall degree of relevance of each of such plurality of
natural-language
terms to such database subj ect. Moreover, it provides such a system, further
comprising:
associating with a particular user a set of particular-user-preferred such
natural-language
terms from such plurality of natural-language terms; using such particular
user's preferred
such set of particular-user-preferred such natural-language terms, searching
such database for
database subj ects associated with such set of particular-user-preferred such
natural-language
terms; determining a set of relevant such database subjects as are correlated
with a high
aggregate degree of relevance among such respective overall degrees of
relevance of such set
of respective particular-user-preferred such natwal-language terms; axed
presenting to such
particular user information about such relevant database subjects.
Additionally, it provides such a system further comprising: presenting to a
particular
user information about a particular such database subject and such associated
respective
relevant natural-language terms with such respective overall degrees of
relevance; collecting,
from such particular user, such particular user's opinions about respective
degrees of
relevance to such particular database subject of such respective presented
natural-language
terms; adding such particular user to such involved subset of such population
of users and
adding such particular user's opinions to such database; and updating, in
association with
such particular database subject, in such database, such overall degree of
relevance of each of
such plurality of natural-language terms associated with such particular
database subject.
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Also, it provides such a system further comprising: presenting to a particular
user information
about a particular such database subject and such associated respective
relevant natural-
language terms with such respective overall degrees of relevance; collecting,
from such
particular user, such particular user's opinons about respective degrees of
relevance to such
particular database subject of such respective presented natL~ral-language
terms; adding such
particular user to such involved subset of such population of users and adding
such particular
user's opinions to such database; and updating, in association with such
particular database
subj ect, in such database, such overall degree of relevance of each of such
plurality of
natural-language terms associated with such particular database subject.
In addition, it provides such a system further comprising: providing a
software
management system to directly manage such database and such population of
users
essentially without outside management; and providing for variables in such
software
management system to be configurable without affecting such direct management
operations;
wherein such software management system comprises: soliciting of sufficient
information
from such users for automatic role qualification enhancing software selection
and
maintenance of a management sub-community; measuring management efforts of
each of
such management sub-community; queuing of qualified users for a next opening
in such
management sub-community; setting of goals for each.of such management
community; and
managing a reward system to reward management efforts of each of such
management sub-
cornmunity. And, it provides such a system further comprising: collecting,
from each user of
such involved subset of such population of users, information about such
user's knowledge of
and experience with such database subject; assessing, based at least in part
upon such
information, a relative weight to be given to such user's opinions about such
database subject;
and for the purposes of computing, for such involved subset of such population
of users, in
such database, an overall degree of relevance of each of such plurality of
natural-language
terms to such database subj ect, applying a respective such relative weight
for each respective
such user's such rating of such degree of relevance in such manner that a more-
lcnowledgeable such user's such rating counts for more in such "overall"
computing than does
a less-knowledgeable such user's such rating.
Further, it provides such a system further comprising: determining first such
user's
role as member or contributor; assigning a multiplier-value based on such
first determining;
determining second whether such user has personally experienced the subject;
assigning a
multiplier-value based on such second determining; determining third such
user's self
reported qualification to judge such subject; assigning a multiplier-value
based on such third
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determining; determining fourth other users' overall ratings of subjects added
by such user;
assigning a multiplier-value based on such fourth determining; determining
fifth other users'
degree of agreements with comments added by such user; assigning a multiplier-
value based
on such fifth determining; and multiplying together all such multiplier-values
to determine
such relative weight. Even further, it provides such a system further
comprising: rating the
relative overall value of each such database subject according to the opinion
of each of such
involved subset of such population of users; collecting comments about each
such database
subject according to the opinion of each of such involved subset of such
population of users;
and associating, in such database, respective such ratings of relative overall
value and
respective such collected comments with respective such database subjects.
Moreover, it provides such a system further comprising: accumulating, storing,
and
analyzing all associations, including subject categorizations, of all such
overall degrees of
relevance of all of such plurality of natural-language terms associated with
all such database
subjects; determining preferred such natural-language terms, according to such
population of
users, for selected categories of subjects. Additionally, it provides such a
system wherein
such determining a set of relevant such database subjects as are correlated
with a high
aggregate degree of relevance among such respective overall degrees of
relevance of such set
of respective particular-user-preferred such natural-language terms comprises
determining an
ordered set of relevant such database subjects as are correlated with a
highest aggregate
degree of relevance among such respective overall degrees of relevance of such
set of
respective particular-user-preferred such natural-language terms. Also, it
provides such a
system wherein such presenting to such particular user information about such
relevant
database subjects includes presenting to such particular user an ordered set
of relevant such
database subjects as are correlated with a highest aggregate degree of
relevance among such
respective overall degrees of relevance of such set of respective particular-
user-preferred such
natural-language terms.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment hereof, this invention
provides an
Internet website client-server computer system, for use to determine a level
of subject interest
for each one of a population of users by capturing other users' (of such
population of users)
opinions about the degree of relevance of each of a respective set of natural
language
descriptive terms to each of a respective set of subj ects, comprising: a
server database system
of subjects, each associated with a set of relevant natural-language terms for
describing each
such subject; wherein each of a respective subset of such terms has been
assigned, by each of
a subpopulation of such population of users, a degree of relevance with
respect to a respective
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such subject; a client interface system arranged so that such one user may
select a set of
preferred such natural-language terms which, to such one user, best describe
preferred
"subjects of interest" to such one user; a server computer processor system
connected with
such server database system and such client interface system; and a server
computer software
system, operational with such server computer processor system, arranged to
provide search
processing using such server database system to: determine an overall,
according to such
population of users, degree of relevance of each such preferred natural-
language term to each
such associated subject of such server database system, and determine a set of
search-return
"subjects of interest" each having at least a specified aggregate degree of
relevance
considering each such overall degree of relevance of each such preferred
natural-language
° descriptive term to each associated such subject; and return such set
of search-return
"subjects of interest" to such client interface system of such one user. In
addition, it provides
such a system wherein such set of search-return "subjects of interest" is
ordered according to
relative such aggregate degree of relevance.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment hereof, this invention
provides a
business system, for a developer of web computer systems of the type involving
supporting a
community of users searching for particular subject information, to achieve
additional
revenue from customers using such computer systems, comprising the steps of:
providing for
such computer systems to operate essentially without customer website
management;
providing for such computer systems to directly motivate and automatically
manage the
direct collection of sponsor revenue from respective entities desiring to
sponsor a respective
particular item of such subject information; and charging such customer, for
use of such
computer systems, an amount comprising a portion of such sponsor revenue. And,
it
provides such a business system wherein such particular item of such subject
information
comprises an exceptional user experience, thereby motivating location-based
such entities
and a product-based such entities to paying for a plurality of sponsorships.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment hereof, this invention
provides a
business system, for a developer, for use by customers having websites, of web
computer
systems of the type involving supporting a community of users interacting with
a database
searching for particular subject information, comprising: providing for such
computer
systems to comprise software management systems to directly manage such
database and
such community of users essentially without customer website management; and
providing
for variables in such software management systems to be configurable by such
customer
without affecting such direct management operations; wherein such software
management
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systems comprise soliciting of sufficient information from users for automatic
role
qualification enhancing software selection and maintenance of a management sub-
community, measuring management efforts of each of such management sub-
community,
queuing of qualified users for a next opening in such management sub-
community, setting of
goals for each of such management community, and managing a reward system to
reward
management efforts of each of such management sub-community.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment hereof, this invention
provides a
business system, supplied by a developer, for use by customers having websites
comprising
web server computer systems of the type involving supporting a community of
users, having
client computer systems, interacting with a database searching for particular
subject
information, comprising providing, for website use: computer software means
for direct
automatic management of such database and such community of users essentially
without
customer website management; computer software means for permitting such
customer to
configure a large set of variables in such computer software means for direct
automatic
management of such database and such community of users without affecting full
operation
of such direct automatic management; wherein such computer software means for
direct
automatic management of such database and such community of users essentially
without
customer website management comprises computer software means for soliciting
of
sufficient information from such users for automatic role qualification
enhancing automatic
selection and automatic maintenance of a management sub-community, computer
software
means for automatically measuring management efforts of each of such
management sub-
community, computer software means for automatically providing queuing of
qualified users
for a next opening in such management sub-community, computer software means
for
automatic setting of goals for each of such management community, and computer
software
means for automatically managing a reward system to reward management efforts
of each of
such management sub-community. Further, it provides such a business system,
wherein such
computer software means for direct automatic management of such database and
such
community of users essentially without customer website management further
comprises:
computer software means for describing a database subject using a plitrality
of natural-
. language terms, each of such plurality of natural-language terms having
relevance to such
subject according to an involved subset of such community of users; computer
software
means for rating the degree of relevance of each of such plurality of natural-
language terms
to such database'subject according to each of such involved subset of such
community of
users; computer software means for associating, in such database, each
respective natural-
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language term of each such plurality of natural-language terms and such
associated respective
degree of relevance with each such database subject; and computer software
means for
computing, for such involved subset of such community of users, in such
database, an overall
degree of relevance of each of such plurality of natural-language terms to
such database
subject. Even further, it provides such a business system, wherein such
computer software
means for direct automatic management of such database and such community of
users
essentially without customer website management further comprises: computer
software
means for automatically.assisting such management sub-community to solicit
subject
sponsors; and computer software means for permitting such subject sponsors
automatically to
send website materials and pay fees. Moreover, it provides such a business
system, wherein
such computer software means for automatically managing a reward system to
reward
management efforts of each of such management sub-community comprises: a
computer
software system for measuring and storing each contribution, including users'
comments, to
the database of each of such management sub-commuiuty; and computer software
means for
malting available to each of such management sub-community a contributor
record of how
many views other users have made of such contributions, including how many
users agreed
with such contributor's comments.
Additionally, it provides such a business system wherein such contributor
record is
associated with the phrase, "lives touched". Also, it provides such a business
system wherein
such computer software means for automatically managing a reward system to
reward
management efforts of each of such management sub-community comprises a
computer
software system configurable to automatically allocate percentage rewards to a
particular one
of such management sub-community as a percentage of a settable pool. In
addition, it
provides such a business system wherein such percentage rewards from such pool
may be
paid only to a settable percentage of such management sub-community. Alld, it
provides
such a business system wherein such computer software means for direct
automatic
management of such database and such community of users essentially without
customer
website management further comprises: computer software means for
automatically
aggregating all user-proposed items for database adds, changes, and deletions
into a review
queue to which such management sub-community has access; and computer software
means
for automatically requiring at least one of such management sub-community to
review and
approve any such item before website publication is implemented.
Further, it provides such a business system, wherein: such review queue is
multi-level
based essentially on item "aging"; and escalating rewards are offered to at
least a set of such
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management sub-community for disposal of "older" items. Even further, it
provides such a
business system wherein such computer software means for automatically
managing a reward
system to reward management efforts of each of such management sub-community
comprises
a computer software system wherein each of such management commlmity may be
motivated
to perform highly specific actions to further business objectives of such
business system by
automatically awarding more or less rewards for specific actions to influence
behavior.
Moreover, it provides such a business system wherein such computer software
means for
automatically managing a reward system to reward management efforts of each of
such
management sub-community may be configured "on the fly".
In accordance with another preferred embodiment hereof, this invention
provides a
business system, supplied by a developer, for use by customers having websites
comprising
web server computer systems of the type involving supporting a commLUlity of
users, having
client computer systems, interacting with a database searching for particular
subject
information, comprising providing, for website use: computer software means
for direct
automatic management of such database and such community of users essentially
without
customer website management; and computer software means for permitting such
customer
to configure a large set of variables in such computer software means for
direct automatic
management of such database and such community of users without affecting full
operation
of such direct automatic management; wherein such computer software means for
direct
automatic management of such database and such community of users essentially
without
customer website management comprises computer software means for soliciting
of
sufficient information from such users for automatic role qualification
enhancing automatic
selection and automatic maintenaizce of a management sub-community, computer
software
means for automatically measuring management efforts of each of such
management sub-
comrnunity, computer software means for automatically providing queing of
qualified users
for a next opening in such management sub-community, computer softwaxe means
for
automatic setting of goals for each of such management community, computer
software
means for automatically managing a reward system to reward management efforts
of each of
such management sub-community, computer software means for automatically
assisting such
management sub-community to solicit subject sponsors, computer software means
for
permitting such subject sponsors automatically to send website materials and
pay fees,
computer softwaxe means for automatically aggregating all user-proposed items
for database
adds, changes, and deletions into a review queue to which such management sub-
community
has access, and computer software means for automatically requiring at least
one of such
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management sub-commLmity to review and approve~any such item before website
publication
is implemented, wherein such review queue is multi-level based essentially on
item "aging",
and escalating rewards are offered to at least a set of such management sub-
community for
disposal of "older" items, wherein such computer software means for
automatically managing
a reward system to reward management efforts of each of such management sub-
commiunty
comprises a computer software system configurable to automatically allocate
percentage
rewards to a particular one of such management sub-community as a percentage
of a settable
pool, and wherein such percentage rewards from such pool may be paid only to a
settable
percentage of such management sub-community.
Additionally, it provides such a business system wherein such computer
software
means for direct automatic management of such database and such community of
users
essentially without customer website management further comprises: computer
software
means for describing a database subject using a plurality of natural-language
terms, each of
such plurality of natural-language terms having relevance to such subj ect
according to an
involved subset of such community of users; computer software means for rating
the degree
of relevance of each of such plurality of natural-language terms to such
database subject
according to each of such involved subset of such community of users; computer
software
means for associating, in such database, each respective natural-language term
of each such
plurality of natural-language terms and such associated respective degree of
relevance with
each such database subject; and computer software means for computing, for
such involved
subset of such community of users, in such database, an overall degree of
relevance of each
of such plurality of natural-language terms to such database subject.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment hereof, this invention
provides a
computer system, usable by a large population of Internet users, for creating
and maintaining
information in a seaxchable database of defined categories of subjects,
comprising, in
combination: storage means for storing a large corpus of natural language
terms for
describing such subjects; relevancy storage means for storing, associated with
each 5llch
defined category, at least a respective subset of such terms most relevant,
according to such
population, to such subject within such respective defined category;
processing means for
updating such relevancy storage means; processing means for presenting to one
such user, in
association with one such subject, a plurality of such terms most relevant to
such subject;
interface processing means for assisting such user to choose from such
ph~rality of such
presented terms a plurality of such-user-preferred most-relevant such terms to
such subject;
interface processing means for assisting such user to rate on a predefined
scale the relative
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degree of relevance of each such most-relevant term to such one subject;
storage means for
storing such respective ratings of such respective most-relevant terms for
such respective
subject according to each of a subpopulation of such respective users;
processing means for
computing, for such subpopulation, a pre-selected type of overall degree of
relevance to each
respective such subject of each respective such most-relevant term; interface
processing
means for assisting a particular user to base a subject search at least upon a
chosen set of
particular-user-preferred such natural language terms; processing means for,
using such
particular user's preferred such set of particular-user-preferred such natural-
language terms,
searching such database for database subjects associated with such set of
particular-user-
preferred such natural-language terms; processing means for determining a set
of relevant
such database subjects as are 'correlated with a determined specified high
aggregate degree of
relevance among such respective overall degrees of relevance of such set of
respective
particular-user-preferred such natural-language terms; and interface
processing means for
presenting to such particular user information about such determined set of
such relevant
database subj ects which might be of interest to such particular user. Also,
it provides such a
computer system wherein such predefined scale, for a system for which English
is the natural
language comprises essentially at least three of the following levels of
modifiers: "slight",
"somewhat", "important", "very", "extremely".
In addition, it provides such a computer system wherein such processing means
for
computing, for such subpopulation, a pre-selected type of overall degree of
relevance to each
respective such subject of each respective such most-relevant term comprises:
storage means
for dating each such user ratings of such degree of relevance of such natural-
language term;
and processing means for removing such user ratings of more than a selected
age from being
used in such computing of such overall degree of relevance. And, it provides
such a
computer system wherein such processing means for updating such relevancy
storage means
comprises: computer means for determining which of such natural-language terms
have been
used most in such defined category -- as top words; computer means for
determining
percentage breakdown of top words by first alphabet letter of all such natural-
language terms
in such defined category; computer means for finding the selected number of
such natural-
language terms to be displayed in each display process; computer means for,
for each set of
first-alphabet-letter words and each such selected number, grabbing the
specified percentage
of top words; and computer means for applying the above four steps once each
selected
timeframe to update such relevancy storage means. Further, it provides such a
computer
system wherein such interface processing means for assisting a particular user
to base a
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subject search at least upon a chosen set of particular-user-preferred such
natural language
terms further comprises: interface processing means for assisting such
particular user to select
other search options on which to co-base such subject search; wherein such
other.search
options are selected from the class which consists essentially of a defined
category of subjects
a defined subcategory of subjects a defined location of subjects a defined
subject a defined
organization name a defined sum of money to spend a defined amount of time to
spend.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment hereof, this invention
provides an
Internet website client-server computer system, for use to determine by e-mail
survey a level
of subject approval for each one of a population of survey participants by
capturing each such
participant's opinions about the degree of relevance of each of a respective
set of natural
language terms to each of a respective set of subj ects, comprising: a client
interface system
arranged so that a survey taker may indicate at least a defined question for
the survey, a such
set of subjects to be evaluated, a such set of natural-language terms to be
rated as to relevancy
to each subject, a participant audience, and a time-frame for response; a
server computer
processor system connected with such client interface system; and a server
computer software
system, operational with such server computer processor system, arranged to
provide survey
processing comprising compiling a survey file and survey document in
accordance with
survey taker input, communicating such survey document to such participant
audience, and
receiving and tabulating responses. Even further, it provides such a system
further
comprising displaying survey results at a publicized URL.
Moreover, it provides such systems in which: such subj ects consist
essentially of
exceptional experiences; and such natural-language terms are essentially
evaluative. In
addition, it provides such systems in which: such subjects consist essentially
of exceptional
experiences; and such natural-language terms are essentially evaluative and
essentially
indicate approval.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment hereof, this invention
provides an
Internet client-seuver system for assisting at least one group of users having
at 1 east one
common goal to capture and search, in a single database, offered lcnowledge,
relevant to such
at least one common goal, of a plurality of such users for the benefit of at
least one of such
users, comprising: individually capturing for such database at least one
experience of at least
some of such plurality; storing in such database such experience; user-
searching, using at
least one natural-language word, to select at least one desired kind of stored
experience;
performing such user-searching; and presenting search results. Even further,
it provides such
an Internet client-server system further comprising searchably capturing for
such database at
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least one item of such knowledge selected from the group consisting
essentially of user-
advice opinions of experts people who can help miscellaneous such knowledge of
users.
Moreover, it provides such an Internet client-server system further comprising
a substantially
automatic website management system. Additionally, it provides such an
Internet client-
server system further comprising automatically rewarding assisting users for
website
management assistance. Also, it provides such an Internet client-server system
further
comprising: providing a software management system to directly manage such
database and
such population of users essentially without outside management; and providing
for variables
in such software management system to be configurable without affecting such
direct
management operations; wherein such software management system comprises
measuring
management efforts of each of at least one management sub-community, setting
goals for
each of such management community, and managing a reward system to reward
management
efforts of each of such management sub-community.
In addition, it provides such an Internet client-server system further
comprising
searchably capturing for such database such knowledge of users concerning
useful
lcnowledge sources outside such group of users. And, it provides such an
Internet client-
server system further comprising searchably capturing for such database such
knowledge of
users concerning useful knowledge sources outside such group of users.
Further, it provides
such an Internet client-server system further comprising: providing at least
one capability for
at least .one user to complete on-line at least one multiple choice poll; and
providing at least
one reward for such at least one user to completing such at least one multiple
choice poll.
Even further, it provides such an Internet client-server system wherein: such
common goal is
sales-oriented,; such group of users comprises sales personnel; and those
receiving such
benefit comprise sales personnel.
Moreover, it provides such an Internet client-server system wherein such step
of user-
searching, using at least one natural-language word, to select at least one
desired lcind of
stored knowledge, further comprises: selecting, if any, such at least one kind
of stored
experience associated with,chosen such at least one natural language word;
selecting, if any,
such at least one lcind of stored experience in which the text of such at
least one stored
experience contains the chosen such at least one natural-language word;
selecting, if any,
such at least one lcind of stored experience in which the category of such at
least one stored
experience contains the chosen such at least one natural-language word; and
selecting, if any,
such at least one kind of stored experience in which the title of such at
least one stored
experience contains the chosen such at least one natural-language word.
Additionally, it
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provides such an Internet client-server system, further comprising
automatically managing a
reward system to reward efforts of such at least one user.
Also, it provides such an Internet client-server system, further comprising:
automatically measuring and storing each experience contribution, including
users' comments
made by each such at least one user; assigning points to be accumulated for
each such
experience contribution; automatically accmnulating assigned points for each
such
experience contribution by each such at least one user; automatically
reporting such points
accumulated for each such experience contribution; defining at least one
criteria for awarding
prizes based on such accumulated points; and automatically awarding prizes to
such at least
one user with accumulated points meeting such at least one criteria. In
addition, it provides
such an Internet client-server system further comprising managing such
database and such
group of users essentially without customer website management; permitting at
least one
customer to configure a plurality of variables in such computer software for
such managing
of such database; automatically setting goals for each such user participating
in at least one
management community; and automatically managing a reward system to reward
management efforts of each of such at least one user of such at least one
management
community.
And, it provides such an Internet client-server system further comprising:
rating the
relative overall value of each such at least one item of such experience
according to the
opinion of each of such involved subset of such population of users;
collecting comments
about each at least one item of such experience according to the opinion of
each of such
involved subset of such population of users; and associating, in such
database, respective
such ratings of relative overall value and respective such collected comments
with respective
such at least one item of such experience . Further, it provides such an
Internet client-server
system further comprising automatically accumulating system operation data.
Even further,
it provides such an Internet client-server system wherein such system
operation data
comprises: data about compliance with such set of performance goals for each
of at least one
involved subset of such population of users; data about each type of such
stored experience;
data about such reward system; and data about interviews of each of such
involved subset of
such population of users. Moreover, it provides such an Internet client-server
system further
comprising permitting such at least one user to view successively more
detailed levels of such
automatically accumulated system operation data. Additionally, it provides
such an Internet
client-server system further comprising: requesting installation of at least
one independent
database access module onto the personal computer of such at least one user;
permitting
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selection, using such independent database access module, of at least one
category of such
knowledge for display by such at least one user; automatically searching,
using such at least
one independent database access module, such database, without need of a
browser, for at
least one selected category of such knowledge from such database; and
displaying, using such
at least one independent database access module, found knowledge from such at
least one
pre-determined category of such knowledge from such database to such at least
one user.
Also, it provides such an Internet client-server system further comprising:
displaying
continuously at least one selected type of such pre-determined information
from at least one
pre-determined category of such knowledge from such knowledge stored in such
database to
such at least one user; axed scrolling a display of at least one selected type
of such pre-
determined information from at least one pre-determined category of such
knowledge from
such knowledge stored in such database to such at least one user . In
addition, it provides
such an Internet client-server system further comprising: malting specific
requests for
information from information stored in such database by such at least one
user. And, it
provides such an Internet client-server system further comprising: receiving
at least one
request for information from such at least one user; storing such at least one
request for
information; notifying designated other such at least one user with particular
expertise about
such at least one request for information; storing such at least one request
for information and
at least one response by such at least one user with particular expertise as
such at least one
experience; and notifying such at least one user, requesting information, of
such at least one
experience containing such at least one request and such at least one
response.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment hereof, this invention
provides an
W ternet client-server system for assisting a group of users with at least one
common goal to
capture and search, in a single database, offered knowledge, relevant to such
at least one
common goal, of a plurality of such users for the benefit of at least one of
such users,
comprising: interface means for individually capturing for such database at
least one
experience of at least some of such plurality; database means for storing such
experiences;
interface means for user-searching, using at least one natural-language word,
to select at least
one desired kind of stored experience; processor means for performing such
user-searching;
and interface means for presenting search results. Further, it provides such
an Internet~client-
server system further comprising computer means for searchably capturing for
such database
at least one item of such knowledge selected from the group consisting
essentially of: user-
advice opinions of experts people who can help miscellaneous such knowledge of
users.
Even further, it provides such an Internet client-server system further
comprising computer
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means for substantially-automatic website managing. Moreover, it provides such
an Internet
client-server system further comprising computer means for automatically
rewarding
assisting users for website management assistance. Additionally, it provides
such an Internet
client-server system fiu-ther comprising computer means for seaxchably
capturing for such
database such lazowledge of users concerning useful sources outside such group
of users.
Also, it provides such an Internet client-server system further comprising
computer means for
providing at least one capability fox at least one user to automatically take
a desired survey
among a selected subgroup of such users.
In addition, it provides such an Internet client-server system wherein such
interface
means for user-searching, using at least one natural-language word, to select
at least one
desired kind of stored experience, further comprises computer means for
selecting, if any,
such at least one bind of stored experience associated with chosen such at
least one natural
language word; computer means for selecting, if any, such at least one kind of
stored
experience in which the text of such at least one stored experience contains
the chosen such at
least one natural-language word; computer means for selecting, if any, such at
least one kind
of stored experience in which the category of such at least one stored
experience contains the
chosen such at least one natural-language word; and computer means for
selecting, if any,
such at least one kind of stored experience in which the title of such at
least one stored
experience contains the chosen such at least one natural-language word. And,
it provides
such an Internet client-server system further comprising computer means for
automatically
managing a reward system to reward efforts of such at least one user. Further,
it provides
such an Internet client-server system further comprising: computer means for
automatically
measuring and storing each experience contribution, including users' comments
made by each
such at least one user; computer means for assigning points to be accumulated
for each such
experience contribution; computer means for automatically accumulating
assigned points for
each such experience contribution by each such at least one user; computer
means for
automatically reporting such points accumulated for each such experience
contribution;
computer means for defining at least one criteria for awarding prizes based on
such
accumulated points; and computer means for automatically awarding prizes to
such at least
one user with accumulated points meeting such at least one criteria.
Even further, it provides such an Internet client-server system further
comprising
computer means for managing of such database and such group of users
essentially without
customer website management; computer means for permitting at least one
customer to
configure a plurality of variables in such computer software for such managing
of such
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database; computer means for automatically setting goals for each such user
participating in
at least one management community; and computer means for automatically
managing a
reward system to reward management efforts of each of such at least one user
of such at least
one management community. Even further, it provides such an Internet client-
server system
further comprising: computer means fox rating the relative overall value of
each such at least
one item of such experience according to the opinion of each of such involved
subset of such
population of users; computer means for collecting comments about each at
least one item of
such experience according to the opinion of each of such involved subset of
such population
of users; and computer means for associating, in such database, respective
such ratings of
relative overall value and respective such collected comments with respective
such at least
one item of such experience . Even further, it provides such an Internet
client-server system
further comprising computer means for automatically accumulating system
operation data.
Even further, it provides such an Internet client-server system wherein such
system operation
data comprises: data about compliance with such set of performance goals for
each of at least
one involved subset of such population of users; data about each type of such
stored
experience; data about such reward system; and data about interviews of each
of such
involved subset of such population of users. Even further, it provides such an
Internet client-
server system further comprising computer means for permitting such at least
one user to
view successively more detailed levels of such automatically accumulated
system operation
data. Even further, it provides such an Internet client-server system further
comprising:
computer means for requesting installation of at least one independent
database access
module onto the personal computer of such at least one user; computer means
for permitting
selection, using such independent database access module, of at least one
category of such
knowledge for display by such at least one user; computer means for
automatically searclung,
using such at least one independent database access module, such database,
without need of a
browser, for at least one selected category of such knowledge from such
database; and
computer means for displaying, using such at least one independent database
access module,
found knowledge from such at least one pre-determined category of such
knowledge from
such database to such at least one user.
Even further, it provides such an Internet client-server system further
comprising:
computer means for displaying continuously at least one selected type of such
pre-determined
information from at least one pre-determined category of such knowledge from
such
knowledge stored in such database to such at least one user ; and computer
means for
scrolling a display of at least one selected type of such pre-determined
information from at
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least one pre-determined category of such knowledge from such knowledge stored
in such
database to such at least one user . Even further, it provides such an
Internet client-server
system further comprising: computer means for making specific requests for
information
from information stored in such database by such at least one user. Even
further, it provides
such an Internet client-server system further comprising: computer means for
receiving at
least one request for information from such at least one user; computer means
for storing
such at least one request for information; computer means for notifying
designated other
such at least one user with particular expertise about such at least one
request for information;
computer means for storing such at least one request for information and at
least one response
by such at least one user with particular expertise as such at least one
experience; and
computer means for notifying such at least one user, requesting information,
of such at least
one experience containing such at least one request and such at least one
response.
Even further, it provides such Internet client-server systems wherein: such
common
goal is sales-oriented, such group of users comprises sales personnel; and
those receiving
such benefit comprise sales personnel.
GLOSSARY OF GENERAL TERMS AND ACRONYMS
The following terms and acronyms explained below as background and are used
throughout the detailed description:
Client-Server. A model of interaction in a distributed system in which a
program at
one site sends a request to a program at another site and waits for a
response. The requesting
program is called the "client," and the program which responds to the request
is called the
"server." In the context of the World Wide Web, the client is typically a "Web
browser"
which runs on a user's computer; the program which responds to Web browser
requests at a
Web site is commonly referred to as a "Web server."
Contributor or Managing Member or Correspondent. An individual, who has been
determined to be qualified and who has committed to a given level of effort to
review and
add subjects to the database for which he/she earns points in the
contributor's pool of earned
points. A contributor also is sometimes referred to as a correspondent or
managing member.
Domain Name System (DNS). An Internet service that translates domain names
(which are alphabetic identifiers) into IP addresses (which are numeric
identifiers for
machines on a TCP/IP network).
Experience. This term is used interchangeably with the term "subject" and is
intended
to have the same definition.
Guest. An individual who registers, utilizes the database information and
provides
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ratings, opinions, comments and feedbaclc. A guest may earn points in the
guest pool of
earned points or additional access to database content for his/her
contributions of ratings,
comments, opinions, etc.
HyperText Markup Language (HTML). A standard coding convention acid set of
codes for attaching presentation and linking attributes to informational
content within
documents. During a document authoring stage, the, HTML codes (referred to as
"tags") are
embedded within the informational content of the document. When the Web
document (or
"HTML document") is subsequently transferred from a Web server to a Web
browser, the
codes are interpreted by the Web browser and used to parse and display the
document. In
addition to specifying how the Web browser is to display the document, HTML
tags can be
used to create links to other websites and other Web documents (commonly
referred to as
"hyperlinks"). For more information on HTML, see Ian S. Graham, The HTML
Source
Boolc, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1995 (ISBN 0471-11894-4).
HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP). The standard World Wide Web client-server
protocol used for the exchange of information (such as HTML documents, and
client requests
for such documents) between a Web browser and a Web server. HTTP includes a
number of
different types of messages that can be sent from the client to the server to
request different
types of server actions. For example, a "GET" message, which has the format
GET, causes
the server to return the document or file located at the specified Universal
Resource Locator
Internet. A collection of interconnected (public and/or private) networks that
are
linked together by a set of standard protocols to form a distributed network.
While this term
is intended to refer to what is now commonly known as the Internet, it is also
intended to
encompass variations which may be made in the future, including changes and
additions to
existing standard protocols.
Internet Information Server (IIS). Microsoft Corporation's Web server that
runs on
Windows NT platforms.
Java. A general purpose programming language developed by Sun Microsystems.
Java has a number of features that make the language well-suited for use on
the World Wide
Web. Small Java applications are called Java applets and can be downloaded
from a Web
server and run on a personal computer by a Java-compatible Web browser, such
as Netscape
Navigator or Microsoft Explorer.
Java Servlets. A small Java-based program designed to perform a specific task
within
a Web server environment. Java Servlets are analogous to Java applets except
they are
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designed to only run on the Web server.
Java Virtual Machine. A set of applications that create a run time environment
fox
executing Java code.
JRun. A server-side extension that allows a Web server to execute Java
Servlets for
the processing and display of information. JRun is a widely adopted engine for
developing
and deploying server-side Java applications that use Java Servlets and
JavaServer Pages
(JSP).
Java Database Connectivity (JDBC). A Java API developed by JavaSoft, a
subsidiary
of Sun Microsystems of Mountain View, California. JDBC enables Java programs
to execute
SQL statements, which allows Java programs to interact with any SQL-compliant
database.
Since many relational database management systems (DBMSs) support SQL, and
because
Java itself runs on most platforms, JDBC makes it possible to write a single
database
application that can run on different platforms and interact with different
database
management systems. JDBC is similar to ODBC but is designed specifically for
Java
programs, whereas ODBC is language-independent.
Open DataBase Connectivity (ODBC). A database access method developed by
Microsoft Corporation. ODBC allows an application to access data from a
database by
translating the application's data queries into commands that the database
management
system (DBMS) can understand.
Sponsor. A person, organization, or business that agrees to pay the company a
monthly fee in return for the opportunity to add additional information about
their subjects to
the database or the opportunity to provide direct links to the sponsor's own
web site.
Subject. Represents the information content that describes a specific product,
service,
topic, or a leisure or recreational activity contained in the database,
preferably an exceptional
experience. Each subject entry contains some "profile" information and the
descriptive words
or terms used to describe and/or rate the experience. As applied to Sales
Advice embodiments
herein, "Subject" refers to the topic/product/service about which the advice
is being given or
sought.
Transmission Control Protocol/Tnternet Protocol (TCP/IP). A standard Internet
protocol (or set of protocols) which specifies how two computers exchange data
over the
Internet. TCP/IP handles issues such as packetization, packet addressing,
handshalcing and
error correction. For more information on TCP/IP, see Volumes I, II and III of
Comer and
Stevens, Internetworking with TCP/IP, Prentice Hall, Inc., ISBNs 0-13-468505-9
(vol. I),
0-13-125527-4 (vol. II), and 0-13-474222-2 (vol. III).
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Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A unique address which fully specifies the
location of a file or other resource on the Internet. The general format of a
URL is
protocol://machine address:port/path/filename. The port specification is
optional, and if none
is entered by the user, the Web browser defaults to the standard port for
whatever service is
specified as the protocol. For example, if HTTP is specified as the protocol,
the Web
browser will use the HTTP default port. The machine address in this example is
the domain
name for the computer or device on which the file is located.
User. Term used to refer to either guests or contributors, or both, where no
distinction
of role is required.
World Wide Web ("Web"). Used herein to refer generally to both (1) a
distributed
collection of interlinked, user-viewable hypertext docmnents (commonly
referred to as "Web
documents", "Web pages", "electronic pages" or "home pages") that are
accessible via the
Internet, and (2) the client and server software components that provide user
access to such
documents using standardized Internet protocols. Currently, the primaxy
standard protocol
for allowing applications to locate and acquire Web documents is the HyperText
Transfer
Protocol (HTTP), and the electronic pages are encoded using the HyperText
Markup
Language (HTML). However, the terms "World Wide Web" and "Web" are intended to
encompass future markup languages and transport protocols which may be used in
place of or
in addition to the HyperText Markup Language and the HyperText Transfer
Protocol.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1-A is diagrammatical overview of the Internet communications used in the
instant system according to a first described preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 1-B is diagrammatical overview of the website computer system according
to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1-C is diagrammatical overview of the relationship among the website
servers and
the users according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical view of a prior art system according to a first
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatical view of the instant system according to a first
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatical view of the activity database according to a first
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatical view of the experience management automation
according
to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
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FIG. 6 is a diagrarnmatical view of the word management automation according
to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagrarnmatical view of reporting management automation according
to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagrammatical view of the correspondent and member management
automation according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 9 is a diagrammatical view of the rewards management automation according
to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a diagrammatical view of the sponsorship management automation
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a diagrammatical view of the sponsorship process according to a
first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a further diagrammatical view illustrating the automated management
of
sponsorships according to a first described preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 13 is a diagrammatical view of adding and viewing subj ects according to
a first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a diagranvnatical view of the weighting of overall subj ect and
descriptive
word ratings according to a first described preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 15 is a diagrammatical view of the e-mail management automation according
to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a diagrammatical view of the descriptive word promotion according
to a first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 17 is a diagrammatical view of the subj ect search process according to a
first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 18 shows explanatory notes relating to FIG. 17 according to a first
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a diagrammatical view of the preferred survey procedure according
to a first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 20 is a diagrammatical view of the preferred instant software system
according to
a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 21 is a diagramrnatical view of the home page screen according to a first
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 22 is a diagrammatical view of the search box screen according to a first
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
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FIG. 23 is a diagrammatical view of the category box screen according to a
first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 24 is a diagrammatical view of the Terraformer (Configuration and
Administration) Module screen according to a first described preferred
embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 25 is a diagrammatical view of the subcategories button screen according
to a first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 26-A and 26-B are diagrammatical views of the member registration screen
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 27-A and 27-B are diagrammatical views of the correspondent registration
screen according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 28 is a diagrarnmatical view of the correspondent application screen
according to
a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 29 is a diagrarnmatical view of the questions screen according to a first
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 30 is a diagrarnmatical view of the answers screen according to a first
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 31-33 are diagrammatical views of the add-a-subject screens according to
a first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 34 is a diagrammatical view of a preferred screen illustrating the
minilnum and
maximum number of descriptive words one wants to display for the user during
the process
of adding a subject according to a first described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 35 is a further diagrammatical view of the descriptive word screen
according to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 36 is a diagrammatical view of a preferred screen for add-a-subject
according to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 37 is a diagrarnrnatical view of a screen depicting the configuration of
opinion
multipliers according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIGS. 38-A and 38-B are diagramrnatical views of a screen illustrating the add-
a-
subject process, showing the words to be rated according to a first described
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 39 is a diagrammatical view of the add-additional-words screen according
to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
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FIG. 40 is a diagrammatical view of the comments screen according to a first
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 41-A and 41-B are diagrammatical views of the preview screen according
to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 42 is a diagraxnmatical view of the results screen. according to a first
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 43-A and 43-B are diagrammatical top views of the subject page screen.
FIG. 44 is a diagrammatical view of the subcategories screen according to a
first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 45-A and 45-B are diagramnatical views of personalized search screens
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 46 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the descriptive
words and/or
phrases pre-selected by the client to appear with a category according to a
first described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 47 is a diagrammatical view of a box in the lower left-hand corner of the
subject
page screen, offering the opportunity to sponsor the subject according to a
first described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 48-A and 48-B are diagrammatical views of the screen returned to begin
to get
the desired information from the sponsor according to a first described
preferred embodiment
of the present invention.
FIGS. 49-A through 49-D are diagrarmnatical views of screens illustrating the
next
sponsorship screens to receive information according to a first described
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 50 is a diagrammatical view of the sponsor section headers screen
according to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 51-A through 51-C are diagrammatical top-to-bottom views of the newly
sponsored page screen according to a first described preferred embodiment of
the present
invention.
FIG. 52 is a diagraxnmatical view of the payment information screen according
to a first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 53 is a diagrammatical view of the screen illustrating the confirmation
of
sponsorship according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
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FIGS. 54-A and 54-B are top-to-bottom diagrammatical views of the subject just-
sponsored screen according to a first described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIGS. 55-A and 55-B are diagrammatical views illustrating the screen where a
registered user may add opinions to an existing subject's rating and reviewing
according to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 56 is a diagrammatical view of the improvement screen according to a
first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 57-A and 57-B are diagrammatical views of the screen illustrating the
various
elements comprising each "MyPage" according to a first described preferred
embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 58 is a diagrammatical view of the screen illustrating the "My
Contributions" box
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 59 is a diagrammatical view of the "Subjects Added" screen according to a
first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 60 is a diagrammatical view of the screen illustrating the "Lives
Touched" box
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 61 is a diagramrnatical view of the comments screen according to a first
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 62 is a further diagrarnmatical view of the comments screen according to
a first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 63 is a diagrammatical view of the screen illustrating a sample page for
"Subjects
Awaiting Approval" according to a first described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 64 is a diagrammatical view showing a rejected subjects screen according
to a first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 65 is a diagrammatical view of the "To Do List" screen according to a
first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 66 is a diagrammatical view of the "Notify organizations for Subjects
added"
screen according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 67 is a diagrammatical view of the screen illustrating the sending an
email to an
organization according to a first described preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 68 is a diagrammatical view of the screen showing details of the subjects
added
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
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FIG. 69 is a diagrammatical view of the screen illustrating further details of
an added
subject awaiting review according to a first described preferred embodiment of
the present.
invention.
FIG. 70 is a diagrammatical view illustrating a reviewing improvements screen
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 71-A and 71-B are diagrammatical views of a screen wherein the
correspondent
can review improvements according to a first described preferred embodiment of
the present
invention.
FIG. 72 is a diagrammatical view of the process of deleting subjects from the
screen
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 73 is a diagrarmnatical view of the screen illustrating the subject
that's
recommended for deletion according to a first described preferred embodiment
of the present
invention.
FIG. 74 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating "My Favorite Subj
ects" box
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 75 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating "My Interests" box
according
to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 76 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating "My Organization"
box
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 77 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating "My Rewards" box
according
to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 78 is a diagranunatical view of a screen illustrating points earned
according to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 79 is a diagrarnmatical view of a screen illustrating the subjects added
in an area
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 80 is a diagraxnlnatical view of the "Account Balance" screen according
to a first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 81 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating cash out according
to a first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 82 is a diagrammatical view of the screen for "Tell a Friend" according
to a first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 83 is a diagrammatical view of the "Rate other comments" screen according
to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
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FIG. 84 is a diagrammatical view of the add-a-comment screen according to a
first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 85 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the configl.~ration
of points per
action according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 86 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the configuration of
contests.
FIG. 87 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the configuration of
category
display according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 88 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the configuration of
regions
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 89 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the process of
editing the
name of an existing region according to a first described preferred embodiment
of the present
invention.
FIG. 90 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the configuration of
age
groups in Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module according to a
first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 91 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the configuration of
bonus
points in Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module according to a
first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 92 is a diagraxnmatical view of a screen illustrating the configuration
of point
goals and opinion multipliers in Terraformer (Configuration and
Adminisfixation) Module
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 93 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the configuration of
feedbaclc
subjects in Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module according to
a first
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 94 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the configuration of
sponsorship fees in Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module
according to a
first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 95-A and 95-B are diagrammatical views of a screen illustrating how to
create
and manage surveys with the survey tool according to a first described
preferred embodiment
of the present invention.
FIGS. 96-A and 96-B are diagrammatical views of the "Create a Survey" screen
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 97 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating further survey
elements
according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
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FIGS. 98-A and 98-B are diagrammatical views of a screen illustrating response
and
results in connection with a survey according to a first described preferred
embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 99 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the survey area text-
customization process according to a first described preferred embodiment of
the present
invention.
FIG. 100 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the custom
text~fields for use
at survey completion according to a first described preferred embodiment of
the present
invention.
FIG. 101 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the
"Congratulations" page
following a survey according to a first described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 102 is a diagrammatical view of a screen illustrating the "User Account
History"
page according to a first described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 103 is a diagrammatical view of a preferred business method according to
a
second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 104 is diagrammatical view of a preferred business method for
implementing the
system for a licensee according to a second described preferred embodiment of
the present
invention.
FIG. 105 is schematic view of the processes' for using Advice Spy according to
a
second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 106 is schematic view of the search methods used when using lceyword
search
according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 107 illustrates a sample preferred Login screen according to a second
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 108 is a preferred screen display for helping a user log in to the system
according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 109 illustrates a sample preferred screen displayed after logging out of
the
system according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 1 l0A and FIG. 110B illustrate a sample preferred home page according to
a
second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 111 demonstrates the Browse by Category screen according to a second
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 112 is a sample preferred Keyword Search Results screen according to a
second
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described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 113 is a sample preferred Search Results - Matches Found screen according
to a
second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 114 is a sample preferred Search Results - No Matches Found screen
according
to a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 115 is a sample preferred Refine Search screen according to a second
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 116 is a sample preferred Expert Search Results screen according to a
second
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 117 is a sample preferred Browse Experts screen according to a second
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 118A and FIG. 118B present a sample preferred Sales Advice screen
providing
information about particular experience according to a second described
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 119 is a sample preferred Sales Advice Sales Cycle Usage Breakdown screen
according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 120 is a sample preferred Sales Advice - Individual screen providing
information
about a particular person in the database according to a second described
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 121 is a sample preferred Sales Advice Attachments screen according to a
second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 122A and FIG. 122B present sample preferred Comments screen for a
selected
Sale Advice entry according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 123 is a sample preferred rating points award screen for an action taken
according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 124 is a sample preferred Collective Feedback summarizing the nature of
other's
feedback about selected Sales Advice screen according to a second described
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 125 is a sample preferred Add Comments screen which allows a user to add
his/her own comments about a selected Sales Advice according to a second
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 126A, FIG. 126B and FIG. 126C present a sample preferred Add Sales Advice
Step 1 of 3 screen according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present
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invention.
FIG. 127A and FIG. 127B present sample preferred Add Sales Advice Step 2 of 3
screen according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 128A and FIG. 128B illustrate a sample preferred Add Sales Advice Step 3
of 3
Preview screen according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 129A and FIG. 129B present a sample preferred Add Sales Advice Step 3 of
3
Add screen according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 130 is a sample preferred Add Sales Advice Thank You screen when no
additional approval is required according to a second described preferred
embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 131A and FIG. 131B illustrate a sample preferred Add External Expert
screen
according to a second described.preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 132A and FIG. 132B illustrate a sample preferred Add Internal Expert
screen
according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 133A and FIG. 133B is a sample preferred My Page screen.
FIG. 134A and FIG. 134B present a sample preferred My Page - Sales Advice
Added
screen which provides a summary of Sales Advice added by the user according to
a second
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 135A and FIG. 135B is a sample preferred My Profile - Edit screen which
allows users to update their profile according to a second described preferred
embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 136 is a sample preferred My Page - Review Queue - Q&A screen which is
used
to begin the process of reviewing and answering submitted Q&A entries.
FIG. 137A and FIG. 137B illustrate a sample preferred Q&A Review Respond Step
1
screen according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 138A and FIG. 138B is a sample preferred Q&A Review and Respond Step 2
screen according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 139 is a sample.preferred Q&A Review and Respond Step 3 screen according
to
a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 140A and FIG. 140B present a sample preferred Q&A Review and Respond
Completion screen according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 141 is a sample preferred Q~ZA question entry screen for entering and
editing
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questions to be submitted according to a second described preferred embodiment
of the
present invention.
FIG. 142 is a sample preferred Q&A Question Possible Matches screen which
indicates other submitted questions which may match the current question
according to a
second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 143 is a sample preferred Q&A Question Submission Complete screen
indicating the question has been successfully submitted according to a second
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 144 is a sample preferred Info Need screen which provides users a method
for
inputting suggestions regarding additional database content according to a
second described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 145 is a sample preferred Info Need Submission Complete screen which
confirms acceptance of the submitted Info Need according to a second described
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 146 is a sample preferred Info Need List screen which displays submitted
Info
Needs and user's agreement according to a second described preferred
embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 147 is a sample preferred Awards & Standings screen which displays a
user's
overall standing in all awards and promotions programs according to a second
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 148 is a sample preferred Awards & Standings Winners screen presenting
the
winners for a particular promotion according to a second described preferred
embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 149 is a sample preferred Awards & Standings Promotion Details screen for
a
particular promotion according to a second described preferred embodiment of
the present
invention.
FIG. 150 is a sample preferred Awards & Standings Promotions screen
slunmarizing
current and past promotions according to a second described preferred
embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 151 is a sample preferred Awards & Standings Point Club screen
summarizing
the current point clubs and points leaders according to a second described
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 152A and FIG. 152B present a sample preferred Point Club Set Up and edit
screen according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
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FIG. 153 is a sample preferred Point Club Set Up Completion screen according
to a
second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 154 is a sample preferred My Points screen summarizing what actions have
been
taken and their related points for a user according to a second described
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 155 is a sample preferred My Rank Total Points screen which provides a
summary of a user's total points and how the user compares to other users
according to a
second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 156 is a sample preferred My Rank Sales Advice Added screen summary of a
user's total points and how the user compares to other users for a specific
action such as
adding Sales Advice according to a second described preferred embodiment of
the present
invention.
FIG. 157 is a sample preferred Promotion Set up Step 1 screen for establishing
a new
promotion according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 158A and FIG. 158B present a sample preferred Contest/Promotion Set up
Qualifications (Step 2) screen for establishing a new promotion according to a
second
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 159A and FIG. 159B illustrate a sample preferred Promotion Set up
Sweepstalces
Qualifications (Step 2) screen for sweepstakes type of promotions according to
a second
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 160A and FIG. 160B is a sample preferred Promotion Set up Award Type
(Step
3) screen which describes the awards to be offered for a particular promotion
according to a
second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 161 is a sample preferred Promotion Set up Date Set Up (Step 4) screen
which
sets the effective dates for a particular promotion according to a second
described preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 162A and FIG. 162B illustrate a sample preferred Promotion Set up Preview
(Step 5) screen according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 163 is a sample preferred Promotion Set Up complete screen which confirms
successful completion of a particular promotion according to a second
described preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 164 is a sample preferred Points ~ Rank screen providing an overview of a
user's overall points and rank and standing in various points clubs according
to a second
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described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 165 is a sample preferred Your Points & Rank screen displaying a users
earned
awards in various points clubs according to a second described preferred
embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 166 is a sample preferred Advice Spy starting point from the mypage
screen
(FIG. 133A and FIG. 133B) according to a second described preferred embodiment
of the
present invention.
FIG. 167 is a sample preferred Advice Spy login and initial set up screen
according to
a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 168 is a sample preferred Advice Spy overview screen according to a
second
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 169 is a sample preferred Advice Spy My Interests summary with linlcs to
the
main site screen according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 170 is a sample preferred Advice Spy Promotions Summary and links screen
to
the main site according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 171 is an example preferred general preferences screen according to a
second
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 172 is an example preferred alerts preferences screen according to a
second
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 173 is an example preferred ticlcer preferences screen according to a
second
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Reporting Drill Down according to a second described preferred embodiment of
the
present invention
FIG. 174 is an example preferred My Reports section of the mypage screen (FIG.
133A and FIG. 133B) according to a second described preferred embodiment of
the present
invention.
FIG. 175 is an example preferred listing of reports a users is authorized to
access
according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 176 is an example preferred screen presenting the reporting options which
are
user selectable according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 177 is an example preferred screen displaying the highest level report
summary
for a selected report according to a second described preferred embodiment of
the present
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invention.
FIG. 178 is an example preferred screen presenting the next level of detail
for a
selected report according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 179 is an example preferred screen providing detail user profile
information
from a selected report according to a second described preferred embodiment of
the present
invention.
FIG. 180 is an example preferred screen providing a third level of detail for
a selected
report according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 181 is an example preferred screen providing a fourth level of detail for
a
selected report according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 182A and FIG. 182B illustrate a preferred screen for adding and editing
alerts
presented to users on login according to a second described preferred
embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 183A and FIG. 183B illustrate a preferred screen for setting up bonus
points
according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 184 illustrates a preferred screen for previewing a bonus points set up
according
to a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 185 illustrates a preferred screen providing confirmation of bonus point
set up
according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 186A and FIG. 186B illustrate a preferred screen for setting up custom
emails
and the desired distribution according to a second described preferred
embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 187 illustrates a preferred screen for adding and editing the executive
spotlight
section on the home page (FIG. 110A and FIG. 1 l OB) according to a second
described
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 188 illustrates a preferred screen for setting up and editing the
functional areas
used in the system according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 189 illustrates a preferred screen for presenting an overview of the
functional
areas and their characteristics according to a second described preferred
embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 190 illustrates a preferred screen for assisting in setting authorized
access to
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categories for each functional area according to a second described preferred
embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 191 is a sample preferred screen for presenting user with exceptions to
the
authorized category access for a functional area according to a second
described preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 192 is a sample preferred screen for displaying a summary of
authorizations for
actions by category for a functional area according to a second described
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 193 is a sample preferred screen for setting up user level authorizations
for
access to various administrative fiulctions according to a second described
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 194 is a sample preferred screen for setting report area authorizations
by
functional area according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 195 is a sample preferred screen for setting which functional areas have
authorizations to view user profiles to according to a second described
preferred embodiment
of the present invention.
FIG. 196 is a sample preferred screen used to define the preferred l~eywords
used to
describe experts according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present
invention.
FIG. 197A and FIG. 197B illustrate a sample preferred screen for setting up an
introductory message for first time users according to a second described
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 198A and FIG 198B present sample preferred screen for adding and editing
the
news and notes. section of the home page (FIG. 110A and FIG. 1 l OB) according
to a second
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 199A and FIG. 199B illustrate a sa,~nple preferred screen for setting up
and
editing points clubs according to a second described preferred embodiment of
the present
invention.
FIG. 200A and FIG. 200B illustrate sample preferred screen setting up and
managing
the polling section of the home page (FIG. 110A and FIG. 1 lOB) according to a
second
described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 201 is a sample preferred screen for setting up and editing the basic
system
information according to a second described preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
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FIG. 202A and FIG. 202B illustrate a sample preferred screen for setting and
editing
the various system configuration values that control much of the automation of
the system
according to a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 203 is a sample preferred screen for basic point values associated with
user
actions in the system according to a second described preferred embodiment of
the present
invention.
FIG. 204A and FIG. 204B illustrate a sample preferred screen for adding and
editing
basic user information and key attributes according to a second described
preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF BEST MODE AND
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
Reference will now be made in more detail to best mode and preferred
embodiments
of the systems of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings,
in which like
numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.
It is specially noted, in connection with the herein first described preferred
.
embodiment, that the instant system can measurably capture the opinions,
including the
evaluative approval opinions, of a population, or subpopulation, of users, by
aslcing users to
rate the degree of relevancy of such term to the subject. In that manner, a
user who is looking
for a tasty (i.e., taste approved by the user), beautifully served (service
and/or look of the
plate approved by the user) dessert may use those natural-language terms in a
search and find
desserts that other users (hopefully like the searcher) have rated as desserts
to which tasty and
beautifully sewed were considered to be highly relevant. Further, in setting
such relevancies,
the user is given by the preferred embodiment of the instant system a discrete
choice of,
preferably, five levels of relevancy, to which can be applied numbers (like 1
through 5), and
such ratings, used by a large population, can be "averaged" to obtain an
overall rating for that
term to that subject. Further, in entering into the instant subject database
the relevancy
ratings of each of the subpopulation of rating users, distinctions are
preferably made as to the
level of trust to be given to a particular user's rating; and the instant
system uses, again,
measurable for assigning a "weight" to be given to that particular opinion
when it is
"averaged" and saved as an overall rating. Further, when a user uses such
natural-language
terms to search for subjects, the instant search engine finds those subjects
having a high
aggregate rating, considering all of the terms and/or other search options,
e.g., an average of
the overall ratings of the several, say, terms entered by the user in
searching. Further, since,
in normal word-of mouth conversations among people, they often try to give and
get
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approval-evaluation information by using such terms, the site operator will
have a data
"goldmine" about user's favorite such terms to use in favorably discussing the
categories of
subjects of such website; and such analyzed data will have a ready market at
least in the
advertising community.
It is also especially noted that, in order to help sell such systems to
website operators,
the developer should, in the softwaxe system design, preferably limit the
operator's labor of
management and other responsibilities and create automatic income -- from
which the
developer may be paid well. The instant system, in the specific manners
described herein, is
a preferred embodiment of such a system, needing essentially no operator
management -- the
software itself motivates and rewards the user community sufficiently to keep
them doing the
sorts of duties otherwise befalling an operator.
In this detailed description, presented first, along with some hardware
information,
will be on overall look at the systems of the preferred embodiment and the
functional
interaction among the parties and the system parts, in conjunction with
diagrammatic charts.
Then the detailed operation of the preferred embodiment will be presented in
conjunction
with screen diagrams. The various levels and lcinds of descriptions herein are
intended to be
read in conjunction with each other in understanding the details of the
described preferred
embodiment of the invention.
Preferred First Described System Details
Referring now to FIG. 1-A, an overview of a preferred embodiment of the
present
invention is shown. The present invention preferably comprises a computer
system 1-8. The
computer system 1-8 comprises input and output devices as is well lcnown in
the art. For
example, the computer system 1-8 preferably comprises a display screen or
monitor 1-4, a
keyboard 1-16, a printer 1-14, a mouse 1-6, etc. The computer system 1-8
further preferably
comprises a database 1-2 for storage of the data and software comprising
preferred
embodiments of the present invention. The computer system 1-8 is preferably
connected to
the Internet 1-12 that serves as the presently preferred communications
medium. The Internet
1-12, as previously discussed, comprises a global network of networks and
computers, public
and private. The Internet 1-12 is the preferable connection method by the
users 1-18,1-20,
1-22 and 1-n in preferred embodiments of the present invention.
Referring now to FIG. 1-B, the computer system 1-8 is shown in more detail.
The
computer system 1-8 in a preferred embodiment comprises a database server 1-24
and a web
server 1-26. The database server 1-24 preferably runs in a Windows NT
environment and
preferably utilizes Oracle 8.x as the database engine. The database server 1-
24 preferably
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processes all Gepetto (batch) processes and email. Preferably all Gepetto
processes are
written in C++ and run as separate execution threads. The web server 1-26 also
preferably
runs in a Windows NT environment. The web server 1-26 operates as the web
server and the
servlet engine. Preferably the web server software is written in JAVA.
Referring to FIG. 1-C, a simplified functional diagram of a preferred
embodiment of
the present invention is shown. This figure shows the preferred relationships
between a user
,1-18 (exemplary of any number of users 1-18,1-20,1-22,1-n), the Internet 1-
12, the web
server 1-26 and the database server 1-24. As shown, a user 1-18 requests a
page from the
web site of the present invention. The user 1-18 is preferably connected via
the Internet 1-12,
and the web page request initiates a call to a Java servlet. The servlet is
ntn by the Jrun
engine which malces at least one request to the database server 1-24, via the
web server 1-26,
and generates an HTML page for transmission to the user 1-18 following the
database
server's completion of the servlet's request and transmission of the requested
data back to the
web server 1-26. The web server 1-26 transmits the completed HTML page
containing the
data requested by the user 1-18 through the Internet 1-12 to the user 1-18.
Referring briefly to FIG. 20, a high level functional diagram of the process
flows and
functions in a first described preferred embodiment of the present invention
is shown. Shown
herein is that the client sets each management option for the Terraformer
(Configuration and
Administration) Module, used herein refer to the subsystem of the instant
overall system used
by customers (website owners) to configure the instant system as preferred by
such customer.
The Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module preferably.comprises
the
following modules which will be explained in greater detail herein below: Word
Management, Subject Management, Correspondent & Member Management, Rewards
Management, Sponsorship, E-Mail Set Up Requirements, and Reporting Parameters.
The
Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Modules are coupled to the
database tables.
The database tables preferably comprise the following modules that will also
be explained in
greater detail herein below: Management Settings, Users, Subjects, History,
and Status. Also
shown is that the users may perform certain tasks or otherwise exercise
functions, preferably
comprising: Search for subjects, Add/Change Subjects, Rate Subjects, Comment
on Subjects,
Approve Adds/Changes, Notify Potential Sponsors, and Suggest new words.
Further
preferably linked to the Database are the main modules or functions: GEPETTO,
MYPAGE,
SPONSOR, E-MAIL, AND REPORTING.
Referring now to FIG. 2, an overview of the prior art comprising an Internet
Website
serving a community of users to find subjects is shown. The prior art features
a plurality of
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parties comprising an Internet Advertising Placement Agency, the Business
Community, the
User Community, and the Developer/Operator/Site Managers that interact or have
the
following relationships between them, with respect to each other and the
centrally-located
website software, as shown in FIG. 2 and summarized in Table 1 below.
Table 1:
Functions) -
Party Relationships to Party
Other
Parties
Advertising/ Billings/Business Community
Internet AdvertisingPayments.
Placement Agency
Placement Developer/ Operator/
Site
Agreement/Payments Managers
Business Co~ ~'' Sales Developer/Operator/Site
Managers
Developer/ Operator/SitePerformance and User Community
Managers Management Feedbacl~
Furthermore, in addition to the above, certain parties have direct
responsibility for the
Website control and content, and in fact must exercise those functions to
maintain the
operation of the Website and the interactions with the parties. The prior art
Website example
comprises components and associated programming of: Advertising, Content &
Overall
Ratings, Management, & Rewards under the control operation and management of
the
DeveloperlOperator. Each of these areas requires input or control from one of
the parties.
For example: the Internet Advertising Placement Agency is responsible for the
Website
Advertising Placements/View Counts affecting the Website content and
programming; the
user community is responsible for Entries & Overall Ratings into the Website,
and receives
Rewards distributed from the Website; and the Developer/Operator/Site Managers
are
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directly responsible for the Configuration and Management of the Website. It
should be
noted that in general these functions are not automatic. The parties, in
particular the
Developer/Operator/Site Managers, must exercise essentially day-to-day control
and
management of the Website to assure that the users receive awards, the
advertising content
and placement is correct, the entries and overall ratings are valid, etc.
Also, the
Developer/Operator/Site Managers must interact directly with the user
community to give
Performance and Management Feedback.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a first described preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the instant system is shown (and will herein be sometimes referred
to as the
WOM(TM) system or a word-of mouth system. First described preferred
embodiments of
the present invention contrast in very important ways from the prior art.
Again, embodiments
of the present invention feature a plurality of parties comprising an Internet
Advertising
Placement Agency, the Business Community, and the User Community. However,
rather
than a Developer/Operator/Site Manager, as in the prior art, who is tasked
with direct
management of the website, embodiments of the present invention comprise a
Customer, a
Developer and Sponsor(s). These parties interact or have the following
relationships between
them as shown in FIG. 3 and sunnnarized in Table 2 below.
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Table 2:
Functions) -
Party Relationships to Party
Other
Parties
Advertising/ Billings/Business Community
Internet AdvertisingPayments.
Placement Agency
Placement Customer
Agreement/Payments
Business Community Sales Customer
Customer Page Views & Developer
Sponsorship Revenue
Payments
User Community Notice of Entry Sponsor
As shown, the prior art model in which the Operator/Site Managers had
responsibility
for Management of the Website and for Performance and Management Feedback to
the User
community has been eliminated. Embodiments of the present invention
essentially do not
have, nor require, an Operator/Site Manager party and their associated
functions.
Embodiments of the present invention comprise a Customer responsible only for
the Website
configuration as opposed to both configuration and management. Also, the
customer now
owns the Website instead of the Developer/Operator/Site Managers thus
providing a lower
cost solution to Website operation. The customer, in a preferred embodiment,
forwards Page
Views pay~.nents and Sponsorship payment sharing to a Developer who preferably
need no
longer have essential management functions.
As shown on FIG. 3, the Website preferably comprises components and associated
programming of: Advertising, Content & Word Ratings (as opposed to Overall
"star"
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Ratings), Management, & Rewards/Performance Management. As shown, many
differences
between the prior art and preferred embodiments of the present invention are
present. The
Website interaction between the User Community and the Website now comprises
not only
rewards but also performance feedback. Also, the User Community now provides
to the
Website not merely Entries and Overall Ratings, but instead Entries and Word
(i.e., again,
what is sometimes herein referred to as natural-language term, preferably
evaluative,
preferably approving) Ratings/Approvals. Furthermore, as will be explained in
more detail,'
embodiments of the present invention preferably comprise another party -
Sponsors. The
Sponsors receive notice of entry from the User Community, and in turn provide
.
automatically-set-up (by the website software) payments to the Website and
Sponsor Entries
into the Website. Additionally, Sponsor Payments are automatically sent to the
Customer.
Key features in preferred embodiments of the present invention are preferably
that the
Website essentially does not require Management by a Developer/Operator/Site
Manager,
and that the software of the Website performs management functions
automatically. Also,
the Website automatically interacts with the User Community to establish
Content and
natural-language term (herein sometimes called "Word") Ratings of relevance to
a subject.
Referring to FIG. 4, an overview functional diagram of the Activity Database
of the
main Database 1-2 (see Figs. 1-A, 1-C, and 20) is shown. As shown, the
Activity Database
preferably comprises Activities performed by Users that cause data
additions/changes to the
Activity Database. The Users comprise: Guests, Members, Correspondents (also
called
Contributors herein) and Sponsors. The Users may talce various actions or
interact preferably
as follows: Guests may View Subjects. In contrast, Members may View:
Experiences,
Overall Ratings, Word Ratings, Comments Made, and 'Agreement with comments.
Also,
Members may submit Add Subject Requests. Another class of Users, the
Correspondents and
Sponsors may also preferably View: Experiences, Overall Ratings, Word Ratings,
Comments
Made, and Agreement with comments. Furthermore, Correspondents and Sponsors
may
preferably submit Add Subj ect Requests, Modify Subj ect Requests, Delete Subj
ect Requests,
and submit Ratings Reset Requests. [It is noted that "Overall Ratings" has
been used in these
cases to refer to ratings of, e.g., 1 to 5 "stars" for the subject as a whole.
When, in the instant
preferred system, the natural-language term ratings of degree of relevance of
each user are
"averaged" (preferably "weighted" as herein after described) for a large
number of users, this
application refers to that "average" as an "overall" degree of relevance
rating -- i.e., not the
same thing as the prior art Overall "star-type" rating; and the context hereof
will make clear
which use is intended.]
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Additionally, Sponsors only preferably possess the additional privileges that
allow
them to: do Approve their Own New Subject Adds, Approve their Own Subject
Modifications, and Approve their Own Subject Deletion Requests, and submit
Approve their
Own Rating Reset Requests. The activities by the Users may preferably be
reflected in the
Activity Database fields. The Activity Database fields preferably comprise:
Date/time,
Subject, User ID, Activity completed, Words & ratings, Comment agreement, and
Subject
3rd page viewed fields.
Refernng to FIG. 5, a high level functional.diagrarn of the Experience
Management
Automation software is shown. The core of the Experience Management Automation
software is preferably comprised within the Terraformer (Configuration and
Administration)
Module. The Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module performs
Experience
Management that preferably comprises the activities of allowing the Customer
to: Set word
deletion rating threshold; Set subject deletion overall rating threshold,
number of months, &
minimum rating count; Set ratings removal aging criteria; and Set use of local
and national
approval queues and time frame for approvals to move between them, or just
national queues.
For each of these activities, the customer preferably initially evaluates and
sets each of these
configuration and management options that axe comprised within the Terraformer
(Configuration and Administration) Module as desired. The Experience
Management
settings are preferably placed into the WOM Database where they affect and axe
stored in the
Web Site Configuration & Management Settings table.
Users may interact with the Experience Management Automation software and
perform activities that: Search for Subjects, Add/Change Subjects, Rate
Subjects, Comment
on Subjects, Approve Adds/Changes, Notify Potential New Sponsors, and Suggest
New
words. These activities affect the WOM Database tables: Correspondents,
Members &
Sponsors; Subjects (Content); Activity History; and Application Status.
The WOM database tables' content and/or changes are preferably input to the
Gepetto
Module which will preferably: Remove subjects with overall ratings below
threshold;
Remove subjects with poor word ratings (optional); Calculate each members
weighting value
for ratings; Remove old ratings and recalculate rating; Remove old comments,
and Generate
most used word descriptive word lists. The WOM database tables content and/or
changes are
also preferably input to the MyPage Reporting Module which will assist
implementation of
the working of Approval Queues for adds, updates, deletions and potential
sponsor
notification.
Referring to FIG. 6, a high level functional diagram of the Word Management
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Automation software is shown. The core of the Word Management Automation
software is
preferably comprised within the Terraformer (Configuration and Administration)
Module.
The Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module performs Word
Management
that preferably comprises the activities of allowing the Customer to: Set
correspondent &
member subject weightings; Set number of words to be displayed for adds &
ratings; Assign
words to categories/subcategories; and Set word deletion rating threshold. For
each of these
activities, the customer preferably initially evaluates and sets each of these
configuration and
management options that are comprised within the Terraformer (Configuration
and
Admiiustration) Module as desired. The Word Management settings are preferably
placed
into the WOM Database where they affect and are stored in the Web Site
Configuration &
Management Settings table.
Users may interact with the Word Management Automation software and preferably
perform activities that: Search for Subjects, Add/Change Subjects, Rate
Subjects, Comment
on Subjects, Approve Adds/Changes; Notify Potential New Sponsors, and Suggest
New
Words. These activities affect the WOM Database tables: Correspondents,
Members &
Sponsors; Subjects (Content); Activity History; and Application Status. The
WOM database
tables content and/or changes are preferably input to the Gepetto Module which
will
preferably: Calculate Word Usage frequency by sub-category; and Select Words
presented in
subject add, search, and ratings.
Referring to FIG. 7, a high level functional diagram of the Reporting
Management
Automation software is shown. The core of the Reporting Management Automation
software
is preferably comprised within the Terraformer (Configuration and
Administration) Module.
The Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module comprises Reporting
Parameters that preferably comprises the activity of allowing the Customer to
Set Reporting
parameters, time frame and level of detail. The customer preferably initially
evaluates and
sets the configuration and management options for the Reporting Parameters
that are
comprised within the Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module as
desired.
The Reporting Management settings are preferably placed into the WOM Database
where
they affect and are stored in the Web Site Configuration & Management Settings
table.
Users may interact with the Reporting Management Automation software and
preferably perform activities that: Search for Subj ects, Add/Change Subj
ects, Rate Subj ects,
Comment on Subjects, Approve Adds/Changes, Notify Potential New Sponsors, and
Suggest
New words. These activities affect the WOM Database tables: Correspondents,
Members &
Sponsors; Subjects (Content); Activity History; and Application Status. The
WOM database
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tables content and/or changes are preferably input to the Customer/Management
Reporting
module which will perform the functions of providing reporting for: Overall
Member Status;
Overall Correspondent Status; Overall Content Status; Detail Content Status;
Overall Sponsor
Status; and Detail Sponsor Status.
Referring to FIG. 8, a high level functional diagram of the Correspondent &
Member
Management Automation software is shown. The core of the Correspondent &
Member
Management Automation software is preferably comprised within the Ten aformer
(Configuration and Administration) Module. The Tenaformer (Configuration and
Administration) Module comprises Corespondent & Member Management that
comprises
preferably activities to: Set qualifications requirements and automatically
select
corespondents; Set goals for corespondents and members; Set corespondent count
management for geographic region (Optional); and Set standards of performance
for
promotion & demotion. The customer initially evaluates and sets the
configuration and
management options for the Corespondent & Member Management that are comprised
within the Tenaformer (Configuration and Administration) Module as desired.
The
Corespondent & Member Management settings are placed into the WOM Database
where
they preferably affect and are stored in the Web Site Configuration &
Management Settings
table.
Users may interact with the Corespondent & Member Management Automation
software and perform activities that preferably: Search for Subjects,
Add/Change Subjects,
Rate Subj ects, Comment on Subj ects, Approve Adds/Chaalges, Notify Potential
New
Sponsors, alld Suggest New words. These activities affect the WOM Database
tables:
Corespondents, Members & Sponsors; Subjects (Content); Activity History; and
Application
Status. The WOM database tables content andlor changes are preferably input to
the MyPage
Reporting module which provides information to the Correspondents and Members
.
preferably comprising: Reports "to do's" to members and corespondents;
Activity Counts
(adds, updates, ratings, comments, approvals; Reports progress against goals
for members
and corespondents; Report Lives touched, i.e. people who have visited subjects
you have
added, and their comments made; and Report top "x" number of contributors.
Referring to FIG. 9, a high level functional diagram of the Rewards Management
Automation software is shown. The core of the Rewards Management Automation
software
is preferably comprised within the Teraformer (Configuration and
Administration) Module.
The Tenaformer (Configuration and Administration) Module comprises the Rewards
Management software that comprises, preferably, activities to: Set amount of
the pool $
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available for distribution to member and correspondent; Set point values for
each member &
correspondent activity; Set award pool percentage (%) or count of participants
to receive
awards; Set dollar ($) value of points (optionally); Set up contest parameters
e.g.: Number of
entry points parameter, winners are selected randomly from the entrants, etc.;
and set the
setting of the % or the number (#) of people on the top lists (Top 100
subjects, top
Contributors, Top Ratings, etc.). The customer initially evaluates and sets
the configuration
and management options for the Rewards Management that are comprised within
the
Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module as desired. The Rewards
Management settings are placed into the WOM Database where they preferably
affect and are
stored in the Web Site Configuration & Management Settings table.
Users may interact with the Rewards Management Automation software and perform
activities that preferably: Search for Subj ects, AddlChange Subj ects, Rate
Subj ects,
Comment on Subjects, Approve AddslChanges, and Notify Potential New Sponsors.
These
activities affect the WOM Database tables: Correspondents, Members & Sponsors;
Subjects
(Content); Activity History; and Application Status. The WOM database tables
content
and/or changes are preferably input to the MyPage Reporting module which
provides
information preferably comprising: Report points earned and $ equivalent
(optional); and
Report contest winners.
Referring to FIG. 10, a high level fiulctional diagram of the Sponsorship
Management
Automation software is shown. The core of the Sponsorship Management
Automation
software is preferably comprised within the Terraformer (Configuration and
Administration)
Module. The Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module comprises
the
Sponsorship software that comprises, preferably, activities to Set per
experience sponsorship
rates. The Sponsorship content and formats for text content, quantity of text
and pictl~re size
are preferably predefined by the software. The customer initially evaluates
and sets the
configuration and management options for the Sponsorship Management that is
comprised
within the Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module as desired.
The
Sponsorship Management settings are placed into the WOM Database where they
preferably
affect and are stored in the Web Site Configuration & Management Settings
table.
Users may interact with the Sponsorship Management Automation software and
perform activities that preferably: Search for Subjects, AddlChange Subjects,
Rate Subjects,
Comment on Subj ects, Approve Adds/Changes, and Notify Potential New Sponsors.
These
activities affect the WOM Database tables: Correspondents, Members & Sponsors;
Subjects
(Content); Activity History; and Application Status. The WOM database tables
content
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and/or changes are preferably input to the Sponsor Billing module which
preferably provides
functions comprising the automated billing of Sponsors and Sponsor activity
reports.
Refernng to FIG. 11, a diagrammatical view of sponsorship depicting two
example
Sponsorship flows is shown. As shown, Bill, a member, enjoys a great apple pie
at "Home
Cooling" restaurant. Bill desires to share this wonderful experience.
Therefore, Bill submits
a description of the Apple Pie at Home Cooking to WOM. The description of the
Apple Pie
is available on WOM for Approval of the Apple Pie by other members. If the
members do
not approve the Apple Pie description submission, then the Apple Pie
description is rettuned
to Bill for correction of the errors. Following approval of the Apple Pie
description by the
members, the Apple Pie description is preferably submitted to the Sponsor
notification queue,
and preferably is also made available under the Subjects available to the
users~and members.
With reference to the Sponsor notification queue, the members may decide to
Notify
the Home Cooking restaurant of their apple pie subject, and any other pending
subject for the
Home Cooking Restaurant. A Correspondent will preferably read the queue and
preferably
send an e-mail notice to the Home Cooking Restaurant. The Home Cooking
Restaurant may
now decide if they choose to Sign up to be a sponsor. If the Home Cooking
Restaurant
chooses to Sign up to be a Sponsor, they may now add restaurant information to
the Subj ect
data that initiated the Sponsor notification i.e. the "great apple pie".
The Sponsorship process may be repeated as often as desired. For example,
Jill, a
member, enjoys a great meatloaf sandwich at "Home Cooking" restaurant. Jill
desires to
share this wonderful experience. Therefore, Jill submits a description of the
Meatloaf
sandwich at Home Cooking to WOM. The description of the Meatloaf sandwich is
available
on WOM for Approval of the Meatloaf sandwich by other members. If the members
do not
approve the Meatloaf sandwich description submission, then the Meatloaf
sandwich
description is returned to Jill for correction of the errors. Following
approval of the Meatloaf
sandwich description by the members, the Meatloaf sandwich description is
preferably
submitted to the Sponsor notification queue (as was the great apple pie), and
preferably is
also made available under the Subjects available to the users and members.
Once in the Sponsor notification queue, the members may decide to Notify the
Home
Cooking restaurant again, this time concerning their Meatloaf sandwich
subject, and any
other pending subject for the Home Cooking Restaurant. Correspondents will
preferably
read the queue and preferably send an e-mail notice to the Home Cooking
Restaurant. The
Home Cooking Restaurant may now decide if they choose to Sign up to be a
sponsor of the
Meatloaf sandwich. If the Home Cooking Restaurant chooses to again Sign up to
be a
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Sponsor, they may now add restaurant information to the Subject data that
initiated the
Sponsor notification, i.e. the "great meatloaf sandwich". The Home Cooking
restaurant may
also update any other subjects they have such as the "great apple pie".
The Sponsored information on the great apple pie and meatloaf sandwich
subjects,
including any updates is preferably then made available to users and members.
The total
number of Subjects sponsored is input to the Sponsor Management software on
the Website
which generates the fees due from the Home Cooking restaurant and bills the
Home Cooking
restaurant, preferably on a monthly basis, in order to collect the money due.
The Home
Cooking restaurant, once billed, may pay for their sponsorship, preferably
using an E-check
or by charging a credit card for all sponsored subj ects. ~ .
Referring to FIG. 12, a further diagrammatical view of the sponsorship process
of
FIG. 11 is shown. The process described in reference to FIG. 11 embodies an
important
feature of the present invention. As shown, theoSubject Management and Sponsor
Management did not require the intervention of a Developer/Operator/Site
Managers as
shown in the prior art of FIG. 2. Rather, in this preferred embodiment of the
present
invention, the WOM Website software automatically processed the E-mail
notices)
regarding sponsorship of the apple pie and meatloaf sandwich entries. The WOM
Website
software fiuther automatically processed the Subject updates, information
additions, etc., and
also automatically processed the billing and payment by E-check or credit card
for the
sponsored entries by the Home Cooking restaurant.
Referring to FIG. 13, a diagraminatical view of the process of adding and
viewing
subjects is shown. In. this example Bill, a correspondent, wants to add Trail
100, a great
hilcing trail in Phoenix to the Subjects. After accessing the WOM Website,
Bill Adds Trail
100 as a Subject. Bill will be presented with screens by the WOM software that
will
preferably allow Bill to:
Enter the subject Name, select categories and subcategories and location;
Checlc for possible duplicates;
dates;
Add Basic Information;
Enter a description, street address, time required, family orientation, and
availability
Describe the Subject using words, such as for example: solitude, sublime, etc;
Add other words as desired;
Report his own Subject experience level, rate each of the selected words and
add
comments as desired;
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Preview the Subject as it will appear to others on the WOM Website;
Confirm the Subject is added to approval queue by checking the MySubjects
Awaiting Approval on MyPage.
The Subject is then preferably placed into the Approval Queue for Review by
another
correspondent(s). If the reviewing correspondents) do not grant Approval of
the Subject, the
Subject submission is returned to the Originator, Bill, for correction or
deletion. Following
correction by the Originator, Bill, the Subj ect Submission is again
preferably placed into the
Approval Queue for review.by another correspondent(s). Following a grant of
Approval by
the reviewing Correspondent(s), the submitted and approved Subject is placed
into the
Subject Database. It should be noted that, preferably, Sponsors may add
Subjects using the
same process, except that their entries are not subjected to review and
approval by
correspondents.
Now consider a member desiring to view a Subject. For example, Jill, a member,
wants to find a hiring trail in Phoenix. Jill may access the WOM Website from
a computer
and submit search criteria including "sublime" hilcing trails in Phoenix. The
search is run in
the Subject Database and the results returned to Jill at her computer for
viewing. The results
will include the Trail 100 as Bill had used the word "Sublime" when describing
the Subject.
Jill may now choose to look at the detail concerning Trail 100. Jill may
further preferably
choose to: Rate the Subject overall, rate the words, and/or rate additional
words; Add
comments; or View Sponsorship information if such is available.
The WOM Website software will also function such that all activities, adding,
approving, viewing, rating and adding comments are recorded in the Activity
database for
reporting and management.
Referring now to FIG. 14, a diagrammatical view of the weighting of overall
subject
and descriptive word ratings is shown. Five factors are used to create a
multiplication value
that the system will use when weighting a "degree of relevancy" rating which a
user has
made. This value can either mare the rating more or less influential. The five
factors are:
1. Their role, member or correspondent;
2. Whether they have personally experienced the subject;
3. Self reported qualification regarding the subject;
4. Other users' overall ratings of subjects added by the user; and
5. Other users' degree of agreement with comments added by the user.
The process of the weighting of overall subject and descriptive word (i.e., as
noted,
natural-language terms, preferably evaluative, preferably approving) degree-of
relevancy
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ratings preferably comprises the following steps:
1) Determine the type of the user, get the associated weighting value (Vall);
2) Determine the self reported subject with the subject. And, get the
associated
weighting value (Val2);
3) Determine the user's self reported qualification in judging the subject.
And, get the
associated weighting value (Val3);
4) Determine the subject quality multiplier value (Val4).
This is a value that is calculated based on the overall ratings of all
subjects entered by
the user giving the rating. If the value is above a specific threshold,
another multiplier is
preferably added to the mix. If there are no subjects, preferably the value is
1 and has no
effect on the rating.
5) Determine the comment quality multiplier value (val5).
This is a value that is calculated based on the number (i.e., percentage) of
users that
have stated that the given user's comments are useful. If this user's such
average (i.e.,
percentage) is above a specified threshold, preferably another multiplier is
added to the mix.
If there are no comments, preferably the value is 1 and has no effect on the
rating.
6) The Rating weighting is calculated by multiplying the values i.e. Rating
weighting =
Vall *val2*val3*val4*val5
7) The rating weighting is then applied to the degree-of relevancy opinions
resulting in
the user/person having an opinion weighted uniquely. This preferred automatic
weighting gives the system the ability to properly weight opinions based on
past
performance.
Referring to FIG. 15, a high level functional diagram of the E-mail Management
Automation software is shown. The core of the E-mail Management Automation
software is
preferably comprised within the Terraformer (Configuration and Administration)
Module.
The Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module performs E-mail
Management
that preferably comprises the E-mail Set Up Requirements activities of
allowing the
Customer to: Set content for automatic e-mail messages, and Set Default e-
mails addresses.
For each of these activities, the customer preferably initially evaluates and
sets each of these
configuration and management options that are comprised within the Terraformer
(Configuration and Administration) Module as desired. The E-mail Management
settings are
preferably placed into the WOM Database where they affect and are stored in
the Web Site
Configuration ~ Management Settings table.
Users may interact with the E-mail Management Automation software and
preferably
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perform activities that: Search for Subj ects, Add/Change Subj ects, Rate Subj
ects, Comment
on Subjects, Approve Adds/Changes, Notify Potential New Sponsors, and Suggest
New
Words. These activities affect the WOM Database tables: Correspondents,
Members &
Sponsors; Subjects (Content); Activity History; and Application Status. The
WOM database
tables content and/or changes are preferably input to the E-mail Module which
will
preferably provide for Automated e-mail notices comprising: Motivational
emails of lives
touched, etc.; Contest Winners; Information of Interest (Subjects, etc.); and
'On the fly'
emails to individual members.
Referring to FIG. 16, a diagrammatical view of the descriptive word promotion
functional flow is shown. By virtue of the WOM Website software having used
this
promotion process, the words that get used the most would appear for selection
by the users,
thereby enhancing their experience. The descriptive word promotion software
preferably
comprises the following steps: .
1) Run a routine that determines the words that have been used the most (more
than once) in each given level 2 category. These words are archived in a table
called
TOP_WORDS;
2) Determine the percentage breakdown by first letter of all words in a given
level 2 category (e.g. S% A, 3% B, etc.)
3) Get the number of words that are supposed to be displayed in each of the
five
areas of the system where such lists are displayed.
Add process
More words in the add process
Rate process
More words in the rate process
Advanced search page
Note: If we need 100 words for display and the percentage of A words in the
domain
table is 3% -then grab the 3 most used words, first from the TOP WORDS table
and secondly
(if necessary) from the domain table.
The descriptive word promotion software will preferably repeat this process
for each
letter and each category in the database. The descriptive word promotion
software preferably
has certain assumptions programmed into it, preferably comprising: 1. An
initial pool of
words has been created for a given level 2 category; and 2. Once each
timeframe (preferably
per week), the routine described above is run to determine what words appear
where in the
application.
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Referring now to FIG. 17, a flow chart of the preferred flow for a subject
search is
shown. Notes applicable to FIG. 17 are shown in FIG. l~. The subject search
flow shown on
FIG. 17 is as follows: A User enters information to search on. The software
will determine
the search type. If the software determines that a Keyword search is selected,
then the
procedure of Note 1 is preferably performed.
The Note 1 procedure preferably comprises the steps of:
1) Locate any entries in the database that match the keywords specified. The
keywords in the database are made up of the following:
a) Organization Name
b) Descriptive Words
c) Category Descriptors
d) Subject Description
2) The keywords located must be rated greater than a given value before it
qualifies as a match.
Following the Keyword search selected procedure, the software next Performs
the
search logic procedure step as explained in Note 2. The Note 2 procedure
preferably
comprises the steps of:
1) The search logic is as follows: Search for a subject that meets the
original
criteria specified, plus the following:
2) If a location field was specified, finds all subjects that are in that
location. If a
city was specified, check the subjects' cities field.
3) If an appeal word was checked or entered in the free form entry box, checlc
for
subjects that have that descriptive word. If time or cost were specified, add
these values to
the selection criteria.
The software next determines the user's next function. If the user clicked on
'Refine
Search', the User is presented with page of options to refine their search as
explained in Note
3. The Note 3 procedure preferably comprises the steps of:
1) Any option selected by the user will be applied in conjunction with the
original criteria to further qualify the results of the query. The options
presented to the user
include the following:
a) Location: City, State, Zip.
b) What appeals to you: A list of words selected by the system that have been
used most often to describe the subjects included in the given category.
c) Free form word field: A location where the user can put a word or words
that
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did not appear in 'What appeals to you'.
d) Amount of money you would lilce to spend.
e) Amount of time you would like to spend.
Following the option presentation of the option selections, and the User
selection of
any desired options and the software performs the search Logic Step as
previously explained.
If the user clicked on a listing, then the softwaxe will Display the selected
3rd page
view to the user.
Returning now to the beginning, where the software will determine the search
type, if
a category search is selected, the software will ask whether a level 1 or a
level 2 category was
chosen. If a Level 1 was chosen then the software will Display all level 2
categories that
exist below the selected level 1. The user will then select the desired level
2, after which the
software will Display all subjects in the selected category. The search logic
is simply to look
for all subj ects classified in the 1 st or 2nd level category selected, and
the results are ordered
by the sponsorship flag. Following the Display of all subjects in the selected
category, the
software will next determine the user's next function as already explained.
If, however, a
level 2 was directly chosen following the selection of a Category search, then
the softwaxe
will go directly to the Display of all subjects in the selected category step,
the determine users
next function, etc. as previously explained.
Referring now to FIG. 19, a flow chart of the preferred flow for a survey is
shown. In
an example survey, for example, a restaurant owner wants to know how customers
feel about
their 'Death by Chocolate' Dessert. The restaurant owner will first define a
desired survey.
For example, in this example, the restaurant owner will define a survey to
comprise the
following questions or parameters:
1) Set timeframe - one day, etc.;
2) Set e-mail domains to take the survey;
3) Set number of users to take the survey - 10, 25, S0, etc.;
4) Set the banner; .
5) Define the question - [e.g., Our Death by Chocolate is the best in town
because:
6) Identify words to be used in response to the survey, e.g. - darlc
chocolate,
warm, fudge, tasty, etc.;
7) Set the terms used for the 1-5 rating scale e.g. - strongly agree, agree,
neutral,
disagree, strongly disagree; and
8) Determine if users will see results.
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The survey definition will then be placed into the Survey Questions database.
A
person will next attempt to take the survey. The software will ask is the
person's e-mail in an
acceptable domain? If the answer is no, the person attempting to take the
survey will receive
a return message that the survey is not available. The person may try again if
they have
another e-mail domain that might be acceptable. If the answer is yes, the
software will next
aslc has the "Maximum number of surveys been completed?". (either for the
survey in total
or for that defined domain). If the answer is yes, the person attempting to
talce the survey will
receive a return message that the survey is not available. If the answer is
no, the software
will next asle has the time limit on administering the survey been reached? If
the answer is
yes, the person attempting to take the survey will receive a return message
that the survey is
not available. If the answer is no, the person will complete the survey
available in the Survey
Questions database. .
Following the survey, the software will tabulate the survey responses and
place them
in the Survey question response database. The survey results will be sent to
the Management
Control Panel on the Survey URL to enable the restaurant owner to view the
survey results.
The software will next determine if the restaurant owner desired to show the
survey results to
the person taking the survey. If this was not desired, the person talcing the
survey will be
thanked for taping the survey, and the survey process will be complete. If it
was desired, the
software will display the survey results to the person taking the survey after
which the survey
process will be complete.
In the preferred embodiment, the database 1-2 includes the following tables:
Domain Tables: These tables contain the required reference information used to
ensure
accuracy alld consistency of the subject content, guest and contributor
information. And (see
FIG. 20) these tables are part of management settings.
Application Status Tables: These tables contain information necessary to
manage user
interactions such as the "state" or status of each active guest or
contributor. Status
information includes information such as user id, the last screen used,
cLUrent screen in use,
and start of the current session. See FIG. 20 under "Status".
System Tables: These tables contain the parameters required to control the
behavior of the
system. Information in these tables gives the system to make decisions
regarding certain
actions. An example is the length of time a nominated subject will be
exclusively available
to contributors in a postal code. And (see FIG. 20) these tables are part of
management
settings:
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User Tables: The user tables contain all data relevant to registered users of
the system.
Information includes demographic, system role points earned, points goals,
personal
preferences, book marked subjects of personal interest. See FIG. 20 under
"Users".
Subject Tables: The subject tables contain all information collected about a
subject. For
example, all data describing the subject, location of the subject, guest
ratings, guest
comments, etc. are included here. See FIG. 20 under "Subject".
History Tables. The history tables contain all information collected about
user activities,
page views, etc. See FIG. 20 under "History".
FIG. 20, just referred to, is a high level functional diagram of the process
flows and
functions in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, previously
described, here for
referral use in the below detailed review (after the below overview) of the
system operation
with reference to selected preferred screens of the system.
First Described Preferred System Operational Overview
Preferred embodiments of the systems of this invention give everyone, without
exception, the ability to publish opinions on the Web, and create an easy-to-
access database
of those opinions. The primary unit of measure in the instant systems is the
Subject. A
Subject is preferably an exceptional experience of any kind - a succulent
steak, cozy
campsite, neighborhood sports bar, inexpensive discount store, beautiful golf
course, friendly
hairstylist, inspiring karate instructor, etc. Web users add their favorite
Subjects to a site and,
in so doing, create a database of Subjects that all users can access.
When adding Subjects to a site, users first enter some basic information about
it:
location, cost, time needed to experience it, and a short description. Users
then choose from a
list of pre-selected Descriptive Words (often called herein natural-language
terms, preferably
evaluative and preferably approving of the subject) that describes their
Subject. Thousands of
Descriptive Words are pre-loaded in the instant system. Some examples are:
"tasty, romantic,
friendly service, great value, extravagant, beautiful views, challenging,
crowded," etc. In
addition to choosing from the pre-selected list, users may also add their own
Descriptive
Words to describe Subjects. After doing so, the newly added words become part
of the master
database that all future site visitors can use.
After selecting some Descriptive Words, users then rate the importance of each
of those
words. Example: (Extremely tasty, very challenging, somewhat good service,
etc.). Those
ratings are given a numerical value (5 for "extremely," 4 for "very," etc.),
and those
numerical values are displayed with the rest of the Subject information. The
user then types a
text comment (as short or long as desired) about the Subject, and the process
is complete.
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With such Descriptive Word systems, users aren't required to spend time
writing paragraph
after paragraph to add their favorite experiences to the database. Instead,
they can describe
their Subject in seconds using Descriptive Words, rendering the process of
giving opinions as
easy as a few mouse clicks. And by immediately adding a user's own Descriptive
Words to
the master database, the instant system provides a way for users to build the
content and raise
the quality of the site every time they use it.
Furthermore, the search function provided by the instant system grafts a
supremely
easy-to-use interface onto a complex database-search process. When the average
Web search
engine does "full-text" searches - that is, loolcs through every piece of text
for words that
match the user's request - the result is often thousands of unrelated Web
pages and
meaningless phone-boolc listings. The instant searches are different: they're
fast and accurate
because the technology searches only specific, defined data fields, weeding
out results the
user doesn't want.
Once the database is populated with a critical mass of Subjects, then users
will enjoy
the unique benefits of a search according to the instant system. If you search
for a "deli"
using Word of Mouth technology, you'll find a deli - not a Web page about the
"delicate
ecosystem of the spotted owl" or a phone listing for "Delilah Jackson" in
Toledo. And you'll
fmd a deli in your neighborhood: just type in your ZIP code and the radius
you'd lilce to
search (e.g. two miles, five miles, etc.), and you'll find results near you.
Importantly, you can
type in keywords to locate a "romantic Italian restaurant with great seafood"
(instead of all
the Italian restaurants in a given city), and receive a list that includes
only romantic Italian
restaurants with great seafood (as rated by other users). You also get data
that shows just how
closely each option matches with each specific lceyword you entered, making it
easier to find
the appropriate subj ect matter.
Another feature of the instant system that gives it such broad appeal is its
adaptability.
Most features - from the interface to the rewards system - axe customizable by
the client,
making the system as useful to an international daily newspaper as it is to a
monthly specialty
magazine. Clients/customers may define their own content categories, contests,
incentive
programs, content-quality standards, sponsorship pricing models, site behavior
and more. The
set of variables enables the creation of a "word-of mouth" resource that can
lend itself to any
geographic- or topic-focused Web site.
Further, using a system of completely, automated, highly integrated content
sponsorships, advertisers can buy sponsorships with the instant system using
only their
computer and a credit card - no sales force is necessary. And such
sponsorships are the most
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attractive on the Web, preferably allowing advertisers to add contact
information, links, 10
photographs and 10 paragraphs of extensive information about their businesses
in just a few
clicks. Because of this, advertisers not only create revenue for the site, but
content as well.
When contributors to a large-scale Web community go unchecked, the site will
eventually fall victim to online bullies and pranlcsters. To combat this, Word
of Mouth
software has a reliable content-review process based on membership status.
There are three
types of registered users: Members, Managing Members and Sponsors. Members
have basic
site-use privileges. Maalaging Members enjoy content-editing and approval
powers in
addition to contribution privileges. Sponsors pay a monthly premium (per
Subject) to add
customized information to certain Subjects, and have the same privileges as
regular Members
(but do not have the content-editing powers of Managing Members). All Subjects
added -
with the exception of sponsored Subjects, whose quality is naturally high
because sponsors
pay for these Subjects as marketing tools.- are reviewed and approved by a
Managing
Member before publication. This review process ensures that there are no
"nonsense"
Subjects in the database - that is, Subjects composed of randomly typed
characters or
nonsense words. The review process does not discriminate against the tastes of
Members, and
Subjects are not to be rejected because their opinions differ from those of
the Managing
Member responsible for approving/rejecting them.
While they are lowest in the hierarchy, Members can still add Subjects,
Comments and
Ratings; however, every Subject added by a Member must be approved by a
Managing
Member before it becomes available for viewing by other site users. A Managing
Member is
a volunteer community leader who has applied and been accepted for this role
by the client.
Subjects entered by a Managing Member must be approved by another Managing
Member
before they may be viewed by other users. Subjects added by Sponsors are
exempt from the
content-review process. Their Subjects are immediately added to the database
upon entry.
This content-review process allows no one (except Sponsors) to make content
available to the
public without the approval of a site-sanctioned community leader (Managing
Member).
The instant system uses an extensive and easily customizable rewards program
to
motivate users to make great contributions to their online community. Users
are compensated
with points for performing each of many actions that build a strong online
community:
adding content to the site, enriching existing content with comments and
ratings, recruiting
other members and helping to generate sponsorship revenue. The points a user
earns for each
action is determined by the client: therefore, a site can easily target and
improve specific
areas of their system site by offering premium point values for actions in
those areas. A site
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can also use three separate point-earning structures for each member type
(Member,
Managing Member and Sponsor), enabling the implementation of different
incentives for
each user type. Points are redeemable for cash, prizes or contest entries
(depending on a
client's wishes). And a percentage of sponsorship revenue can be shared with
top-performing
Managing Members, giving these volunteer leaders incentive to build the
community.
When it comes to credibility, all users are not created equal. That's why the
instant
system contains a system of assigning higher credibility to users who deserve
it, rendering a
more accurate and reliable dataset. Ratings multipliers can be assigned based
upon:
* User type (Member, Managing Member, Sponsor)
* Opinion popularity (percentage of others who agree with user comments)
* Subject popularity (percentage of Subjects rated highly by other users)
* Qualification to rate a Subject (Self selected: Very, Somewhat or Slightly)
* Experience with a Subject (Have Experienced or Have Not Experienced)
These five ratings multipliers are combined into one final multiplier that
determines the
credibility of each registered user. Each of these multipliers is optional:
clients may use all or
none of them on their site.
Typically, the instant system requires only one part-time employee to keep a
Web
community running smoothly, thanks to the extensive system of automated
processes that are
constantly running "behind the scenes." Among these processes are:
* Deleting outdated and poor-quality content
* Sending invitations to prospective Managing Members
* Calculating and aggregating a site's content and usage statistics
* Distributing activity points, awards and bonuses
* Awarding contest entries and determining winners
The instant system allows people to spread word-of mouth over the Internet the
same
way they do in everyday life - only faster, easier, and without geographic
boundaries.
Harnessing the power of Descriptive Words (preferably evaluative, preferably
approval-type)
that everyone uses; people can share and compare their exceptional experiences
across all
wallcs of life in a matter of minutes. How does it work? Web site users enter
their favorite
"Subjects" on the Web site. A Subject is any exceptional experience worth
sharing with the
online community: a great steak, a cozy campsite, a fun sports bar, an
inexpensive discount
store, a beautiful golf course, etc. During the process of adding a Subject to
the site, users
will be asked to enter specific information about it: the location, price,
time needed, etc.
They'll also be asked to use Descriptive Words to describe their Subject.
Users may choose
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from hundreds of pre-selected Descriptive Words, or add their own. These words
-- the
natural language terms that everyday people use to describe the things they
lilce - will be
stored in a database that all users can search. Some examples of Descriptive
Words are: cozy,
scenic, delicious, wonderful, inviting, intimate, romantic, etc.
Users will also be aslced to Rate their Descriptive Words and leave Comments
about
their Subjects. Rating Descriptive Words requires the user to enter the degree
to which he/she
agrees with the word: e.g., extremely cozy, very cozy, slightly cozy, etc. A
Comment is
simply a short overall evaluation of the Subject. Once a Subject is approved
for public
viewing (by a Correspondent, one of your online community leaders), any user
can add
his/her ratings to it. Users can rate the Descriptive Words for each Subject,
and add
Descriptive Words of their own. They can also leave Comments on other
Subjects, and rate
the Comments of other users as useful or not useful. All Subjects on the site
are collected in a
database, and the users can search that database by lceyword or Category of
Subjects (all of
which are initially created by the client) to fmd exceptional things they want
to experience.
How may these systems be used to make money? Using a completely automated
sponsorship system, advertisers can buy sponsorships of a site's Subjects
using only their
computer and a credit card. No sales force is necessary. And instant-system
sponsorships are
the most attractive on the Web, allowing advertisers to add photographs,
linlcs and extensive
information about their business in just a few cliclcs. Because of this,
advertisers not only
create revenue, but content as well. Why will users participate? Because
there's a rich reward
system built into the software that enables system to reward them with points
for each of
more than a dozen community-building actions. Users can be rewarded with cash
with no
out-of poclcet costs by allocating a percentage of sponsorship revenue (20
percent is
recommended) toward user rewards. Users may keep track of their points by
using MyPage,
the personalized page for each user that tracks favorite Subjects, rewards
earned, newly
added content and other items of interest for each user.
As noted, a most attractive feature of the instant system is its adaptability.
Nearly every
feature - from the interface to the rewards system - is customizable by the
client, making the
system as useful to an international daily newspaper as it is to a monthly
specialty magazine.
Clients create their own categories, subcategories, contests, incentive
programs, news
releases and pricing models. Clients may customize the site by configuring it
using
Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module, the system's Web-based
administrative program that allows a client to easily. customize dozens of
elements on the site.
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FZYSt DescYibed P~efeY~~ecl System Screens and Operation Details
Following are discussions of the most important screens that users will see
and
explanations of the details of all actions a user will perform on the site
with the instant system
and the details of how to customize the technology for the site using a wide
variety of
configurable variables.
A typical-type navigation bar preferably appears at the top of every page on
the site.
The links, however, work as follows:
Add a Subject: Linlcs to the Add a Subject page
MyPage: If a registered user is logged in, this link takes the user to his/her
MyPage. If
user is not registered - or if a registered user is not logged in - this linlc
takes him/her to
a logon page.
Tell A Friend: Links to the "Tell a Friend" page.
Feedback: Links to feedback form.
Help: Links to FAQs.
These linlcs are preferably mirrored in the page footer, described as follows.
Lilce the
navigation bar, the footer is,a standard element of all pages on the site. The
links on the top
row of the footer mirror the linlcs in the navigation bar described above. The
links on the
bottom row of the footer work as follows:
About us: Links to the instant system "About Us" page.
Privacy Policy: Linlcs to the instant system privacy policy.
Terms of Use: Links to the instant system terms of use page.
A Log In/Log Out graphic appears in the top right corner of every page on the
site. If
user is unregistered or simply not logged in, the graphic Log In will appear.
If user is logged
in, the graphic Log Out will appear. The Log Tn/Log Out graphic is a fixed
element on all
pages.
The home page will preferably loolc basically as shown by FIG. 21. The box 21-
1 on
the left side of the home page preferably lists the 10 Subjects that have been
recently
approved by Correspondents and has links to the 100 most recently approved
Subjects. The
number of new Subjects displayed is fixed at 10 to conserve space on the home
page. The
search box 21-2 is shown in FIG. 22 and its location is preferably fixed at
the top right side of
the home page. Each field in the search box is preferably fixed. The category
box 21-3 is
shown in FIG. 23. Listed in this box are each category (in bold) and two
subcategories
beneath it. The client may configure this by defining the categories and
deciding which of
those categories are displayed on the home page (they need not be all
displayed if not
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wanted). Note: Two subcategories display under each category on the home page.
This
number is fixed.
With reference now to FIG. 24, the "Terraformer (Configuration and
Administration)
Module" screen permitting the client to configure the software, to configure
the Category box
in Terrafonner (Configuration and Administration) Module, cliclc "Domain
Tables" on the
top navigation bar and "Categories" on the left navigation bar (see following
example). The
following is a description of how categories, subcategories and words can be
preconfigured to
meet needs. FIG. 24 illustrates Terraformer (Configuration and Administration)
Module's top
and left navigation bars. The first tab that must be selected is in the top
navigation bar. In this
example, one would cliclc "Domain Tables" in the top navigation bar. The
proper categories
will then appear in the left-hand navigation bar. When they appear, click
"Categories," and
the proper content will appear in the right-hand frame. The full screen of
content for
"Categories" is shown. Note: In Terraformer (Configuration and Administration)
Module,
you must always make your selection from the top navigation bar first. After
making the
proper selection from the top bar, the correct linlcs will appear on the left.
To add a new
category, type its name in the "New Category" box. Type an explanation (for
internal use) in
the "Explanation" box. Then click "Append." After that, the new category will
appear in the
listing above.
To male a category visible or invisible on the home page, or to edit the title
of an
existing category, or to edit the explanation of an existing category, click
on that category in
the category listing box. Its title and description will then appear in the
"Existing Category"
section at the bottom of the page. Click the "Visible" box if the client wants
the category to
be visible; if not, uncheck the box. To make changes to the name or
explanation of the
category, edit the name and/or explanation for the category. When finished,
click "Update" to
execute the changes. To remove a category, click on the name of the category
to be removed
in the category listing box. Then cliclc the "Remove" button at right. To
shift the order in
which categories appear, click on the name of a category to be shifted. Then
click "Move up"
or "Move down" in accordance with where one would like the category to appear.
Repeat for
each category until the desired order is achieved. The default order of
appearance is
alphabetical.
To create and edit subcategories under a specific category, click on that
category in the
category display box. Then cliclc the "Show Subcategories" button at right. A
screen like the
illustration of FIG. 25 will return. To add a new.subcategory, type its name
in the "New
Category" box, and type an explanation of the subcategory (for internal use)
in the
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"Explanation" box. Then cliclc "Append." To edit a subcategory, click on it in
the subcategory
display box, and its title and description will appear in the "Existing
Category" and
"Explanation" boxes at the bottom of the page. Make the desired changes to its
visibility
status, category name and explanation, then click "Update."
The Log In/Registration procedures are typical of what is well-known in the
art. If the
user is already registered, he/she types the usernarne and password into the
proper fields and
clicks the "Log in" button. If the user is unregistered, he/she cliclcs the
"Join Now" or "Sign
up now..." link, and gets a screen, for Member Registration, like the
illustrations of FIGS.
26A-B. The user must fill out each field with an asterisk; all other
information is optional.
After entering personal information and a username and password, the user may
fill out
further information about his/her interests, in order to customize his/her
personal page
(MyPage) on the site. Optional information includes personal interests,
locations and
organization the user wishes to track. From this page, a user may also apply
to be a
Correspondent by clicking the link to the application on the left side of the
page (highlighted
above).
Clicking the link will return a screen, for Correspondent Registration, like
the
illustrations of FIGS. 27A-B. This screen provides details of the advantages
and
responsibilities of becoming a Correspondent. From here, the user clicks the
"Apply Now"
link at the bottom right corner of the screen and goes to the following page,
illustrated in FIG.
28. The Correspondent application is essentially the same as the Member
application, but it
contains questions in the "My Account Information" section that the Member
application
does not include. These questions and their answers are scripted by the
client. Each answer is
assigned a point value (by the client). When the applicant answers all the
questions, his/her
numerical score is tabulated and must meet the minimum acceptable score
(established by the
client) to become a Correspondent.
A client may configure this area using Terraformer (Configuration and
Administration)
Module. To configure questions to the Correspondent, select "Domain Tables" on
the top
navigation bar and "Questions and Answers" from the left navigation bar. A
screen lilce that
illustrated in FIG. 29 will appear. In the first dropdown box, select the type
of question for
adding/editing/removing, e.g., a question on the Correspondent application. To
add a new
question, type the text into the "New Question" field, the click "Append." To
remove an
existing question, select it from the list on the left and click "Remove." To
edit an existing
question, select it from the list on the left. Its title will then appear in
the "Existing Question"
field. Edit it, then click "Update" (the "Add" button will change to say
"Update" instead). To
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change the order of the questions, click on the name of a question you'd like
to move. Then
click "Move Up" or "Move Down" until it's in the desired position. Repeat this
process with
the other questions until the desired order is achieved.
To configure Answers, from the Questions screen, click on the question for
which you
would like to formulate answers. Then click the "Show Answers" button at
right. A screen
lilce that illustrated in FIG. 30 will appear. To add a new answer, type the
text into the "New
Answer" field and its point value into the "Point Value" field, the click
"Append." To remove
an existing answer, select it from the list on the bottom left and click
"Remove." To edit an
existing answer, select it from the list on the bottom left. Its title will
then appear in the
"Existing Answer" field. Edit its name and point value, then click "Update."
To change the
order of the answers in the box, click on an answer you'd like to move. Then
cliclc "Move
Up" or "Move Down" until it's in the desired position. Repeat this process
with the other
answers until the desired order is achieved.
FIGS. 31, 32, and 33 illustrate the three pages used to Add a Subject. The
first step in
the user's process of adding a Subject is the page of FIG. 31, where he/she
must enter some
basic information, as shown. The user enters the name of the organization that
provided the
experience: e.g., Morton's Steals House, Samantha's Health Spa, etc. This is a
required field
and preferably not configurable by the client. Next, the user must select at
least one category
and subcategory. These categories are configurable, and the process for
configuring them is
later described. Once the category is selected (at left), the relevant
subcategories appear on
the right.
The three category and subcategory boxes themselves are not configurable; they
are
preferably fixed items on this page. The user must enter a city, state and ZIP
code for each
U.S. Subject (state or ZIP code is not required for non-U.S. Subjects.).
Region, country and
surrounding cities are optional. It is recommended that users enter
surrounding cities in order
to make the Subject more widely available to other users. For example, if User
Bob enters a
Phoenix restaurant and enters Glendale, Scottsdale and Tempe as surrounding
cities, then
users who search for any of the four cities - Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale or
Tempe - will
see the restaurant Bob entered. The client can configure the Region and
Country fields and
may also choose the default countries and regions. In the Terraformer
(Configuration and
Administration) Module screen, click the "Domain Tables" tab on the top
navigation bar.
Then click "Regions" on the left navigation bar. A Regions screen will appear;
and from the
"Select Region Type," the client may select the area to break into regions:
Country or State. If
adding a new region, ignore the "Select Region" box. Type the name of the new
region into
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the "Region" box and click "Add." If editing the name of an existing region,
select it from the
"Select Region Type" box. Its name will then appear next to the "Region"
field, where you
one can edit it. If removing an existing region, select it from the box. Its
name will then
appear next to the "Region" field. Then click "Remove."
To configure Countries in Terraformer (Configuration and Administration)
Module,
click "Domain Tables" on the top navigation bar and "Countries" on the left
navigation bar to
get a Countries screen. If you adding a new country, type its name in the
"Country Name"
field and click "Add." If editing the name of an existing country, the "Add"
button will say
"Edit" instead. Select the country name to be edited from the "Select Country
Name"
dropdown box, after which the text will appear in the "Country Name" field.
Edit the text to
specifications, then click "Edit."
With respect to FIG. 32, illustrating the second page of Add a Subject, the
user must
enter a short summary title for his/her Subj ect. This title will be the
headline on the Subj ect
page. It will also be the linlced text that appears when the Subject is called
up in search
results. The user must also enter a one-sentence summary of the Subject. This
description will
appear underneath the linked text in search results. It will also be prominent
on the Subject
page. These two fields are preferably fixed. Address, phone number and email
address are
optional fields. Cost and time are also optional fields; however, these fields
may be searched
by other users in the Personalized Search area. The Comments box under each
range allows
the user to clarify his/her comments. For example, if the user enters $100-
$150 as a price
range for Caesar's Palace hotel in Las Vegas, he/she may specify in the
Comment box that
"This is for the cheapest rooms. The nicest rooms are in the $400-$500 range."
This
information will appear on the Subject page, above the Comments. Two more
optional fields
are "Family-oriented" and "Availability." Comment boxes are provided for
further
explanation. These fields are fixed.
FIG. 33 illustrates the preferred third page of the Add a Subject process. It
is where the
user will determine the Descriptive Words to associate with his/her Subject.
The Descriptive
Word system is the fastest and easiest way to rate Subjects with the instant
system. Instead of
malting users start with a blame slate, the software automatically presents
them with words
other users have chosen to describe the same thing. In an example, User Andy
has chosen to
give his opinion about a restaurant called "Mr. Sushi." After learning that
Andy's Subject is
classified under "Restaurants," the software generates a list of Descriptive
Words that is
relevant to the "Restaurants" category. This list is a combination of words
that are preloaded
in the software, and words that previous users have used to describe other
restaurants. In this
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example, Andy can then check the words he thinks are appropriate for his
review, and, in 'the
spaces below, add his own. Andy has added "large portions" and "fast service"
as his own
Descriptive Words. The next time a user reviews a restaurant, "large portions"
and "fast
service" will be~part of that user's list of pre-selected Descriptive Words.
By adding his
review of Mr. Sushi, Andy has not only contributed content to the Web site,
but also made
the contribution process easier for future users by adding to the list of pre-
selected
Descriptive Words for the "Restaurants" category.
The client can configure this; it can decide how many words are displayed at
this point
in the add process and also decide which words show up by designating certain
words to
appear for certain categories. In Terraformer (Configuration and
Administration) Module,
click the "System Tables" tab on the top navigation bar and "System
Parameters" in the left
navigation bar. FIG. 34 illustrates a preferred screen which is shown. One
types in the
minimum and maximum number of Descriptive Words one wants to display for the
user
during the process of adding a Subject. When finished, scroll to the bottom of
the page and
click "Update." To set which words display for this category, click (in
Terraformer
(Configuration and Administration) Module) the "Domain Tables" tab on the top
navigation
bar and the "Categories" tab on the left navigation bar. A screen like that
illustrated in FIG.
35 will appear. Type in the descriptive word to be added for this category and
then cliclc
"Add". To edit a descriptive word from a category, use this screen as well.
Select a
descriptive word from the dropdown box. When you do this, the "Add" button
will change to
an "Update" button. Select the word, make the proper changes and cliclc
"Update." To remove
a descriptive word from a category, use this screen as well. Select a
descriptive word from the
dropdown box, then click "Remove."
FIG. 36 illustrates a preferred screen for Add a Subject, page 4. The required
user steps
and the configuration information for page 4 of the Add a Subject process is
illustrated as
follows. The user must answer whether they have experienced the Subject
themselves, and
how qualified they feel to rate it. These fields are required. The top two
fields are a part of the
credibility system that is built into the software. The client can assign
credibility multipliers
for both of these fields, based on how the user answers each question. To
configure opinion
multipliers, in Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module, click
the "System
Tables" tab on the top navigation bar, then click the "System Parameters" tab
on the left
navigation bar. A screen like that illustrated in FIG. 37 will return. The
bottom two fields -
"no experience" and "experienced" - refer to the user's answer to the first
question of whether
he/she has experienced the Subject. People who answer "no" receive the no
experience
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multiplier; people who answer "yes" receive the "experienced" multiplier.
Using example
settings, the opinion of a person who answers "yes" might be counted five
times as much as
that of a person who answers "no." The top three fields - the opinion
multipliers for "slightly
qualified," "somewhat qualified" and "very qualified" - refer to the answer to
the second
question of how qualified the user feels to rate this Subject. The client may
enter a chosen
value for each multiplier, then scroll to the bottom of the page and click
"Update."
Returning to the Add a Subject process, reference is made to FIGS. 38A and
38B,
showing words to be rated. Next, the user rates the Descriptive Words that
appear on the
page. The words that appear here are all of the words that the user checked
and/or added on
the previous screen. The user may rate some or all of these words. This screen
is not
configurable. The number of words that appear here depends on how many the
user checked
and added on the previous screen. If a user would like to choose more pre-
selected words,
he/she can click the "more words" link, and get a screen showing more words to
rate. He/she
can rate as many of the words as is desired, and then click "Continue" at the
bottom of the
page. To add his/her own words, the user clicks the "add additional words"
link (from the
original keyword-rating page) and gets a box like that illustrated in FIG. 39.
After adding
words, the user clicks continue and is taken back to the ratings and comments
page.
FIG. 40 illustrates that, finally, a user may leave comments. Adding age and
gender is
optional; and the Comments field is fixed. Once the user has filled out all
the necessary
information, he/she will click "submit" and get a preview of the Subject. The
preview screen
is shown by FIGS. 41A and 41B. Once the user has reviewed this preview screen
for
accuracy, he/she cliclcs "Approve" if all the information is correct. If
changes need to be
made, the user clicks "Edit" in the area which needs to be edited. After the
incorrect
information has been edited, the user is returned to the preview page, and
must click
"Approve." It is noted that once the Subj ect is approved by the user who
enters it, it is not
immediately viewable by the public. This means that it will not immediately
show up in
search results. All Subjects must be approved by a Correspondent before they
are available to
the public. The only exception to this rule is for Subjects entered by a
Sponsor. These
Subj ects do not require a Correspondent's review and approval, and are
immediately viewable
by the public once they are entered.
The most common reason for a site visitor to use the instant system will be to
find
something exceptional. It could be an exceptional dessert, scenic drive,
campsite, family fun
park, martini, or hundreds of other possibilities. There are two ways to find
things using the
instant system: searching by keyword and searching by category. The search box
illustrated
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in FIG. 22 and previously discussed is the most prominent element on the home
page of the
instant system. If a user already has a good idea of what he/she is looking
for, then searching
by keyword is lilcely the quickest way to find the desired Subject(s). The
user must type in at
least one of the following to perform this type of search:
A keyword or phrase
A city name
A state abbreviation
A ZIP code and search radius (from the center of that ZIP code)
These fields are fixed. The more information the user enters, the more
specific the results will
be. When User Bob types in the required information and clicks "Search," the
software loolcs
for that information in the appropriate fields of the database (e.g., City,
State, ZIP code,
Subject Title, Descriptive Words, etc.), a results screen like that
illustrated by FIG. 42
returns. The title of each result will be linked to its Subject page, and the
summary and
location will be listed under that link. The right and middle columns list the
Subject's cost, the
time required to experience it and the highest-rated keywords associated with
it. The
"Sponsored" icon in the far right column indicates that a particular Subject
has been
sponsored by an advertiser. These Subj ects will likely contain more
information thayi a
typical Subject, because the advertiser has had the opportunity to add extra
linlcs, photos and
text. They also receive priority listing in category searches (not in lceyword
searches).
Preferably a listing of "Best of Best" subjects will be shown the far left
column, indicating
that a particular Subject has been rated high enough to receive the "Best of
Best" distinction.
Note: Only Correspondents, preferably, can see the "Best" icon on a search
results page.
This page can be configured by the client, who may decide how many search
results
come up on each page and also decide how high a Subject must score to be given
the "Best of
Best" distinction. To configuring search results, cliclc (in Terraformer
(Configuration and
Administration) Module) the "System Tables" tab on the top navigation bar and
the "System
parameters" tab on the left navigation bar. Scroll to the bottom of the screen
(previously
described). In the top field, type in the maximum number of total search
results that one
wants users to be able to retrieve when users perform a search on the site. In
the second field,
specify the number of search results per page that the client would like the
user to see. When
finished, click "Update" at the bottom of the page. To configure Best of Best,
in the "Best of
Best cutoff' field, enter the number you would like to designate as the
minimum average
rating a Subject must receive in order to receive the distinction "Best of
Best." The range for .
this number is between .O1 (lowest) and 5.0 (highest, a perfect score). All
Subjects with an
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average rating higher than the one you select will be considered Best of Best.
When finished,
click "update" at the bottom of the page.
When a user gets the search results as above described, after cliclcing on a
Subject title,
the user is taken to that review's Subject page, like the example illustrated
in FIGS. 43A (top
of the screen and 43B (bottom of the screen). The Subject page is the central
building block
of the online community. It contains a summary of all information about each
Subject:
Descriptive Word ratings, comments, price, availability and contact
information. In
parentheses next to each Descriptive Word is the number of times users have
chosen that
word to describe the Subject at hand. To the right of the number in
parentheses is a horizontal
bar and boldfaced number indicating the average rating given to each
Descriptive Word on a
1-5 scale (1 is "not rated, 5 is "extremely"). In parentheses next to the
"Member Ratings" text
is the number of members who have given this Subject an overall star rating
(displayed on the
following line). The number of stars to the right of the "Overall Rating" text
is the average
overall star rating users have given to this Subject. In parentheses next to
"Comments" is the
number of comments that have been left by users about this Subject. In the top
left corner of
the page is the "Overall Rating" box, in which users can give a Subject an
overall rating from
1-5. The home page left border also has, as noted, a Member and Correspondent
recruitment
box, with links to the registration area and a "Spread Word of Mouth" box that
links to the
"Tell A Friend" page, and also a link that allows users to notify an
advertiser about other
Subjects he/she might want to add. The Subject page is also the springboard by
which many
users will get involved in the community by adding their opinions about
existing Subjects.
Instead of searching all of a Web site's Subjects by keyword, a user also has
the option
of first selecting a category to search. A client-specified number of
categories appear on the
home page: the default categories of the preferred instant system are
Accommodations,
Community Services, Entertainment, Fitness and Beauty, Learning Opportunities,
Restaurants, Shopping, Sightseeing and Attractions, and Sports and Recreation.
When a user
chooses the desired category to search and clicks the linlc, a screen list of
subcategories
appears like that illustrated by FIG. 44. In parentheses next to each
subcategory is the current
number of reviews in that subcategory. To further customize the search, a user
must either: a)
click a subcategory (e.g., to search only American restaurants) or b) click
"All" at the bottom
of the page (e.g., to search all restaurants). After clicking on the chosen
link, the user is taken
to the screens illustrated by FIGS. 45A and 45B, where the user may further
personalize the
search. Here the user may further refine the search by specifying location.
The user has two
choices for searching by location. He/she must either: a) enter a city, state
and country or b)
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enter a ZIP code and search radius from that ZIf code. Note: When a user
requests a search
based on ZIP code radius, that radius is calculated from the center of the ZIP
code, not the
user's home address. Choosing a larger radius, then, will lilcely bring bacle
more useful
results.
FIG. 46 illustrates the Descriptive Words and/or phrases pre-selected (by the
client) to
appear with this category. The user may checlc the boxes that are appropriate
to his/her
search, or add new words in the box provided. The client may configure this
and decide the
words - and the number of words - that appear here for every subcategory by
using the
Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module screen (as discussed
herein) and
going to the categories screen and then the subcategories screen. In the
display box, click the
name of the subcategory to which you'd like to add Descriptive Words. Then
cliclc the
"Descriptive Words" button at right. A screen like that shown in FIG. 35 will
appear. To add
Descriptive Words to a subcategory: In the "Descriptive Word" field, type in
the word you'd
like to add, then click the "Add" button (Malce sure the "Select Descriptive
Word" dropdown
box is blank). To edit or remove existing Descriptive Words in a subcategory:
Select the
chosen word from the "Select Descriptive Word" dropdown box. To remove it,
click the
"Remove" button. To edit it, edit the text that appears in the "Descriptive
Word" box, then
cliclc "Update."
In the top two fields shown in FIG. 45B, the user enters the minimum and
maximum
amount of money he/she wants to spend on the Subject he/she is searching for.
In the final
field, the user selects the amount of time he/she has to spend experiencing a
Subject. These
fields are both optional; users need not fill them in if they choose not to.
The more
information a user enters, the more specific the results. When the user types
in the required
information and clicks "Search," the software looks for that information in
the appropriate
fields of the database, and a results screen as previously discussed returns
(see FIG. 42 for a
sample). The title of each result is linked to its Subject page, and the
summary and location
info will be listed under that linlc. The right and middle columns list cost,
time required and
the highest-rated keywords. After clicl~ing on the Subject title that
interests him/her, the user
is talcen to the Subject page (see FIGS. 43A-B for a sample).
FIG. 47 illustrates a box in the lower left hand corner of the Subject page,
offering the
opportunity to sponsor the Subject. A potential advertiser simply clicks
"Sponsor now!" to
begin the process. FIGS. 48A and 48B illustrate the screen returned to begin
to get the
desired information from a Sponsor. The sponsor enters the name, address and
contact
information for both the business itself and the person who will be the
administrative contact
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for the account. These fields are fixed. FIGS. 49A-D show the next screens to
receive
information. At this stage, the Sponsor adds a business logo, email address,
Web site URL
and links to company Web site. By clicking the "Browse" button, a Sponsor can
quickly
upload each desired photo straight from their computer. If one needs help with
any element of
the page, one simply clicks the "Help" link next to that element. These fields
are fixed. Here
(see FIG. 49D) the Sponsor can add up to 10 paragraphs of information about
the business,
each with a customized heading and photograph. Customized headings can be
selected from
those provided in the drop-down boxes, or a Sponsor may enter its own. By
clicking the
"Browse" button, it can quiclcly upload each desired photo straight from it's
desktop. These
are fixed fields, but the client can configure the pre-selected choices in the
"Use Standard
Title" dropdown box.
To configure sponsor section headers, in Terraformer (Configuration and
Administration) Module, select "Domain Tables" on the top navigation bar and
"Sponsor
Section Headers" from the left navigation bar. A screen like the one
illustrated by FIG. 50
will appear. If the client would like to enter a new header to be included in
the sponsor's
dropdown box, type its name under "New Header" and click "Append." If the
client would
like to modify the name of an existing header, click on its name in the box at
left. Its name
will then appear under "Existing Header." Edit the name as wished, then click
"Update."
_ After adding the sponsor headings, they'll appear in the box shown in FIG.
50. To change the
order of their listing, click on the name of a heading you'd like to move.
Then click "Move
Up" or "Move Down" until it's in the desired position. Repeat this process
with the other
headings until the desired order is achieved.
After entering any custom text and uploading any photos, the Sponsor previews
the
newly sponsored page on the screen illustrated, from top to bottom in FIGS. S
lA-C. If there
are mistakes, click "Edit" in the area with the mistakes and fix them. If
there are no mistakes,
cliclc "Approve," and move on to adding credit card information - the final
step in the
sponsorship process. FIG. 52 illustrates the screen with payment information.
After
approving how the sponsored Subject will loolc, the Sponsor enters credit card
information
and clicks "Purchase Sponsorship." Once the credit card information is
processed, the
sponsorship is confirmed by the return of the screen illustrated in FIG. 53
and the process is
complete. Tony can immediately view his newly sponsored Subject by clicking
the link under
"View Subject Just Sponsored." The sponsored Subject, which is immediately
available to
Web site users because it does not require Correspondent approval, looks like
the screen
shown in FIGS. 54A-B, the first illustration showing the top half of the page,
and the second
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showing the bottom hal~ As shown, a sponsored Subject prominently features the
Sponsor's
customized information and photographs. In the heading are links to "View
Special Offers"
axed "Contact Organization" - information that the advertiser entered on the
first sponsorship
screen. The top paragraph is the Sponsor's summary, with its chosen image.
Below the ratings
and comments are any other photos and customized paragraphs.
Users will find that some of their favorite Subjects have already been entered
by other
users. FIGS. SSA-B illustrate the screen where users may add their opinions to
existing
Subjects rating and reviewing. From any Subject page, a registered user can
click the "Add
Your Rating" or "Add Your Comments" linlcs to reach the Rate and Review page
(see FIGS.
SSA-B). Note: This is the same page as page 4 of the Add a Subject process.
The process of
rating and reviewing an existing Subject follows exactly the same procedure as
outlined in
Step 4 of the Add a Subject process. After comments have been added and
Descriptive Words
have been rated, a screen returns showing that the entry information has been
added to
MyPage and thanlcing the user for doing the rating, after which the user may
return to the
Subject he/she just rated, or use the top navigation bar to go elsewhere on
the site.
A quick way for the user to earn points is to give a subject an overall star
rating. The
overall rating box is located in the top left corner of a Subject page. The
user simply selects
the "star" rating helshe chooses to give, then clicks the "Submit" button. If
the user fords
inaccurate or outdated information, he/she can immediately suggest an
improvement via the
"Improve this Subject" box at the bottom left corner of each Subject page.
Clicking on that
link leads to the page illustrated by FIG. 56. The user first reviews the
improvements
suggested by other users. The user then chooses a priority for his/her change,
a reason that
the current information and how he/she knows the information needs to be
changed ("Basis").
After typing in the specifics of the improvement that needs to be made, the
user clicks the
box if he/she wants to be notified of the outcome of the suggestion. If so,
he/she enters an
email address. When finished, the user cliclcs "Submit" to send the changes.
The suggestion is
then sent to a Correspondent who will review it and either male or reject the
change.
With so many ways to earn points, how can users lceep traclc of how many
points
they've earned, and what they've done to earn them? For exactly this reason,
there's MyPage -
the page where users can traclc not only the points they've earned, but all
the contributions
they've made to their community, and their favorite things they've found along
the way. A
variety of elements comprise each MyPage, the screen illustrated in FIGS. 57A-
B. FIG. 58
shows the My Contributions box. As the heading states, "My Contributions" is a
detailed
view of a user's activity on the site. The user can cliclc on "Subjects Added"
to view a list of
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all the Subject he/she has added to the site. He/she can do the same for
"Comments Added."
Across from the "Subjects Added" and "Comments Added" links are figures
indicating.
"Lives Touched." A user gets credit for a life touched every time another user
views Subj ects
or Comments that he/she has entered. The example above indicates that this
user's Subjects
have been received 220 page views, and his/her comments have received 161 page
views.
Clicking the link for "Subjects Added" will return a page lilce the one
illustrated in FIG.
59. Each Subject this user has added is displayed here, along with the number
of Lives
Touched by each Subject and the number of Comments that other users have left
for each
Subject. Using the dropdown menus at the top of the page, the user can list
these Subjects by
location and category. Clicking the numbered link under the Lives Touched
column yields a
screen like the one illustrated in FIG. 60. The "Lives Touched" box lists how
many times this
Subject was viewed during the last 12 months. The "Request for Information"
box lists how
many times another user requested more information about this Subj ect viewing
it. Clicking
on the numbered link under the "Comments" column returns a screen like the one
illustrated
in FIG. 61. Each row contains the date each comment was added, the comment's
name, the
number of lives touched by the comment and the percent of other visitors who
agreed with
the comment.
From the "My Contributions" box on MyPage, cliclcing the link for "Comments
Added"
will return a page like the one illustrated in FIG. 62. Listed in the left
column of this page are
all the Comments this user has entered. In the center column is each Subject
to which the
Comment in the left colurmi refers, and the third column lists the number of
Lives Touched
by each Comment (that is, how many page views each comment has received). The
far right
column lists the percentage of times that the Comment has been rated useful by
other users.
Example: The top comment on the screen above has been rated "Useful" by 100
percent of
users who have chosen to rate the comment as "Useful" or "Not Useful." None of
the other
comments has been rated.
The next linlc in the "My Contributions" box is "Subjects Awaiting Approval."
These
are Subjects that the user has added, but have not been approved by a
Correspondent and
have therefore not been seen by any other users (hence, no number is listed in
the "Lives
Touched" column). FIG. 63 shows a sample page for "Subjects Awaiting
Approval." In the
left column are the Subjects the user has submitted, and the center column
holds more
information about each Subject. In the right column are the date each Subject
was submitted,
and a link that allows the Correspondent to edit or delete information in
their review. The
final link displays each of the user's Subjects which were submitted for
review but rejected by
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a Correspondent. These links display on a page like that of FIG. 64. This user
has no rejected
subj ects. If a user has rej ected Subj ects, the title and information of
that Subj ect will appear
on the left, the Correspondent's reason for rej ection will appear in the
center and the date the
Subject was submitted will be on the right.
FIG. 65 illustrates the To Do List screen. Only Correspondents have a To Do
list: it is
the collection of administrative actions that a Correspondent can do to
monitor the site's
content and earn the points for doing so. The top linlc, "Notify Organizations
about Subjects
you added," allows the Correspondent to contact organizations about Subjects
they've added
that advertisers might want to sponsor. The bottom linlc, "Notify
organizations for Subjects
added," linlcs to the same process, but for all recently added Subjects in
his/her ZIP code - not
just the Subjects added by the Correspondent him/herself. FIG. 66 is a sample
screen for this
process. Information about each Subject is displayed in the first, second and
third columns. In
the right column, the user clicks "Notify" to send email to a potential
advertiser. That screen
looks like the screen illustrated in FIG. 67. The user types in the required
information - only a
first name and an email address - for the recipient, and clicks "Submit." The
email is then sent
to the advertiser.
There are two linlcs to the Review Subj ects Added process under "My To Do
List" -
one for Subjects in the Correspondent's home ZIP code and one for Subjects
outside of that
ZIP code. The process used for those linlcs is the same, and is outlined as
follows. By clicking
either "Review Subjects Added" link, a Correspondent gets a screen like that
of FIG. 68.
From the list of recently added Subjects, a Correspondent clicks "Review" in
the right column
to view and approve/reject each Subject. After clicking the appropriate
choice, a page like
that of FIG. 69 appears (also showing all the other details of the Subj ect.
After carefully
reviewing the information for appropriateness and accuracy, the Correspondent
clicks either
"Reject Subject" or "Approved Subject." The process is then finished, and the
Correspondent
is taken back to the list of Subjects that are still waiting for approval.
Correspondents not only approve and reject Subjects; they also review and make
accuracy improvements to existing Subjects at the request of other users. By
cliclcing the
"Review Suggested Improvements" linlc (in or outside of home ZIP code), the
Correspondent
begins the process of reviewing improvements on the screen illustrated by FIG.
70. In the
above example, only one suggestion for improvement is on the Correspondent's
to-do list.
The Subject needing improvement is in the left column. In the center column
are the priority,
reason and basis that the user chose for suggesting this improvement, and the
right column
lists the date the suggestion was entered. By clicking "Review" under that
date, the
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Correspondent can review the suggestion on a screen like that of FIGS. 71A-B.
The details of
the user's suggestion will appear in the box at the top of the page. Below
this box is all the
information about the Subj ect in question. By cliclcing the appropriate box,
the Correspondent
may: a) approve the suggested improvement; b) rej ect the suggested
improvement;, or c)
delete the Subject altogether. After clicking the appropriate button, the
process is then
finished, and the Correspondent is taken baclc to the list of suggested
improvements that are
still waiting for approval.
The process of deleting Subjects is much the same as the process of approving
and
rejecting them. Clicking the "Review Subjects Marked for Deletion" link brings
baclc a list of
such Subjects, like the one on the screen of FIG. 72. To review the Subject
that's
recommended for deletion, the Correspondent clicks "Review" and gets a screen
like that of
FIG. 73 (also containing all the details about the Subject). Upon reviewing
the Subject, the
Correspondent clicks "Delete Subject" or "Save Subject" based on his/her
recommendation.
The "My Favorite Subjects" box (see FIG. 74, for example) is where users store
the
best things they've discovered on the site. As a default, each top-level
category has a folder
inside this box, until the user decides to customize it. In parentheses next
to each folder name
is a number that indicates how many Subjects are currently in that particular
folder. To
customize the folders on this page, the user clicks on "manage favorites" and
gets a screen
listing the name of each current folder is listed, and next to each folder
name is a link to
either rename or delete the folder (As a default, the initial folders will
mirror the first-level
categories). The user nay rename or delete a folder or add a new folder.
The "My Interests" box, illustrated by FIG. 75, is created using the
information in a
user's profile. Each entry in the box links to Subjects that are lileely to
interest the user based
on his/her stated interests and geographic location. These links will return
Subjects of such
special interests, e.g., Recently Added Subjects in (user-selected town): All
Subjects in
(user-selected town): Best of Best in (user-selected town).
The "My Organization" box, illustrated by FIG. 76, allows a user to track
Subjects that
refer to certain businesses and organizations. In the above example, the user
has chosen to
traclc Tomaso's restaurant; however, there are currently no Subj ects on the
site that refer to
Tomaso's. If another user decides to rate, for example, the five-cheese
lasagna at Tomaso's,
that Subject will appear in the My Organization box.
The "My Rewards" box, illustrated by FIG. 77, is a user's link to all the
points he/she
has earned, and the money into which those points translate. By clicking the
"Points Earned"
linl~, the user sees a screen like that of FIG. 78. In the left column are
listed all actions that a
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user can perform that will earn points. The second column is the point value
per action for
each of those actions. The third column is the number of points the user has
received by
performing that particular action. The fourth column, "Site Average," is the
number of points
that the average site user gains per month via the same action. Using this
figure, he/she can
compare their monthly activity and earnings with other site users. From the
dropdown menu
reading "from inception," the user can choose to view points earned: a) since
the inception of
his/her account; b) during the current month, or c) during the past month. The
"Goal
Achieved" row lists how many points a user is expected to earn during the
selected time
period, and the adjacent entry indicates whether he/she has attained that
goal.
By clicking any of the links in the left column, the user can see a breakdown
of how
he/she earned points via each particular action. Example: If the user wants to
see how many
points he/she has earned by adding Subjects in his/her area, he/she cliclcs
"Subjects Added in
Area" and gets a screen like the one shown by FIG. 79. This screen lists the
date, transaction
number and points earned for every Subject this user has added in his/her
area. To see how
many points have been earned via other actions, a user can a) go back to the
previous page
and click the appropriate link, or b) on the current page, select a different
action from the
dropdown box across from the text reading "Filter by." In the example above,
the user is
viewing points since the user became a registered user. This is indicated by
the top dropdown
box that reads "Since Inception." To change the date from which to display
points earned, a
user must simply choose a different selection from that dropdown box: e.g.,
"This Month,"
"Last Month."
By clicking the "Account Balance" link, the user can view the monetary value
of
his/her accumulated points. The "Account Balance" screen appears as shown by
FIG. 80.
Listed on the Account Balance page are the date of each point-earning action,
a description of
that action, its transaction number and the dollars earned for it. Atop the
page is the total
Current Account Balance. Next to the balance will be a button that says "Cash
Out." By
cliclcing that button, the user is taken to a screen like that shown in FIG.
81. After filling in
the appropriate information, the user clicks "Submit," and his/her cash-out is
processed, and
the credit card is credited. The client can configure this, and decide the
amount of money a
user must accumulate before being allowed to cash out, by, in Terraformer
(Configuration
and Administration) Module, clicking the "System Tables" tab on the top
navigation bar, then
clicking the "System Parameters" tab on the left navigation bar. Scroll until
you reach the
"Minimum cash out amount" field. In this field, enter the minimum dollar
amount your users
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must attain before being allowed to cash out. When finished, click "Update" at
the bottom of
the screen.
FIG. 82 illustrates the screen for Tell a Friend, the quick way that users can
spread
word of this system to people they know. This page is always accessible by the
green
navigation bar at the top of every page. To notify a friend, a user must
simply: Type a
Subject, then Enter his/her email address and the email address of the
recipient(s), then Type
the message and click "Submit". .
FIG. 83 illustrates the Rate other comments screen. Users can read all the
comments
left by other users about any Subject. These comments are accessible from any
Subject page.
If the user fords this comment useful, he/she cliclcs the "Useful" button; if
not, he/she clicks
the "Not Useful" button. A user may add a comment by cliclcing where shown in
FIG. 84.
These ratings are one piece of a system that determines the credibility of the
user who
entered the comment. Users who leave comments that are popular with others
will be given a
higher credibility rating; users whose comments are unpopular will be given
lower
credibility. Note: Users may not rate their own comments.
As to the Roles and Rewards processes of the instant system; there are four
types of
users accommodated by the instant system, and each has a unique set of
privileges and
rewards. The four user types are:
Guests (unregistered users)
Privileges
Guests can: Search the site, view Subjects, bomments and ratings, use
Tell-a-Friend
Guests carulot: Earn points, start a MyPage
Responsibilities
Guests have no site responsibilities.
Members --Registration is required before a user can become a Member. Members
have all
the privileges of guests. In addition:
Privileges
Members can: Earn points for a limited number of actions, Add Subjects,
ratings and comments, Suggest Improvements, Start a MyPage, and participate
in contests.
Members cannot: Approve Subjects for publication, See "Best of Best" icons on
search results pages, Make accuracy improvements to existing Subj ects.
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Correspondents - Correspondents are the users with the highest status. With
the increased
status comes more earning opportunities - and more responsibilities.
Correspondents have all
the privileges of guests and Members. In addition:
Privileges
Correspondents can: Earn points for a wider variety of actions, Earn more
points than Members (for the same actions), Approve Subjects for publication,
See "Best of Best" icons on search results pages, Make accuracy improvements
to existing Subjects, Delete un-sponsored Subjects (recommend only), Enter
exclusive contests
Correspondents cannot: Approve their own Subject for publication, Delete
sponsored Subjects
Responsibilities
Correspondents are responsible for meeting their monthly point goal, and for
many administrative actions relating to the upkeep of the site.
Correspondents:
Approve newly added Subjects, Make accuracy improvements to existing
Subjects, Delete inappropriate Subjects, Notify businesses about un-sponsored
Subjects. [In return for performing these responsibilities, they are
compensated
for a wider variety of actions than members. They also earn higher point
values
than Members for performing basic actions on the site.]
Sponsors - Sponsors are advertisers who have paid to sponsor a Subject(s).
They enjoy all the
privileges that Members enjoy. In addition:
Privileges
Sponsors can: Publish sponsored Subjects without a Correspondent's approval,
Add extensive customized text, photos and links to their Subjects
Sponsors cannot: Approve Subjects for publication, See "Best of Best" icons on
search
results pages, Malce accuracy improvements to existing Subjects
A client can assign point and values -- customized by role -- for each action,
including:
Adding a Subj ect in home ZIP code
Adding a Subject outside home ZIl' code
Suggesting Improvements and Deletions
Giving a Subject an overall rating
Adding Comments
Rating Descriptive Words
Telling a friend
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Recruiting Correspondents
No Action Required
(Points awarded when Member's Subject or Comments are read by another user)
(Points awarded when another.user adds a Subject in Member's ZIP code)
Approving a Subject for publication (Correspondents only)
Maintaining a Subject (fixing outdated/wrong information) (Correspondents
only)
Notifying a potential sponsor about an un-sponsored Subject (Correspondents
only)
Monthly bonus programs
For the client to configure points per action, in Terraformer (Configuration
and
Administration) Module, cliclc the "Domain Tables" tab on the top navigation
bar and the
"Accounting Actions" tab on the left navigation bar. In the right frame, a
screen like that of
FIG. 85 will appear. The top set of fields are the "Select User Type" and
"Select Action"
fields. Because the points the client will award will vary based on a user's
role, one must
specify the action itself (in the Select Action dropdown box) and the user
type for whom one
is assigning the point value (in the Select User Type dropdown box). In the
example shown,
one is assigning the number of points a Correspondent will receive every time
he/she adds a
Subject in his/her ZIP code. After choosing from each field, proceed to the
fields shown as
follows: Point Value and Dollar Value. In the appropriate field, type in
the.point and dollar
value the client wishes to assign to this action. When finished, click the
"Update" button at
the bottom of the page. The client may then choose another user type and/or
action from the
top menus and repeat the process until all actions have been assigned for each
user type.
Assigning a dollar value to points is one way of rewarding users; another way
is to
award them one entry in special contests for every specified amount of points
they earn.
Example: For each 1,000 points a user earns in a month, he/she receives one
entry in a
contest to win $500. Consequently, if a user earns 7,000 points that month,
he/she will be
entered in the contest seven times. The client may configure contests as
follows. In
Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module, click the "System
Tables" tab on
the top navigation bar and the "Contests" tab on the left navigation bar. Then
the screen lilce
that of FIG. 86 will appear. If the client is setting up a new contest: the
existing contests will
be listed in the top dropdown box, "Select Contest Description." If setting up
a first contest,
the client can ignore this dropdown box. The next field is "Contest
Description." In this field,
enter a name for the contest. In the "Contest Notes" field, enter any notes
you'd lilce to
associate with this contest (for internal use only)..In the "Entries Awarded"
field, specify how
many will be awarded your users per number of points achieved (specify that
number of
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points in the next field). Example: If the client would like to give one entry
per 1,000 points,
enter the number "1" in this field. In the "Points Awarded" field, enter how
many points are
required of users to accumulate before being awarded a contest entry. Example:
If the client
would like to award an entry per 1,000 points, enter the number "1000" in this
field. Note:
The above two fields are directly related to each other. When the user
achieves the point total
you specify in "Points Awarded," he/she will receive the number of entries you
specify in
"Entries Awarded." Example 2: If we'd lilce to award 3 entries per 2,000
points earned, enter
"3" in the "Entries Awarded" field and "2000" in the "Points Awarded" field.
Check the
"Active" box to activate the contest; leave it unchecked if one does not want
the contest to
begin immediately. Check the "Clear Old Entries" box if one wants entries from
the previous
month to be discarded and start the contest anew every month; leave this box
unchecked if
one wants a contest's entries to accumulate for longer than a month. When each
of these
fields is filled in, click "Update" to create the contest. If modifying an
existing contest, select
the contest wanted to be modified from the "Select Contest Description" menu,
make the
changes in the appropriate fields that follow, then cliclc "Update."
It's easy for users to send feedback. By cliclcing the "Feedback" link in the
navigation
bar at the top of any page, a feedback screen is returned. To send their
comments, users must
simply select a topic, type their message in the "Your Comments" box and click
"Submit."
When it comes to credibility, all users are not created equal. Some
Correspondents will
be conscientious above and beyond requirements; others may do sloppy,
inaccurate work in a
race to earn the most points. To neutralize this, the instant system contains
a system of
assigning higher credibility to those users who deserve it, rendering a more
accurate and
reliable dataset: 1) Ratings multipliers can be given to each user type, and
the multipliers are
selected by each client by using Terraformer (Configuration and
Administration) Module.
Example: A Correspondent's opinion may count twice as much as a Member's
opinion. 2)
The weight of a user's opinions increases with the popularity of his/her
reviews. Example: If
65 percent of users agree with Correspondent Marcia's reviews, then the client
assigns her a
multiplier of two: Her opinions now count double the weight of average users'
opinions. If 85
percent of users agree with her reviews, the client gives her a multiplier of
three, tripling her
influence. Conversely, if only 20 percent of users agree with Marcia, she can
receive a
multiplier of .5, making her opinions count half as much as average users.
Multiplier values
and percentages are selected by each client. 3) The weight of a user's opinion
increases with
his/herlpropensity to add high-quality Subject to the database. Example: If a
user adds 10
Subjects to the database in April, and the average overall rating of those
Subjects (combined)
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is above 4.0, the user receives a multiplier of two. 4) Finally, for each
Subject he/she enters, a
user is asked to select his/her level of expertise on the given Subject. Users
are first asked if
they have experienced the Subject before, then are asked whether they feel
slightly,
somewhat or very qualified to rate the Subject. Using these three criteria for
credibility, sites
can automatically reward those users that the community at large believes to
be valuable and
credible. In the same way, they can decrease the weighting for users with whom
very few
others agree.
Most ways in which the client can configure the instant system have been
covered in
the previous pages. Collected as follows, however, are all of the different
variables that
clients may configure, and reasons clients may choose to do so. Content may be
controlled.
The instant system works well across many different audiences because it
allows detailed
customization of each site. Whether one runs an international daily newspaper
or a small,
monthly trade publication, the software gives one the ability to create an
exceptionally
personal look and feel. One may create a list of categories, and define which
will be shown
on the home page. Why would use this feature? To give the site an appropriate
feel, by
location or subject matter, and give prime exposure to the most important
categories.
Example: Outdoor Life magazine might choose to have six categories displayed
on its home
page - Biking, Camping, Climbing, Hiking, Rafting and Skiing. Or, Outdoor Life
may choose
to have 18 categories - and only display these six major ones on the home
page.
One may configure category display. Note that in Terraformer (Configuration
and
Administration) Module, one must always malce one's selection from the top
navigation bar
first. After malting the proper selection from the top bar, the correct links
will appear on the
left. FIG. 87 illustrates the screen to add a new category. To add a new
category, type its
name in the "New Category" box. Type an explanation (for internal use) in the
"Explanation"
box. Then click "Append." After that, the new category will appear in the
listing. To make a
category visible or invisible on the home page, or to edit the title of an
existing category, or to
edit the explanation of an existing category, click on that category in the
category listing box.
Its title and description will then appear in the "Existing Category" section
at the bottom of
the page. Click the "Visible" box if you want the category to be visible; if
not, uncheck the
box. To make changes to the name or explanation of the category, edit the name
and/or
explanation for the category. When finished, click "Update" to execute
changes. To remove a
category, click on the name of the category you want to remove in the category
listing box.
Then click the "Remove" button at right. To shift the order in which
categories appear, click
on the name of a category you want to shift. Then cliclc "Move up" or "Move
down" in
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accordance with where the category to should appear. Repeat for each category
until the
desired order is achieved. The default order of appearance is alphabetical.
One may create a list of subcategories for each category. Why use this
feature? To
further define specific sub-areas of each category. Example: Outdoor Life
might have the
following subcategories under the Category "Bilcing": Bikes, Bike Shops,
Clothing and Gear,
Cycling Events, Mountain Trails, Urban Trails. To configure subcategories, the
client may, in
Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module, click "Domain Tables"
on the top
navigation bar and "Categories" on the left navigation bar. To create and edit
subcategories
under a specific category, click on that category in the category display box.
Then click the
"Show Subcategories" button at right. To add a new subcategory, type its name
in the "New
Category" box, and type an explanation of the subcategory (for your internal
use) in the
"Explanation" box. Then cliclc "Append." To edit a subcategory, cliclc on it
in the subcategory
display box, and its title and description will appear in the "Existing
Category" and
"Explanation" boxes at the bottom of the page. Make the changes desired to its
visibility
status, category name auzd explanation, then click "Update."
The client may associate Descriptive Words with categories and subcategories.
Why
use this feature? To create a very fluid user experience for your visitors.
Pre-defining words
that are pertinent to each category and subcategory provides a ready-made set
of relevant
criteria by which users can add and rate Subjects quiclcly and easily.
Example: For Outdoor
Life's "Motmtain Trails" subcategory, some of the predefined Descriptive Words
might be:
rocky, trail condition, scenery, danger, congestion, difficulty, wildlife,
etc. the client may
also configure associations for categories, subcategories and words. In the
display box for
subcategories, click the name of the subcategory to which to add Descriptive
Words. Then
click the "Descriptive Words" button at right. To add Descriptive Words to a
subcategory: In
the "Descriptive Word" field, type in the word to add, then click the "Add"
button (Malce sure
the "Select Descriptive Word" dropdown box is blank). To edit or remove
existing
Descriptive Words in a subcategory: Select the chosen word from the "Select
Descriptive
Word" dropdown box. To remove it, click the "Remove" button. To edit it, edit
the text that
appears in the "Descriptive Word" box, then click "Update."
The client may determine how many Descriptive Words a user must choose when
adding a Subject. Why use this feature? To ensure that requirements match the
audience.
Example: If the audience is highly educated, one may feel safe in requiring
them to enter
more words. If the audience is less educated, has a shorter attention span or
has very little
time, requiring fewer words is a better option. One may also configure the
number of
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Descriptive Words a user must choose in the appropriate Terraformer
(Configuration and
Administration) Module field. In this field, type the minimum number of words
you want to
require a user to enter when he/she is adding a Subject. When finished, clicle
"Update" at the
bottom of the page. One may also determine how many pre-selected-words appear
when a
user adds/rates a Subject, to speed/simplify the process of adding/rating a
Subject. Example:
The more words that appear automatically, the more likely a user will select
some of them
(instead of taking time to generate his/her own Descriptive Words). And one
may configure
pre-selected words in Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module in
the
appropriate field. In this field, type the minimum number of pre-selected
words you want to
appear when a user is adding a Subject. When finished, click "Update" at the
bottom of the
page. In a similar vvay, for appropriate ends, one may determine minimum
rating score
required for keywords to appear, determine minimum ranking a Descriptive Word
must have
in order to be displayed with a Subject, configure minimum ranking for
Descriptive Words,
determine when to expire ratings in the database, configure ratings
expirations, determine
how long a user must wait before rating the same experience again, configure a
user waiting
period between rating same experience, determine how high a Subject must ranlc
to be
labeled "Best of the Best", configure "Best of Best" [Example: In the "Best of
Best cutoff'
field, enter the number you would like to designate as the minimum average
rating a Subject
must receive in order to receive the distinction "Best of Best." The range for
this number is
between .O1 (lowest) and 5.0 (highest, a perfect score). All Subjects with an
average rating
higher than the one you select will be considered Best of Best. When finished,
click "update"
at the bottom of the page], determine weighting of opinions based on a user's
credibility and
contributions, determine maximum number of search results, and results per
page, configure
search results (i.e., type in the maximum number of total search results that
one wants users
to be able to retrieve when they perform a search on the site. And specify the
number of
search results per page that one would lilce the user to see. When finished,
click "Update"),
create a list of banned words to ensure that inappropriate language does not
appear on the
site, and define regions and countries to defme/limit the countries from which
users may add
and search for Subjects. For example, North American Skiing magazine may want
to limit all
sl~i-slope reviews to the United States, Canada and Mexico only. To configure
regions, click,
in Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module, the "Domain Tables"
tab on the
top navigation bar. Then click "Regions" on the left navigation bar. A screen
like that shown
by FIG. 88 will appear. From the "Select Region Type," select the area to
break into regions:
Country or State. If adding a new region, ignore the "Select Region" box. Type
the name of
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the new region into the "Region" box and click "Add." If editing the name of
an existing
region, select it from the "Select Region Type" box. Its name will then appear
next to the
"Region" field, where one can edit it. If removing an existing region, select
it from this box.
Its name will then appear next to the "Region" field. Then click "Remove."
FIG. 89 illustrates
a similar screen from Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module.
If adding a
new country, type its name in the "Country Name" field and click "Add." If
editing the name
of an existing country, the "Add" button will say "Edit" instead. Select the
country name one
wants to edit from the "Select Country Name" dropdown box, after which the
text will appear
in the "Country Name" field. Edit the text to specifications, then click
"Edit."
The client will nonnally wish to recruit, reward and recognize users. The
instant system
provides a complete system to recruit, reward and recognize outstanding
members of a
vibrant online community. The configurable variables that follow put the power
of
customization in the client's hands. One may recruit by defining age groups to
track and
subdivide this demographic in a way that best meets needs. One may
define/limit
contributions for each gender (per ZIP code) to define the "exclusivity" of
being a
correspondent in a way that best meets needs. One may limit the number of men
and women
per ZIP code as strictly as one likes, or not at all. To configure age groups
in Terraformer
(Configuration and Administration) Module on an appropriate screen, like that
shown in FIG.
90, to add an age group, type a title for the age group into the "Age Group"
field. For this new
age group, enter the low age (e.g., 18) and high age (e.g., 35) for it . In
the following three
fields, you have two choices: a) Enter the maximum number of males and females
in this age
group that one would like to allow in one's Correspondent pool per ZIP code,
or b) Enter the
number of people (not gender-specific) from each ZIP code that one would like
to include in
one's Correspondent pool. To finish creating this age group, click "Add." To
remove an
existing age group, select it from the "Select Age Group" dropdown box at the
top and cliclc
"Remove." To edit an existing age group, select it from the "Select Age Group"
dropdown
box at the top. Its age and gender-count information will then appear in the
fields below it.
Edit these fields as necessary and cliclc "Update" (the "Add" button will
change to "Update").
To configure rewards, the client will use the Terraformer (Configuration and
Administration) Module screen of Accounting Actions to assign point and dollar
values per
action (customized by membership type (Member, Correspondent, Sponsor),
including:
Adding a Subject in home ZIP code, Adding a Subject outside home ZIP code,
Adding a
Comment, Suggesting Improvements and Deletions, Rating others' Comments,
Giving a
Subject an overall rating (1 to 5 stars), Rating Descriptive Words, Telling a
friend, Recruiting
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Correspondents, including in areas where no user action is required: Points
awarded when
Member's Subject or Comments are read by another user, Points awarded when
another user
adds a Subject in Member's ZIP code, Approving a Subject for publication
(Correspondents
only), Maintaining a Subject (fixing outdated/wrong information)
(Correspondents only),
Notifying a potential sponsor about an un-sponsored Subject (Corre'spondents
only), Monthly
bonus programs.
If one is in the early stages of building a critical mass of Subjects, one may
want to
assign high point values for adding Subjects, adding comments and adding
words. If one has
reached a critical mass of content and now wants to focus on growing audience,
one may
want to assign high point values to actions such as referring other members
and notifying
sponsors. To configure points per action, one goes to the appropriate screen
in Terraformer
(Configuration and Administration) Module to the fields of "Select User Type"
and "Select
Action". Because the points one awards will vary based on a user's role, one
must specify the
action itself (in the Select Action dropdown box) and the user type for whom
one is assigning
the point value (in the Select User Type dropdown box).
The client may determine how many points a correspondent must score during a
specified time period to remain in good standing to malce sure that the people
rewarded for
building and maintaining the online community are holding up their end of the
bargain. If a
correspondent isn't meeting the minimum activity standards set, it's likely
that another
correspondent-in-waiting will do so. The client may determine minimum dollar
amount users
must accumulate before being allowed to cash out to cut down on the resources
required to
accommodate payouts. The higher the dollar amount a user must attain before
being paid, the
fewer requests for payment. To configure minimum cash-out amount, in
Terraformer
(Configuration and Administration) Module, in the appropriate field, enter the
minimum
dollar amount users must attain before being allowed to cash out. When
finished, clicle
"Update" at the bottom of the screen.
The client may add "bonus points" to certain categories to further target
areas of the site
that require further development. Example: If Learning Experiences has more
than enough
entries but Restaurants has very few, it may make sense to give users bonus
points for every
restaurant they enter over a given period of time. To configure bonus points,
in Terraformer
(Configuration and Administration) Module, select "Domain Tables" on the top
navigation
bar and "Bonus Points" from the left navigation bar. A screen like that shown
by FIG. 91 will
appear. To add a bonus, type a title for the bonus into the "Bonus
Description" field. From the
"Primary Category" dropdown box, select the category that is most appropriate
for this bonus.
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Insert the point and dollar values to award for this action and click "Add."
To remove an
existing bonus, select it from the "Select Bonus Description" dropdown box at
the top and
click "Remove." To edit an existing bonus, select it from the "Select Bonus
Description"
dropdown box at the top. Its title will then appear in the "Bonus Description"
field, and the
category, points and dollars associated with it will also appear in their
respective fields. Edit
as necessary and click "Update" (the "Add" button will change to "Update").
The client may create point goals and opinion multipliers for each user type
to give
proper incentive to each member type. Example: Correspondents will enjoy more
rewards
and privileges thaxl members; because of that, one will likely require more
community-building activity from them. To configure point goals and opinion
multipliers, in
Tenaformer (Configuration and Administration) Module, select "Domain Tables"
on the top
navigation bar and "User Types" from the left navigation bar. A screen like
that of FIG. 92
will appear. From the "Select User Type Description" dropdown box at the top
of the page,
select the user type for whom one would like to determine a monthly point goal
and opinion
multiplier. W the "Opinion Multiplier" field, enter the appropriate weighting
for the selected
user type. Example: A multiplier of 3 for a Correspondent would malce a
Correspondent's
opinions worth three times that of a Member. When finished, click "Update."
In the "Point Goal" field, enter the monthly point total that you expect each
user type to
accumulate. When finished, click "Update."
The client may create rewards for each user type to allow each member type a
chance
to earn rewards. Example: If you choose to reward your top 10 contributors,
those 10 will
probably all be correspondents (correspondents are the most active
contributors and will
naturally aggregate more points than other users). This feature allows you to
designate a
reward for each user type: e.g., Top 10 Correspondents, Top 10 Members, etc.
And the client
may allocate a percentage of sponsorship revenue to user rewards; this is an
easy way to
automatically allocate a pool of money for user rewards. This is an
alternative to setting aside
a specific dollar amount for the same purpose. And the client may decide the
number or
percentage of users that may share in special rewards to configure the
distribution of rewards.
Example: A smaller site with fewer users may choose to reward its most active
50 users with
a special reward. A high-volume site may choose to reward by percentage (e.g.,
the most
active 5 percent of users). This works because every month, the instant
system's software runs
an automated process that identifies the top contributors - by percentage or
real number - and
generates a list of them. The client may configure this in Terraformer
(Configuration and
Administration) Module in the appropriate screen in the "Top N Count Value"
field, by
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entering the number (N) of top contributors that will share in special rewards
for the site: e.g.,
100 for Top 100, 50 for Top 50, etc., or in the "Top N Percent Value" field,
enter the
percentage of top contributors that will share in special rewards: e.g., 10
for top 10 percent;
50 for top 50 percent, etc.
The clients, as has been discussed, may set up and configure contests. An
automated
process sifts through the entries (on demand) and determines a winner(s). The
client may
select as many winners as is desired.
The client may configure audience communication. Creating predefined questions
and
topics for users. enables them to more easily communicate with the site about
what they like
and dislike about the site. The instant system allows the client to define pre-
selected feedback
Subjects to help speed and simplify the user's process for communicating. To
configure
feedback Subjects, in Terraformer (Configuration and Administration) Module,
select
"Domain Tables" on the top navigation bar and "Feedback Subjects" from the
left navigation
bar. A screen like that shown in FIG. 93 will appear. To add a new feedback
subject, type the
text into the "Feedbaclc Subject" field and then clicle "Add." To remove an
existing feedback
subject, select it from the "Select Feedback Subject" dropdown box at the top
and cliclc
"Remove." To edit an existing feedback subject, select it from the "Select
Feedback Subject"
dropdown box at the top. Its title will then appear in the "Feedback Subject"
field. Edit as
necessary and click "Update" (the "Add" button will change to "Update").
As shown earlier, the client may define questions to aslc prospective
correspondents.
Different sites will want different qualities from their correspondents. The
clients define what
questions correspondents must answer and the possible responses, and decide
how they must
score in order to meet client standards. These are, as discussed, configured
in Terraformer
(Configuration and Administration) Module. Similarly, the client may configure
Correspondent Answers and create decline reasons -- predefined reasons for a
user to decline
the client's offer to become a correspondent or a member. Why this feature? To
aggregate the
most common showstopper issues for potential correspondents and members, and
to use that
aggregated data to reshape the client approach to recruiting them.
The instant system helps generate revenue by offering advertisers a completely
automated way to appear on the site. The instant technology enables
advertisers to create and
enhance a fully detailed page for their business, and here's how the client
can help: by
creating predefined section headers for sponsor pages to make it faster and
easier for sponsors
to create their own customized pages, and thereby malce it easier to sell
sponsorships.
Examples of section headers could include: Our Menu, Our Facilities, Our
Customers, Our
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Hours, Our Specialties, Our Products, Our Employees, Our Coupons, Our Weekly
Specials,
etc. Section may be configured in Terraformer (Configuration and
Administration) Module in
the appropriate screen.
The client may configure/display address and phone of non-sponsored Subjects
to give
businesses incentive to sponsor Subjects. And the client may determine setup
and
sponsorship fees. Reasonable fees for sponsorship depend on a number of
factors: market
size, competition, saturation, etc. Each site cm tailor these rates to their
own business
situation. To configure sponsorship fees, in Terraformer (Configuration and
Administration)
Module, click the "System Tables" tab on the top navigation bar and the
"Sponsorship
Parameters" tab on the left navigation bar. A screen lilce that of FIG. 94
appears. These three
fields determine sponsorship pricing. The top field is the initial sponsorship
fee. The second
field is the fee for the first month of sponsorship, and the third field is
the fee for each
subsequent month. Enter the amount in each of the fields that one wants to
charge for
sponsorships, then cliclc "Update."
In addition to having the ability to see a site's total number of users, StAbj
ects, ratings
and comments at any time, the following management reports are also available
to clients:
Member Counts, Member Demographics, Member Rewards Pool Status, Contributions
by
Members, Correspondents Counts, Regions, Demographics, Performances, Content
Reports,
Sponsor Reports, Feedback. Reports, etc.
Underlying the instant system is an intricate system of automated processes
that
documents the Web site's .activity and keeps it updated and running smoothly.
What, follows
is a list of the processes that run at scheduled intervals for each site. It
does Correspondent
invitation. Using the correspondent-recruitment application and emai'1 created
by the client,
this process sifts through all registered users in the database and send s an
invitation to
potential correspondents based on their application score and available
openings. Example:
Member Bob lives in the 90210 ZIP code. There is an opening for a
correspondent in the
90210 ZIP code, so this process sends Member Bob an e-mail inviting him to
become a
correspondent. It does a Waiting List. If there are no openings in a potential
Correspondent's
ZIP code, he/she immediately becomes a Member, and his/her n~.nne is added to
a
Correspondent waiting list. When a Correspondent position opF~ns up, the
process sends the
Member an email inviting him/her to become a Correspondent. It does Invitation
cleanup.
The process looks at all the correspondent invitations that have not been
answered by a
certain (client-specified) period of time, and deletes them. It does User
purge. This process
looks at the usage patterns of all registered users and deletes the ones who
have not returned
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to your site in the client-specified amount of time. It does Correspondent
missed goals. Using
the client-configured goals for each member type, this process evaluates each
registered
user's goals, awards points and sends an email reminder to those users who did
not reach their
goals. It does Demotion. This process fords users who have not met their
performance goals
for consecutive months, and demotes them. Note: A client may choose to de-
activate this
option and elect not to demote users.
It also does Old Subject Purge. Using the "dates available" field, this
process finds
events that have expired and deletes them from the site. Example: Two weeks
after a Bette
Midler concert - after giving users an ample (client-selected) amount of time
to comment on
the show - the process would delete the concert from the site. It does Poor
Subject purge.
This process works in the same way as the "Old experience purge," but it
deletes a Subject
based on its average rating instead of its date. It does Ratings purge. This
process removes
ratings entered before a client-specified date. It does Sponsor payment
notification. This
process generates a report on the revenue from all sponsored Subjects. It does
Top words
update. This process examines all Descriptive Words used to describe the
Subjects in your
database and generates a list of the top 100 words used in each Category.
These words may
be used as the pre-selected Descriptive Words during the add process as well
as in the rating
process.
The automatic process' also does Average accounting points. This process
reviews all
user activity from the past month and generates an average number of points
per action per
user type. Example: In September, the average.Member earned 1200 points by
adding
Subjects, 400 points by rating comments, and 300 points by rating Descriptive
Words. The
average Correspondent earned 1500 points by adding Subjects, 600 points by
rating
comments and 500 points by rating Descriptive Words. It does Boolunark
summary. This
process tracks the number of times that each Subject was bookrnarked by a
user. It does Top
100 Subjects. Every month, this process generates a list of the 100 highest-
rated Subjects for
each category. The top 10 are added to the home page, with a link to the list
of 100. It does
Monthly awards. Per the client's criteria, this process identifies the top
performers that will
share in special awards for the given month. It does Correspondent, Member and
Sponsor
reports. This process generates regular emails (at client-selected intervals)
to each member
type in order to recruit, manage and motivate. Emails will contain a link back
to the Web site
or MyPage. It does Correspondent recruitment bonuses. This process finds all
the new
registered users who were recommended by another user, and accepted as a
correspondent.
Reward bonus points are given to the referrers upon acceptance. It does
National pool flags.
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This process ensures that Subjects added by members are approved by
correspondents in a
timely fashion. After a Subject has been waiting for approval by a
correspondent in a specific
ZIP code for a certain (client-specified) amount of time, the Subject then
becomes available
for review by all other correspondents. Example: Member George has reviewed a
restaurant
in Correspondent Gracie's ZIP code. For the next three days, Correspondent
Gracie has sole
authority to approve Member George's new Subject. After three days, if
Correspondent
Gracie has not approved or rejected George's restaurant review, then the
review becomes
available for approval to any Correspondent.
It also does Purge old comments. This process removes comments that are beyond
a
certain age (e.g., 30 days, 6 months, etc.). It does Real-time Subject-page
views. The process
adds up all Subject-page views over a given time period. It does Real-time
information
requests. This process counts the number of times that users have cliclced
"get more
information" about a Subj ect. Why use this feature? To sway potential
advertisers toward a
sponsorship. A potential advertiser may be more likely to sponsor a Subjects
if she lcnows
that dozens of your Web site users were ~loolcing for information about her
business. It does
Batch reporting. This process reports a summary of the processes that ran on
the previous
day.
The instant system includes a Survey tool that allows a user to create a
survey for any
audience in just three easy steps. It also allows many customized options.
Using this survey
tool, the user can determine:
* Who may respond to the survey
* How many times each participant may respond
* Who may see the results, and when they may see them
* Which questions participants must answer
* Whether a user may leave comments after taping the survey
* A specific start and end date for the survey
* A maximum number of total responses to the survey
The following is a description of how to create and manage surveys with the
Survey
tool. FIGS. 95A-B shows an example survey of the type generated by the Survey
tool. Note
that it features word/term/item ratings similarly to the instant above-
described system. To
create a survey, fiom the Surveys home page, click a "Learn more" linlc in the
center at such
home page to get to a page with a short introduction that describes the
process of creating a
survey. When the user is finished, he/she clicks the "Create a Survey" button
at the bottom of
the page and gets a page returned lilce that shown in FIG. 96A-B. The user
fills out the four
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pictured fields: Survey Title, Offered by (the survey's author), Survey Topic
and Survey
Elements. In the Survey Topic field, the author types the question or
statement to which the
participants will respond. In the Survey Elements fields, the author types the
items that the
participants will rate. Each of the elements has a "required" checlcbox next
to it. If the author
would like to require each user to rate a particular element, the "required"
box should be
checked. If the author will allow participants not to rate certain elements,
the "required" box
should remain unchecked for those elements.
Ten fields for Survey elements are provided. If more are needed, the author
clicks the
"get more elements" lint above the "Next" and "Cancel" buttons to get more
fields. When all
elements are complete, the author cliclcs the "Next" button and gets a screen
like that of FIG.
97. In Step 2, the survey author will make the following determinations:
User Comments: Here, the author decides whether to allow the participant to
leave a
written comment after taking the survey. If so, the author checlcs the
"Collect
Comments" box. If not, the box is left blank. If the author chooses to collect
comments, those comments will only be viewable by the author him/herself (not
survey participants).
Date Options: In these Fields, the author determines the start and end date of
the survey.
Participants will be permitted to talce the survey between those dates only.
Maximum Responses: The author has the option of putting a limit on the number
of
responses to the survey. If he/she wants to limit the responses, the author
types
the maximum number in the field; if no limit is desired, he/she enters "0" in
the
field.
FIGS. 98A-B illustrate the bottom half of the Step 2 page:
Response Validations: The author may choose "Anonymous" or "Require Email
address." If the author doesn't care who responds to the survey and how many
times a person responds, he/she clicks "Anonymous." If the author would lilce
to
control who and how many times a user responds, "Require Email Address"
must be selected.
Response Limitations: This is only available if "Require Email Address" is
selected in
the "Response Validations" field. In the "Maximum responses per e-mail
address" field, the author types in the number of times a participant is
allowed
to respond to the survey. If the author would also like to restrict
participation in
this survey to people from a certain organization, he/she may do so by
checking
the box that reads "Limit responses to these organizations" and listing the
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domain names of those organizations (e.g., ibm.com, generalmills.com, etc.) in
the box below it. If the author does not wish to restrict who may respond to
the
survey, the checkbox should be left unchecked, and the large text box should
be
ignored.
Results options: The survey author has five choices about who and when people
may
see the results:
Results are available to anyone at any time
Results are available to anyone after the survey ends
Results are always available to anyone who has participated in the survey
(Only available for surveys that require an email address for
participation)
Results are available to anyone who has participated in survey after survey
ends
(Only available for surveys that require an email address for
participation)
Results are never available
Once the author has selected all the variables on this page, he/she clicks
"Next" for the final
page of the survey creation process (illustrated by FIG. 99). On the final
page of the survey
creation process, the author adds customized text in these fields:
Survey Introduction: This short message welcomes your respondents and tells
them
how to proceed. Example: "Welcome! Tell us where you'd like to have the
holiday party!"
Collect Email Address: This text instructs participants to instruct to enter
their email
address and (perhaps) explains why it is being collected. Example: "Enter your
email address below (for tracking purposes only)."
Final Results: This text appears above the final results of the survey.
Example: "Thanlcs
for participating! This is how the results turned out."
Current Results: This text appears above the current results that participants
see before
the survey has ended. Example: "Your vote has been counted. Here's how
results are shaping up so far."
Rating Scale: This is the text that will appear above the rating legend. It
will explain to
survey participants what the rating scale means, and how to choose
accordingly.
Example: "The rating scale varies from a 5 for "Very Important" to a 1 for
"Not
Important at all."
Some remaining Custom Text fields are shown in the following illustration:
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Comment Heading: This is the title that will display above the Comments box.
Example: "Leave Your Comments"
Comment Text: This is the introductory text that accompanies the Comments box.
Example: "Something to say? Leave your comments in the box below."
Note: When a survey is created that does not allow participants to see results
until after the
end date of the survey has passed, two more custom text fields appear as
illustrated by FIG.
100:
"Completion Thanlc You": In a survey where results may not be viewed until
after the
survey end date has passed, text entered in the Completion Thank You field
will
appear in place of the current results.
"Results Not Available.": Text in the Results Not Available field appears when
a
participant clicks the Unique Results URL. It can also appear - if the author
has
specified that only participants may see the results - when someone who has
not
taken the survey tries to view the results.
When the variables have all been selected, the survey can be created. If the
author is a
registered user and logged in, he/she will be talcen right to the
"Congratulations" page as
illustrated by FIG. 101. If the author is creating his/her first survey and is
not yet a registered
user - or if the author is a repeat user and simply has not logged in - he/she
will receive a
prompt to register/log in. Authors who already registered users can type in
their username
and password in the appropriate fields and then click "Login." Those who are
not yet
registered must click the "Sign up" button after which they will go to a sign-
up screen. After
filling out the fields, the new author clicks "Submit" and is taken to the
"Congratulations"
page (FIG. 101). On this screen are the two important URLs that the program
generates. The
first URL is "Your Unique Survey URL." This is the URL that the author sends
to
participants so they can take the survey, and uses to link the survey from any
Web page. The
second URL is the "Your Unique Results URL." This is the URL that holds the
current
results to the survey. If the survey is no longer open (if the end date has
passed), the final
results can be found at this URL. If the survey hasn't yet begun, a screen
saying the results are
unavailable will return. In the sentence below the unique results URL is a
linlc to the Survey
Management Center - the area where the author can review and manage this
survey. Here
may be found a summary of the Survey: its title, author, topic, elements,
Survey URL and
Results URL. To make changes to any of the text, the author clicks the "Edit"
link to the right
of the survey title and gets a page where the author can change the Survey
title, author name,
topic and elements. Elements can also be deleted from this screen, and the
"required" status
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for each element can be changed. When all of the appropriate changes are made,
the author
scrolls to the bottom of the page and clicks the "Next" button and returns to
the Survey
Management Center page, which contains all the current settings for a survey,
and linlcs to
areas where those settings may be viewed and changed. Under an "Actions"
heading, the
author can click the View Corninents link to see a list of all the comments
participants have
left. Preferably, three other links under "Actions" - "Refresh Count," "Close
Survey" and
"Delete Survey" - are ways that the author can update the Survey. "Refresh
Count" collects
the most recent results of the Survey. "Close Survey" closes it, and "Delete
Survey" deletes
the survey. After performing each of these actions, the author may preferably
use additional
provided screens to do custom editing, etc.
Finally, an author may, at some point, wish to make changes to his/her account
and
billing information and view the history of the account. He/she may do so
using the User
Profile Manager. Clicking the "User Profile" lint in the green navigation bar
at the top of any
page, the user is taken to a page showing the author's current account
information: username,
account number, email address, physical address, phone number and credit card
information.
To change anything under the Account Information heading, the author simply
clicks "edit"
modes at appropriate headings text at the right of that heading.
The main Survey Management Center page preferably has a "User Account History"
link that takes the author to a page with detailed information about all
surveys the author has
performed, in addition to the billing information associated with them. An
example of the
User Account History page is shown by FIG. 102. The Account History page shows
each
Survey created by the author, the charges for each and a description of those
charges. It also
shows the date and time each survey was created, the credit card each to which
each survey
was charged, and the reference and authorization numbers for each.
Second Described Preferred System Details
According to a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention,
a
method and system (software) is described for creating and maintaining a
database of subject
material primarily related to sales and sales related activities, knowledge
and success stories.
Additionally, in a second described preferred embodiment of the present
invention users are
provided the opportunity to search the database and to identify subj ect
matter relevant to the
user's needs either through a key word search or category browsing.
Additionally, users may
preferably search for experts with particular knowledge relevant to their
needs. Users may
also search for and review success stories. When users cannot find required
knowledge they
may also submit questions which will be answered by designated experts.
Additionally all
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questions and related answers are added to the database and become additional
subject matter
available for search and review.
It is especially noted that, in order to help sell such systems, the
developer, in the
software system design, should preferably limit the operator's labor of
management and other
responsibilities. The instant system, in the specific manners described
herein, is a second
described preferred embodiment of such a system, needing essentially no
operator
management -- the software itself motivates and rewards the user community
sufficiently to
keep them doing the sorts of duties otherwise befalling an operator.
Secoyad Described PrefeYred System Operational Overview
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
preferred
business methods and operational processes are functionally demonstrated by
FIG. 103 and
FIG 104.
Referring to FIG. 103, the Website preferably comprises components and
associated
programming of Questions and Answers, Content & Ratings (of usefulness in one
ore more
steps of a licensee defined sales cycle), Management, Reporting, SA Spy and
Rewards/Performance Management. As shown, many differences between the prior
art and
the second described preferred embodiment of the present invention are
present. The
Website interaction between the User Community (typically sales and sales
related
personnel) and the Website comprises not only rewards, but also performance
feedback with
regard to usage and contribution levels. Preferably, in addition' to the
Entries inputted by
Users the Website accepts content through interface software from Customer's
various
existing systems, providing users a much broader and deeper set of Content
available in a
single database.
The User Community may also obtain required information through the Question
and
Answer process which provides methods for experts to respond to questions
posed by Users
and make the questions and responses available to the User Community in the
same manner
as all other Entries. Additionally, Users may request automatic desktop
notification of new
Entries in their areas of interest through configuration and installation of
the SA Spy module.
A variety of reports are also available to the User Community which provide
summary
information and permit "drill down" to successively greater levels of detail.
Also, the User
Community now provides to the Website not merely Entries and Overall Ratings,
but instead
Entries, Usefulness Ratings and where in the sales cycle the Entry is most
useful. Some lcey
features in the second described preferred embodiment of the present invention
are that the
Website essentially does not require Management by a Developer/Operator/Site
Manager and
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that the software of the Website performs management functions substantially
automatically.
Also, the Website substantially automatically interacts with the User
Community to establish
and maintain breadth, quality and currency of the Content.
Preferably Customers license the web site software from the developer based on
the
expected number of persons who will be granted access.
Referring to FIG. 104, a preferred typical implementation process is shown.
After
deciding to use the website software to improve and support the Customer's
sales effort, the
first step for the Customer is sign the licensing agreement 201 for use of the
website
software. Preferably, the website software may be installed on Customer's
website servers or
operated from Developer's website servers. While pricing for the two options
differs the
website software functions in the same manner. Preferably, once the license
agreement is
signed Developer worlcs with the Customer to select and train the
implementation team 203.
In the site configuration step 205, preferably the Customer's implementation
team works with
the other members of the Customer's sales, sales management, sales support,
product
management and other groups within the Customer's organization to define
categories of
information, any information which may be available from existing databases
and how best to
convert it for use in the website databases, identify the website users and
their levels of
responsibility. When the implementation team has completed the configuration
step 205, the
next two steps, Input Required Information 207 and Extract Information from
other
Databases 209, are preferably undertaken substantially in parallel. In the
Input Required
Information 207 step the implementation team requests selected groups of Users
to begin
adding content in their particular areas of expertise. The implementation team
may establish
special incentives and rewards to encourage active and timely participation in
the initial
content entry work. At the same time, preferably Customer software personnel
will be
implementing interface processes for both one-time and ongoing extracts for
data from
existing databases for inclusion in the Website database.
Preferably, when the Input Required Information 207 and Extract Information
from
other Databases 209 steps are completed the implementation team begins the
Rollout and
Training 211 step to introduce the website to the remaining members of the
Customer's sales,
sales management, sales support, product management and other groups within
the
Customer's organization who will make up the user community. This step
preferably follows
completion the Input Required Information 207 and Extract Information from
other
Databases 209 steps because it is critical that a significant amount of
content is available
before general usage. A significant amount of useful content initially
encourages Users to
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access the website frequently and then to continue to update and maintain the
quality and
depth of the content.
Preferably, the final step is Ongoing Use and Updates 213 of the website
database.
Users are encouraged to submit new content, rate the usefulness of existing
content, attach
documents or point to attachments, and to actively use the website database as
their source of
information. Customer management may also preferably use Rewards and
Performance
Management to encourage participation and direct it to areas most useful to
the Customer.
Seco>zd Descr~ibed Pr~efer~r~ed System Screens and Operation Details
Logi>7
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
preferred
login process is functionally demonstrated by FIG. 107, FIG. 108, and FIG. 109
where each
user of the system is preferably required to login using an assigned ID and
password to gain
access to the system. As shown in FIG. 107, preferably each user must provide
their user id
and password to gain access to the database. The methods by which users may
obtain their
forgotten password are shown. Upon request the website software will
automatically
generate an email to the email address on file for the user. On logout, each
user is presented
with a confirmation of being logged out, as presented in FIG. 109.
Ho>7ae Page
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, after
login each
user is preferably taken to the Home Page similar to that illustrated in FIG.
1 l0A and FIG.
110B. From the Home Page the user may preferably access all the other
functions of the
system to which the user has been granted permission. Additionally, the user
may preferably
begin a search of the database using either a lceyword search using the entry
box 209-1.
Additionally, the user may preferably search the database for a subject using
one of the
displayed categories, for example as shown: "Application", "Buyer Position",
"Competition",
"Customers/Prospects", "Products" or "Sales Tactics". As will be discussed
later, each of
these categories may be defined by the licensee to best fit their needs.
Preferably, selecting
"Browse Experts" allows the user to quickly find a person with the required
expertise.
The Home Page preferably also presents selected key information to the user.
Preferably, this information may include: Executive Spotlight, Promotions,
Success Stories, a
poll of user if desired by licensee, and News and Notes. Additionally, lcey
subjects may be
highlighted as either "Hot" (very current information of interest to most
users), "Best
Practices" (actions and information proven to be successful), "New" (subjects
recently added
to the database) or "Info Need" (recent requests for information and r elated
responses from
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the Q&A process). More details on each of these areas may be viewed by
selecting the
indicated text link (underlined word or phrase).
Sec~~ch
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, after
login each
user may preferably access the database by searching for subjects by lceyword
or a predefined
category. Although not shown in most figures, preferably each screen of the
system provides
the opportunity for a user to search by either method or to browse for am
expert. When
searching by keyword several areas of the database are searched to identify
all possible
matches for the selected keyword. As illustrated in FIG. 106, in the first
step Analyze Search
Text 401 the lceyword search routines first remove any common words such as
"the", "an"
and other words that occur commonly in everyday language and common words used
in the
licensee's environment as defined as part of system configuration.
Additionally, the search
routines identify root wTords where plurals and other variations of the search
words have been
used. The resulting search words or phrases are then used to search keywords
associated with
the subject entries in the next step Search Keyword Associations 403. Each
entry associated
with a matched lceyword will be displayed on the results list. In the next
step, Search
Category/Sub-category Titles 405, the search routines search the text of all
category and sub-
category titles for search word matches. All entries associated with any
matched
category/sub-category titles are also added to the results list. Next, the
search routines
evaluate any potential matches the complete text of each advice entry in the
step Search
Advice Text 407, again all matches are added to the results list. In the final
search step,
Search Advice Titles 409 the routines evaluate all advice titles for possible
matches with the
search text and add matched advice entries to the results list. Finally, when
all search steps
are complete the results list is presented to~ the user in step 411. An
example of the search
results list is illustrated in FIG. 112.
Preferably, after selecting a keyword such as "widget" the user may preferably
further
filter the search result by selecting one or more of the categories or sub-
categories where
relevant subject entries were found. The preferred lceyword search result
category filtering
mechanism is illustrated in FIG. 112. When subjects are found matching the
criteria used in
either search method they are preferably displayed as shown in FIG. 113. When
no subj ects
are found matching the criteria used in either search method they are
preferably displayed as
shown in FIG. 114 which provides suggestions to users as to how to improve
their search
results.
Additional preferred filtering may also be used if the results are excessive
or are too
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broad. The user may choose to use Advanced Search to narrow search results
using
categories and sub-categories, and/or type of advice (content), attachments,
sales cycle, or
advice level. The preferred functionality for this is shown in FIG. 115.
Preferably, after selecting a category the user may further filter the seaxch
result by
selecting one or more sub-categories which most relevant to the user's area of
interest as.
The preferred browse by category filtering functionality is illustrated in FIG
111.
Preferably, regardless of search method used, users are presented with a list
of
subjects matching the search criteria, ordered based on relevancy to the
search criteria. An
example of the search results list is provided in FIG. 113. As with all other
text links, each
list entry may be selected by a user to view tlhe details of the subject. The
specific content of
each subject entry will be discussed later.
Preferably users may also search for experts when support is needed that
cannot be
found through review of database entries. Selecting the "Browse Experts" link
takes the user
to the Find Experts screen as shown in FIG. 117. Here users may select
criteria to narrow the
search to experts in the areas of interest. Preferably the search may be
narrowed by subject
categories and sub-categories a.nd/or by categories of expertise, such as
demos, presentations
or feature/product comparisons and so on as shown. The preferred presentation
of the search
results is shown in FIG. 116. Selecting the text' link for any of the experts
displayed on the
Search Results screen will provide users access to the expert's profile which
describes their
areas of expertise in more detail, and which includ,Ps contact information.
View AdvicelCommehtslRatings
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention,
preferably when
users select an entry displayed on the search results, as shown in FIG. 113,
the subject detail
information is displayed on a primary screen, as illustrated in FIG. 118A and
FIG. 118B. this
primary page preferably also provide summary information about a variety of
attributes
associated with a particular entry. These attributes may preferably include:
Categorization,
Overall Usefulness Ratings, Sales Cycle usefulness, associated comments,
related advice, and
attaclunents. For example, the user may preferably choose to view information
regarding in
which step of the sales the subject has been most been most useful by
preferably selecting the
"click here" text linlc under the sale cycle breakdown heading. Preferably the
sales cycle
usefulness brealcdown information is presented to the user in a manner as
shown in FIG. 119.
While on this screen preferably users may indicate in which step of the sales
cycle they found
the information most useful. Checking the applicable boxes and selecting
"Submit" will
result in each user's feedback being accumulated in the summary totals
presented on the left.
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After providing sales cycle feedbaclc the user is presented with a
confirmation screen. A user
may also choose to review specific types of documents or other relevant
information which
are related to the subject by selecting View Attachments. The presentation of
this
information is presented in FIG. 121. Additionally, users may preferably view
comments
submitted by other users about any subject in the database by selecting the
text link for any
visible single comment displayed on the primary subject screen, as shown in
FIG. 118B. A
preferred presentation of user submitted comments associated with a particular
subject is
illustrated by FIG. 122A and FIG. 122B. Users may also add their own comments
about a
particular subject and rate the subject by selecting "Add A Comment". The
preferred process
is illustrated in FIG. 125. Each time users view comments they are preferably
given the
opportunity to rate the usefulness of the comments and illustrated in FIG.
122B.
Preferably, users may rate the "usefulness" of each subject while viewing it.
Preferably, selecting the appropriate bar segment in the "How useful is it to
your company?"
section of the primary subject detail screen, as shown in FIG. 118A, results
in the user's
opinion of usefulness being added to other user's ratings. If the subject's
"usefulness" is
rated by a user they may preferably by rewarded points as shown in FIG. 123.
Users may
preferably view a summary of the feedback provided by all users who have rated
the subj ect
by selecting the "View All Functional Groups" text link. The resulting pop up
screen is
illustrated in FIG. 124.
Preferably, a wide variety of types of information including, but not
necessarily
limited to, experiences, persons with special skills or knowledge and answered
questions may
preferably be included in the knowledge base. An example of how information
about a
person that may preferably be included and presented is shown in FIG. 120.
Add Adviee
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, each user
is
encowaged to submit their experiences for inclusion in the knowledge base.
Users may
preferably access the add process from any screen by selecting the "Add
Advice" text link.
Preferably the add process includes three primary steps and a publishing step.
The first
preferred step includes entering the type of subject, internal person,
external person or
experience, whether the information is related to a reference and entering the
text of the
information to be shared as illustrated in FIG. 126A. Preferably users are
required to select a
category and optionally a sub-category which best classifies the sales advice
entry as shown
in FIG. 126B. Once the category and sub-category are entered the choices are
confirmed to
the user as illustrated in FIG. 126C on the bottom of the first step screen:
The preferred
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second step preferably requires the user to first input the most relevant
keywords, and to add
any keywords not shown, but that the user believes would be useful in helping
to locate the
cuurent entry, as illustrated in FIG. 127A. Next, as shown in FIG. 127B, users
preferably
indicate which step of the sales cycle to which the information is most
relevant and identify
any attachments or links which may be helpful. The third add step preferably
provides the
user an opportunity to review all of the information inputted thus far and the
malce any
changes before final submission. This review step is illustrated in FIG. 128A
and FIG. 128B.
Preferably after the review is complete the publish step gives the user the
opportunity to
provide several publication criteria including an expiration date, a re-
approval date, the level
of user experience which could be expected to benefit most from the experience
and to
reassign the owner (person responsible for the entry) if it is different than
the user inputting
the information. The publication information is shown in FIG. 129A and FIG.
129B.
Confirmation of successful submission of a new entry is shown in FIG. 130.
Preferably at the
licensee option some users may be permitted to publish an entry without
approval, while
others may be required to have their submissions reviewed and approved by a
designated
user(s).
All submissions are preferably checleed for duplicates in the database after
completion
of the first step in the add process if desired by licensee since this is a
configuration decision.
The author may continue to the second step, if no duplicates are found, or add
comments and
ratings to the existing entry and abandon the entry started in first step.
Preferably a user may add an entry for a person who has particular skills or
knowledge by using a screen format for step one of the "Add Advice" method
tailored to
meet the special requirements. The entries as shown in FIG. 131A and FIG. 131B
illustrate
the preferred screens configured of entry of information about an external
person. FIG. 132A
and Fig. 132B demonstrate a preferred method for inputting information for an
internal
person.
My PagelCoht~zbutionslFavo~itesllnte~ests
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, each user
of the
system may preferably access a page in the system which presents information
which is
preferably unique to each user. Each user is presented a summary page referred
to as
"mypage", as illustrated in FIG. 133A and FIG. 133B. In summary, the intent of
"mypage" is
to provide single location for users to maintain links to particular entries,
and to access status
of all their submissions, and a location where their status in promotional
programs. For
example, users may view a summary of subject entries in categories selected by
the user
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which are of particular interest, and preferably each user may boolcmarlc
particular entries on
people and experiences which may be organized by folders of the user's
choosing.
Preferably each user is also presented with a section which summarizes the
user's
contributions in four broad areas; experiences, comments, questions and
answers and success
stories. For users with responsibility for review and approval of submitted
entries and
comments are preferably given the opportunity to view a summary and by
selecting the
appropriate text link view the details and take the necessary actions.
Preferably, authorized
expert users will also access questions submitted through the Q&A process for
response.
Additionally, preferably, users authorized to access to selected reports are
presented the
opportunity to view them from this page. Additionally, preferably, users
authorized to access
to selected administration functions are presented the opportunity to access
those functions
from this page. All system administration functions are presented although
user access to a.ny
one, or all, may preferably be selectively permitted.
Preferably the status of contributions by a user may be reviewed by selecting
the
value for each contribution area under each of the status columns; Added,
Pending and Needs
Touch-up. Preferably the user will be presented with a list of contributions
which comprise
the munber shown. FIG. 134A and FIG. 134B are examples of these preferred
lists. The
format, style and usage of lists presented for comments submitted by the user,
for subject
submissions, for question and answer submissions submitted by the expert who
answered the
questions, and success stories submitted by a user are alilce with only the
nature of the content
changing. Those with ordinary skill in this art will appreciate that minor
differences in screen
text, design and background are variations not critical to the instant
inventions.
Preferably, each user may view a list of entries book marked as "my favorites"
by
selecting either the displayed entry or the folder containing multiple
entries. Preferably when
an entry is selected the subject is displayed as illustrated in FIG. 118A and
Fig 118B. If a
folder of multiple entries is selected a list of the entries is displayed in
the same manner as
illustrated in FIG. 134A and FIG. 134B. By selecting the Save to My Favorites
text link on
the subject detail screen (FIG. 118A and FIG. 118B) a user my save the subject
entry to a
paa.-ticular "my favorites" folder. To view all people entries which have been
book marlced a
user selects the View All text link in the People section of My Page as
illustrated in FIG.
133A and FIG. 133B. Preferably, a user may create, rename or delete the
folders used to
organize book marked subject entries selecting the edit folders text link in
the Advice area.
Selecting a person from the list will preferably display the person's profile
which is
illustrated in FIG. 120. Selecting the text link Sales Advice in the
Contributions section will
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preferably display a list of the subject entries added by the person
preferably in the same
manner as shown in FIG. 134A and FIG. 134B. 'Selecting the text link Comments
in the
Contributions section will preferably display a list of comments added by the
user preferably
in the same manner as shown in FIG. 134A and FIG. 134B.
Preferably, a user may select any of the numeric text links in the "my
interests"
section of my page to view a list of subjects fitting the category and
classification of the
subjects. The resulting summary list of entries is preferably presented to the
user in the same
manner as shown in FIG. 134A and FIG. 134B.
Those with ordinary skill in this art will appreciate that minor differences
in screen
text, design and baclcground are variations not critical to the instant
inventions.
My Profile
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, each user
may
preferably prepare a profile of the user's background and preferences for
reference by other
users of the systE;m. Preferably, each profile contains demographic and
contact information,
optionally an image of the user, a summary of tli:e user's areas of expertise
as it relates to the
defined categories, end a short autobiographical description of slcills and
experience, an
example profile is shown in FIG.120. FIG. 135A and FIG. 135B illustrate a
preferred screen
for editing a user's profile. A user may edit all portions of the profile
except name, title,
department and location. Additionally, a user may edit the user's interests by
selecting the
text link my interests on the edit preferences screen.
~&A
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, users
wishing to
submit a question preferably may select the "Q&A" text link available on any
screen of the
system. The first screen of the question process preferably allows the user to
formulate the
question, spell check it and select the most appropriate category and sub-
category as shown
in FIG. 141A and FIG. 141B. A question edit process, which functions the in
the same
manner as the entry process illustrated by FIG. 141A and FIG. 141B, is
preferably available
if changes are required. Submission of the question will result in the system
searching for
like questions axed subjects in the database. The resulting list of the search
is a list, as shown
in FIG. 142, and the user may continue and submit the question or use a
subject from the list
to resolve the issue and therefore abandon the question. If the question is
submitted,
preferably the system will confirm successful submission as shown in FIG. 143.
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, as
illustrated in
FIG. 136 the "review queue" contains "Q&A" items which are questions directed
to a group
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of experts awaiting answers as well as other submissions by users which are
awaiting review
and approval. Completion of the answer process will result in the combination
of the
question and answer being added to the knowledge base for use by other users.
The question
answering process requires three steps. Step one, as illustrated by FIG. 137A
and FIG. 137B,
preferably includes completing the answer to the question and selecting the
appropriate
category and sub'-category. Step two includes selection of other descriptive
information
about the question preferably similar to the information added in step two of
the subject add
process. Step two preferred requirements are demonstrated in FIG. 138A and FIG
138B.
Step three of the process is a preview of the completed "Q&A" entry and is
presented in FIG.
139. Confirmation of successful submission of the "Q&A" entry is presented to
the reviewer
as shown in FIG. 140A and FIG. 140B.
My PagelRevzew Queue
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, selected
users
are authorized to review and approve submissions of other users to ensure
quality and
accuracy of the information contained in the database. Preferably, users
authorized by
management to review and approve submissions are able to access the queues of
submissions
awaiting review a~zd approval from the "review queues" section of "my page" by
clicking on
the text link for the number of items to review (refer to FIG. 133A and FIG.
133B). FIG. 136
demonstrates a preferred list of the submissions awaiting review presented
when the text link
is selected. As can be seen, all types of submissions are preferably presented
for selection by
the authorized user. Selecting an entry in the list will present the user with
a different screen
designed specifically for each type of entry, sales advice, comments,
questions and answers,
pictures, experts or success stories. Preferably, all areas subject to review
operate in
essentially the same manner. The process is described and demonstrated with
reference to
FIG. 137 through FIG. 140 which illustrates the review and approval process
for submitted
questions and answers. Those with ordinary sleill in this art will appreciate
that minor
differences in screen text, design and background are variations not critical
to the instant
inventions.
Preferably review and approval of submitted comments on particular subjects in
the
database may be required before they are published and made available to all
users. On
approval the comment will be posted to the database and available to users,
however, on
rejection the comment is returned to author for correction and re-submission
or deletion.
Preferably subject entries may include expiration dates which require an
action by an
authorized user to renew the entry, delete the entry or cancel and return the
entry to the queue
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for later action.
Preferably review and approval of subject entries may be required prior to
being made
available to the general population of users, in particular this preferably
permits an authorized
user to review all aspects of the submitted entry and modify all values except
the original
text. At the completion of the review preferably the authorized user may
approve the
submitted entry or disapprove it. If the authorized user chooses, no action
may be taken and
the submitted entry may be returned to the review queue for action in the
future.
Preferably success stories may also be reviewed prior to posting to the
database. As
with other submissions, success stories are included in the review queue and
are available to
authorized users for review and approval. As provided, an authorized user may
choose to
cancel and retunl the submitted success story to the queue. If a success is
disapproved the
authoring user will receive feedback as to the reason for rejection. Expired
success stories
may be reviewed for renewal or removal from the database.
Submissions by users of personal pictures and profile information on areas of
expertise may also preferably subject to review and approval by authorized
users.
Info Need
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, a user
may use
the "Info Need" process to forward an identified need or training request to
management.
Referring to FIG. 146, illustrating a listing of previously identified "Info
Needs" a user by
review the list and 1) indicate their agreement with the identified need,
comment on the
identified need or answer the need. If a user doesn't find their particular
need listed they may
add it to the list by selecting the "Submit a need" text link. FIG. 144
illustrates the method
by which a user may enter and submit an "info need". The user will preferably
receive
confirmation of successful submission of the need as shown in FIG. 145.
Success Stories
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, users may
submit entries which are preferably anecdotes of situations and events in
which they were
successful in completing a sale or resolving a problem. Success stories may be
featured on
the home page, as shown in FIG. 110 and FIG. 110B. A preferred display of a
success story
may include an uploaded picture. Preferably, a user may choose to add a
success story by
selecting the "Share your success story" text linlc wherever it appears. After
successful
submission of a success story the user will preferably receive a confirmation
and a number of
points as set by licensee.
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Awar°ds & Sta>zdingslPoihtslContests
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, awards
and
contests are preferably intended to encourage and reward users for using the
system ,
appropriately and completing the content management tasks of submitting
content and review
and approval of content. Overall, preferably the awards and contests are based
on points
earned by users for the completion of a variety of tasks such as submitting a
subject for
inclusion in the knowledge base. Preferably, the points awarded for the
completion of any
task may be adjusted from time to time to either encourage or discourage user
behavior.
Preferably, the points earned by users then are used as the basis for
participation in awards
and contests, which may further encourage desired user behaviors. An example
of a contest
description which may be established is provided in FIG. 147 as shown within
the bounded
area labeled promotions. This page is available to users from the text link
"awards &
standings" in thle header of all system pages. Additionally, users may review
the terms and
conditions of each contest, as shown in FIG. 149, by selecting the text link
"Terms and
Conditions" on the contest description page. Further, a user may select the
text link "View a
detailed description" from the terms and conditions page to view the
particular actions and
the bonus points that may be awarded during the contest period. FIG. 150
presents and
preferred method for presenting the point awards. From this page a user may
review contest
winners by selecting the "Winners List" text link which preferably displays a
page as shown
in FIG. 148. If the user's name appears on the list the user may select the
text linlc "Claim
your prize" to select the particular prize they desire. After submitting the
prize selection the
user is preferably provided a confirmation that their selection was
successfully submitted.
Point Clubs, in which users with the highest accumulated point totals for a
given
period are awarded prizes, may also be established. FIG. 152A and FIG. 152B
presents a
preferred example of how a point club may be established in the system and how
a point club
may be modified. Preferably, each time a point club is established or changed
and submitted
a confirmation is returned to the user as shown in FIG. 153. Users may
preferably view their
awards and standings by selecting the text link "awards & standings" from any
page or from
"my page"; the preferred display is shown in FIG. 164. Users may view their
status with
regard to each active point club contest as shown in FIG. 151 by selecting the
text link for the
point club in which they are interested. Additionally, users may view past
club awards by
selecting the text link "View your past point club awards" which preferably
presents the
display as illustrated in FIG. 165.
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Each user is preferably presented with the user's total accumulated points and
overall
ral~lcing on each page of the system as well as on "my page". This information
is presented in
each place as a text link. A user may the select total points to view a
summary of points
accumulated for a specified period for each task for which points are awarded.
A preferred
display for this page is shown in FIG. 154. Selecting overall ral~lcing value
a user is
preferably able to view how their point total compares to others in their
functional group, as
ShOWl1 111 FIG. 155. Preferably, each user may view the user's ranking by
total points as
shown, or by primary areas of taslcs. By selecting a taslc area such as
"Advice Added", which
is a text link, the display is changed to present the user's ral~lcing with
respect to points earned
only in that taslc area. An example of a preferred display is shown in FIG.
156.
Awar~ds & StccndingslSet Up
Contests and promotions are preferably set up by authorized users. Authorized
users
may access the contest/promotions administration modules by selecting the
"promotion" text
link in the administration section of "lny page". The preferred set up process
requires five
steps: 1) description of the contest/promotion, 2) qualifications, 3) award
type, 4) dates, and
5) preview. Each of these steps is preferably accomplished by completing the
information
required on a screen associated with each step. Step 1, as illustrated by FIG.
157, requires
completion of the contest/promotion descriptive information and terms and
conditions and
selection of the type of contestlpromotion. Step 2 preferably requires the
authorized user to
establish which actions will be used and the points to be awarded for a
contest/promotion, as
illustrated in FIG. 158A and FIG. 158B. User can determine how many or what
percentage
of users win, what functional departments are qualified to participate, which
individuals from
these fimctional departments might be excluded, how many points are necessary
to qualify to
win, what actions and what points associated with those actions count, and
what categories or
subcategories these actions would take place in that would count. If the
contest/promotion is
a contest, as also illustrated by FIG. 158A and FIG. 158B, the requirements to
be completed
by the user include qualifications to be a winner and which organizational
departments or
functions are eligible to pal-ticipate. For a sweepstakes type of
contest/promotion the
preferred requirements are illustrated in FIG. 159A and FIG. 159B. Step 3 is
preferably
completed only for contests and sweepstakes types of contests/promotions and
preferably
allows authorized users to identify the planned prizes as shown in FIG. 160A
and FIG. 160B.
Step 4, as illustrated in FIG. 161, preferably is used to set the start and
end date of the
contest/promotion as well as its frequency. Step 5 is preferably a review of
all the
information entered to set up the contest/promotion in step 1 through step 4.
If changes are
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required the user may edit any segment by selecting the edit text linlc
displayed within each
segment of the pages. The preferred review screen for contests and sweepstakes
is shown in
FIG. 162A and FIG. 162B. After submission of contest/promotion information the
user is
provided a confirmation as illustrated in FIG. 163.
User Directory
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
system
preferably provides the facility to include all user's names, organization
departments and city
and state locations in the lalowledge base. Each user may preferably access
the directory by
selecting the "directory" text link in the header area of each screen in the
system. Those
with ordinary skill in this art will appreciate that minor differences in
screen text, design and
background are variations not critical to the instant inventions.
Advice Spy
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
system
preferably provides the facility to provide users of the system to be informed
of changes in
database content in an automated fashion without the need to start or use a
browser program.
Once Advice Spy is initiated it runs continuously and unobtrusively on the
user's personal
computer allowing quick access to lcey information.
Referring to FIG. 105, preferably, each user may initiate the installation of
the Advice
Spy module from "mypage" by selecting the text link "download now" 301 located
in the
advice spy section as illustrated in FIG. 133B. Preferably, after completion
of installation of
the module, the user may configure the Advice spy module by first setting up
the login and
host information as shown in FIG. 167. After successful login 303, the user is
presented with
a summary view of their mypage information using their mypage preferences as
set on
through the browser. As shown in FIG. 16~, preferably the first presentation
is a summary of
the points and ranlc status and items to be reviewed and options for searching
or browsing the
database. Additionally, a ticlcer display is provided at the bottom to provide
immediate
notice of new advice added to the database.
Selecting the "My Spy" item on the menu bar provides the user to set
parameters 305
to set a variety of Advice Spy behavior options. As can be seen FIG. 171, the
user may
choose to have Advice Spy start on Windows startup, automatically login and
set the time
interval in which Advice Spy will query the database to obtain updated counts
and new ticlcer
display information. Additionally, the user may preferably request alerts be
sent whenever
new advice is added to the user's areas of interest, likewise for any "hot"
advice is added in
the user's areas of interest, or when entries added by the user are due for
review and renewal.
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FIG. 172 illustrates the preferred screen for setting the types of alerts
desired by users.
Finally, selecting the Ticker tab presents the ticker display options
available to the user.
Particularly, the user may preferably optionally set the types of advice
information to be
displayed on the ticker display, shown in FIG. 173. Once these parameters are
set Advice
Spy will preferably automatically perform an Automatic Check for Ticker
Changes 307 by
reading the Advice Database 321 on the time interval set by the user.
Similarly, Advice Spy
will perform an Automatic Checlc for Display Changes 311 by reading the Advice
Database
321. If changes in ticker display content are detected after checlcing for new
subjects since
the last check, preferably Advice Spy will Generate Ticker Updates 309 for
presentation to
the user. If changes in display content are detected after checking for new
subjects since the
last check, preferably Advice Spy will Generate Display Updates 313 for
presentation to the
user. As a result, preferably the most current information is presented each
time the user
switches to Advice spy, in the Access Advice Spy 315 step.
Preferably, the user may select the My Interests tab to view details of new
advice
added in the user's area of interest as well as advice that has been
designated as "hot" when it
was published to the database, as illustrated in FIG. 169. Preferably,
selecting the text link
associated with the count in each classification will start the user's browses
and present a list
of the subjects with the particular classification, as example of the listing
of subjects is
provided in FIG. 113. As can be seen, the ticlcer display remains present even
though the
user may select a different Advice Spy display. Finally, preferably the user
may select the
text lint "Edit your areas of interest" which will initiate the user's browses
and permit the
user to make any desired changes in the areas of interest section of the
user's mypage.
Preferably, the user may also keep track of the user's status with regard to
current
contests and bonus points earned by selecting the promotions tab, as shown in
FIG. 170. As
shown each contest is displayed as a text link to the database which allows
the user to quickly
view their standing in any current contest. Similarly, preferably the user may
select a bonus
point value to understand the user's how the points were earned and the user's
ranlc as
compared to others.
Rebooting
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, reporting
will
be available to users based their on security permission levels. Reporting
preferably is
browses based and initiated on request by the user. Each user is preferably
granted access to
some number of reports. This access authorization is further described in the
description of
the administration and configuration section below. Preferably all reports
provided are
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created in fashion that allows the user to "drill down" on pa.uticular value
or area up to five
levels of detail, until the individual or a specific advice is viewable.
Preferably, the system
accumulates a variety of information to support the reporting, including
points awarded to
each user, usage counts, etc., for advice entries. Usage information captured
and
accumulated also includes details regarding the user, date and time and other
tracking
variables necessary to support the desired reporting levels. Those with
ordinary skill in this
art will appreciate that minor differences in screen text, design and
background are variations
not critical to the instant inventions.
Preferably, each user may access their authorized reports as illustrated by
FIG. 174
from their mypage (FIG. 133A and FIG. 133B). Selecting the "+" in front of
reports presents
listing of the reports a user is authorized to view, as shown in FIG. 175.
Each authorized
report may be viewed by selecting the text link report name. FIG. 176
illustrates the report
parameters which the user may optionally set in order to view the desired
information. After
selecting the desired parameters and selecting the submit button the highest
level of
summarization for the'chosen report is presented to the user, as shown in FIG.
177. Selecting
the "+" in front of each functional area will provide additional levels of
detail about the total
with any subsidiary functional areas. Additionally, selecting any value in the
columnar
portion of the report will preferably provide detail as to the individuals
whose actions, in
combination, account for the summary total as shown in FIG. 178. This
represents a third
level of drill down into the information.
Selecting the person's name text linlc will preferably provide an additional
level of
detail, in this case information about the individual as shown in FIG. 179. A
fourth level of
detail can be obtained by preferably selecting a columnar value text link as
illustrated in FIG.
180 and FIG. 181. Finally, the user may select, in this case the advice title
text linlc and view
the details of the advice which was added by the person that resulted in
points. This display
is preferably equivalent to the advice detail shown in FIG. 118A and FIG.
118B.
System eonfigu~~ation and Management
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, several
functions may be accessed from "my page" (as shown in FIG. 133A and FIG. 133B)
by
authorized users. These functions may preferably include: Alert Admin, Bonus
Points
management, Custom Email management, Executive Spotlight management, External
Awards management, Functional Area Admin, News & Notes management, Point Club
Setup, Polling Admin, Promotions management, System Administration and User
Administration. Text lincs for each of these areas preferably are present on
the user's "my
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page" if the user is authorized to access the functional area. Those with
ordinary slcill in this
art will appreciate that minor differences in screen text, design and
background are variations
not critical to the instant inventions.
Preferably, authorized users may create and manage alerts, which are typically
urgent
messages displayed on the home page on initial login. An example of alert
setup and
management is provided in FIG. 182A and FIG. 182B. As can be seen, alerts may
preferably
be available to any or all users depending on the functional areas selected as
well as areas of
interest.
Referring to FIG. 183A and FIG. 183B, authorized users may set up bonus points
plans to encourage users to utilize the system and complete desired actions,
in particular
adding advice in desired areas. As can be seen bonus points may preferably be
assigned for a
variety of actions and for certain categories. Preferably, the program can be
set to run for a
specified period of time. After submitting the bonus point plan, the system
provides an
opportunity to preview and make any changes as shown in FIG. 184. On final
submission the
system preferably confirms that bonus point program has been set up, as
illustrated in FIG.
185.
Preferably the system provides functionality to support to general classes of
email;
custom (distributed once as a single message), and system (distributed
periodically and
containing standard, or pre-set, information). Preferably, system email
distribution may be
managed from a single screen by defining email types, type of distribution and
frequency
which will preferably apply to particular emails. Additionally, all email is
preferably
mmaged with a set of parameters which manage the actual delivery of the
messages.
Preferably, system emails may be prepared and edited from a single screen.
Preferably, custom emails may be prepared and circulated to selected users
based on '
any combination of their functional area, user type, expertise in a particular
category/sub-
category and category/sub-category area of interest. The preferred custom
email setup screen
is illustrated in FIG. 186A and FIG. 186B. Those with ordinary slcill in this
art will
appreciate that minor differences in screen text, design and background are
variations not
critical to the instant inventions.
In a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, authorized users
may
preferably create, edit and delete the entries used in the Executive Spotlight
section of the
home page (FIG. 110A and FIG. 110B). Referring to FIG. 187, preferably
authorized users
create an entry, include a picture and set the date range it will be
displayed. Existing
executive spotlight entries may also be edited as depicted as the bottom of
the screen.
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In a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, functional area
administration preferably encompasses all the settings associated with
functional areas
defined to the system. These settings preferably include setup, category
access, user access,
functional area report access, expertise keywords, and intro page. Each of
these will be
further described below.
Preferably, authorized users may preferably use the functional area setup
screens to
define the basic characteristics of each functional area. As can be seen in
FIG. 188 each
functional area can be defined in terms of the credibility factor, a value
used to weight a
user's comments and ratings, the typical user type and expected point goal.
After submission
the parameters are provided for review and confirmation is provided of system
acceptance.
Selecting the "overview" text link will preferably provide a summary display
of all functional
areas and their related characteristics as shown in FIG. 189.
Referring to FIG. 190, preferably authorized users may define which categories
may
be accessed by members of each functional area by checking the appropriate
categories. This
preferably provides a means to prevent access to categories of information to
selected groups.
Selecting the "user exception report" text link will preferably create the
report as shown in
FIG. 191, which identifies individuals whose functional level access has been
oveiTidden.
Referring to FIG. 193, preferably authorized users may select which actions
are
available to each functional area. It is of benefit in specific situations to
limit access to
certain actions, such as a functional area which includes non-employees being
restricted in
their ability to add or change content. As with other administration areas it
is possible to
override the functional area restrictions on an individual-by-individual
basis. Referring to
FIG. 192, a display is provided of authorized actions for each functional area
which
preferably aids a user in reviewing authorizations for changes and additions.
This display is
access by selecting the text link "Overview Report" as shown in FIG. 193.
Referring to FIG. 194, preferably authorized users may limit access to a
particular
segment of reports, such as preventing a functional area which 'includes non-
employees from
viewing executive management reports. Preferably, limiting access to a segment
of reports,
does not limit a user's ability to drill down within the reports authorized
for the user.
Referring to FIG. 195, preferably authorized users may limit the ability to
access
profile information for members of a selected functional. This will preferably
limit the
ability of some groups to gain access to information about individuals within
another
functional group. This may be appropriate where different groups (functional
areas) of non-
employees should be limited in their ability to view information about other
users outside of
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their own groups (functional areas).
Referring to FIG. 196, preferably authorized users may add, edit or delete
keywords
which may be associated with experts. This preferably ensures consistent use
of terms when
describing experts which results in more consistent search results for users.
Preferably, authorized users may establish an "introduction" message for
display on
the first login by a user. This message is preferably used to help familiarize
new users with
the system, provide guidance on what should be done first and to give an
overview of the
benefits of the system. As illustrated in FIG. 197A and FIG. 197B, preferably
authorized
users may set up the universal welcome message and also provide tailored
messages to any or
all new members based on the user's assigned functional area. As shown,
preferably, each
functional area message may contain up to an introduction area and three
separately titled
sections.
Preferably, authorized users may create the News & Notes section which is
displayed
on the system home page (as shown in FIG. 110A and FIG. 1 l OB). As with the
other
administrative functions it is preferably accessed from the authorized user's
"my page". Each
News & Notes story may be created and edited including the expiration date and
any graphics .
or liucs associated with each story. The preferred screens for News & Notes
are illustrated in
FIG. 198A and FIG. 198B.
Preferably, authorized users may create Points Clubs which are preferably used
to
influence user's system usage behavior. As with the other administrative
functions it is
preferably accessed from the authorized user's "my page" (as shown in FIG.
133A and FIG.
133B). Each Points Cub may be created and edited including the expiration date
and any
graphics, prizes, required level of points accumulation and functional areas
eligible for the
prizes. The preferred screens for Points Club management are illustrated in
FIG. 199A and
FIG. 199B.
Preferably, authorized users may create user Polls which are preferably used
to
record user's preferences regarding any topic. Active Polls are displayed on
the home page
(as shown in FIG. 110A and FIG. 110B). As with the other administrative
functions it is
preferably accessed from the authorized user's "my page" (as shown in FIG.
133A and FIG.
133B). Each Poll may be created and edited including the question and up to
ten possible
answers, its expiration date and the functional areas to which it will be
presented. The
preferred screens for Polling management are illustrated in FIG. 200A and FIG.
200B.
Preferably, authorized users may access the System Administration functions
from
my page (as shown in FIG. 133A and FIG. 133B). System Administration
preferably
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encompasses a variety of system parameters and configurations settings used to
control
overall system behavior and by the Gepetto (batch) automated management
modules used for
system maintenance.
Referring to FIG. 201, preferably authorized users may establish the
fundamental
information necessary for establishing the system for usage. As shown in FIG.
201, a number
of other functions can be accessed including:
o Site Info - lcey information preferably required includes the URL of the
licensee's
website and the related IP address for the software;
o System parameters - refer to discussion below related to FIG. 202A and FIG.
202B;
o Categories - creating, maintaining the categories and sub-categories used in
the
system;
o Loolc and Feel - setting colors and motifs of the screens, and areas within
each screen;
o Policies and Procedures - Defining policies and procedures for review and
agreement
by system user s;
o Points - referring to FIG. 203, authorized users may preferably set the
basic point
value for every action tracked in the system. Each user completing any action
defined
by this list will preferably be awarded the defined number of points;
o Email - setting up and maintaining the email settings and content for
standard system
generated email;
o Archive Retrieval - archiving advice and retrieving advice from archive.
Referring to FIG. 202A and FIG. 202B, authorized users may preferably set or
modify
each value in key areas of the system, including: Advice Attributes;
Renewal/Expiration
Dates; Content Approval/Submission; Optional Features; User Variables; and
Miscellaneous
Variables. Setting these variables preferably configures much of the system's
behavior
characteristics. Additionally, preferably each of the following functions is
also preferably
available to authorized users for creation and maintenance:
o Attachment Types - preferably allows authorized users to define the
acceptable
type of attachments that be associated with advice entries;
o Banned Words - preferably allows authorized users to identify words which
may
not be used anywhere in the system,
o Common Words - preferably allows authorized users to identify common words
used in the licensee's environment and therefore ignored in the lceyword
search
routines;
o Error Messages - preferably allows authorized users to define error message
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CA 02493272 2005-O1-24
WO 2004/010265 PCT/US2003/023046
content to assist users in understanding reported problems;
o Help Messages - preferably allows authorized users to define help messages
for
access by users throughout the system.
Preferably, authorized users may establish new users of the system or edit
existing
user's profile, expertise, assigned attributes and assigned approval
categories. Credibility
rating is used in ratings calculations to give more weight to ratings by
experts and others with
high levels of experience. In other words, a credibility rating of "1" is
neutral while a
credibility rating of "5" would preferably .influence the overall rating
toward the expert's
Op1111011. This is functionally similar to the weighting used in the first
described preferred
embodiment of the present invention. The preferred screen for these functions
is shown in
FIG. 204A and FIG. 204B.
Web Site Automated Management
The functioys of Gepetto in this second described preferred embodiment of the
present invention are similar in nature and function to those described in the
first described
preferred embodiment of the present invention. For example, the Gepetto Module
will
preferably: Remove subjects (advice) with overall ratings below threshold;
Remove subjects
whose expiration date has passed with poor word ratings (optional); Calculate
each members
weighting value for ratings; Remove old ratings and recalculate ratings; and
Remove old
comments. Those with ordinary skill in this art will appreciate that minor
differences in
screen text, design and baclcground are variations not critical to the instant
inventions.
Standa~~dized Design Elements
In a second described preferred embodiment of the present invention, many of
the lcey
aspects of page design and common functionality are included as standard
modules within the
system. Examples of these standard functions include page header and footer
process which
are performed in essentially the same manner on every page in the system. In
addition,
standard templates are preferably used to ensure minimal deviation in each
page's loolc and
feel to the user.
Although applicant has described applicant's preferred embodiments of this
invention,
it will be understood that the broadest scope of this invention includes such
modifications as
diverse shapes and sizes and materials. Such scope is limited only by the
below claims as
read in connection with the above specification. Further, many other
advantages of
applicant's invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the
above descriptions
and the below claims.
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