Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02809567 2013-03-14
Title: Methods and Systems for Generating Social Media Messages
Field
[1] The described embodiments relate to methods and systems for generating
social
media messages.
Background
[2] Social media networks are generally characterized by large and evolving
communities. As a result, social media networks are becoming crucial platforms
for
mass content distribution. A user account within a social media network is
typically
associated with connections with many other users within that social media
network.
Users are typically connected to users with whom they are familiar, such as
family
members, friends, co-workers, or classmates, or with whom they share a common
interest. Therefore, when a social media message is posted on a user account,
that
social media message is likely to have a relatively captive and interested
audience.
[3] Although social media networks provide a platform for mass content
distribution,
the content is generated by users and so, the effectiveness of a user account
on any
social media network relies heavily on the ability of that user to constantly
create up-to-
date social media messages. It may be difficult for users to maintain a
regular social
media presence.
Summary
[4] The various embodiments described herein generally relate to methods
(and
associated systems configured to implement the methods) for generating social
media
messages. To generate social media messages for a user, the content system
determines at least one category based on a content indicator associated with
that user
and a message content based on the determined category. The content system may
then create a social media message for that user based on the determined
message
content.
[5] In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there is provided
a method
for generating a social media message, the method comprising: storing, in a
storage
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,
module, a user profile corresponding to each user in a plurality of users and
at least
one message content in a plurality of message contents, the user profile
includes a
content indicator corresponding to one or more categories of message content
selected
by a corresponding user; and operating at least one processor module to
associate
each message content in the plurality of message contents with at least one
category in
a plurality of categories; to determine, for at least one user in the
plurality of users, one
or more categories from the plurality of categories using the content
indicator
associated with the at least one user; and a message content from the
plurality of
message contents based on the determined one or more categories; and to
create, for
the at least one user, the social media message based on the determined
message
content.
[6] In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a
system
for generating a social media message, the system comprising at least one
processor
module configured to store, in a storage module, a user profile corresponding
to each
user in a plurality of users and at least one message content in a plurality
of message
contents, the user profile includes a content indicator corresponding to one
or more
categories of message content selected by a corresponding user; to associate
each
message content in the plurality of message contents with at least one
category in a
plurality of categories; to determine, for at least one user in the plurality
of users, one or
more categories from the plurality of categories using the content indicator
associated
with the at least one user; and a message content from the plurality of
message
contents based on the determined one or more categories; and to create, for
the at
least one user, the social media message based on the determined message
content.
[7] In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, there is
provided a
method for generating a social media message, the method comprising: storing,
in a
storage module, a user profile corresponding to each user in a plurality of
users and at
least one real estate content in a plurality of real estate contents, the user
profile
includes a real estate interest indicator corresponding to one or more
categories of real
estate contents selected by a corresponding user; and operating at least one
processor
module to associate each real estate content in the plurality of real estate
contents with
at least one category in a plurality of categories; to determine, for at least
one user in
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..
the plurality of users, one or more categories from the plurality of
categories using the
real estate interest indicator associated with the at least one user; and a
real estate
content from the plurality of real estate contents based on the determined one
or more
categories; and to create, for the at least one user, the social media message
based on
the determined real estate content.
[8] In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, there is
provided a
system for generating a social media message, the system comprising at least
one
processor module configured to store, in a storage module, a user profile
corresponding
to each user in a plurality of users and at least one real estate content in a
plurality of
real estate contents, the user profile includes a real estate interest
indicator
corresponding to one or more categories of real estate contents selected by a
corresponding user; to associate each real estate content in the plurality of
real estate
contents with at least one category in a plurality of categories; to
determine, for at least
one user in the plurality of users, one or more categories from the plurality
of categories
using the real estate interest indicator associated with the at least one
user; and a real
estate content from the plurality of real estate contents based on the
determined one or
more categories; and to create, for the at least one user, the social media
message
based on the determined real estate content.
[9] In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention, there is
provided a
method for generating a social media message for at least one user in the
plurality of
users, the method comprising: storing, in a storage module, a user profile
corresponding to each user in the plurality of users and at least one real
estate content
in a plurality of real estate contents, the user profile includes a real
estate interest
indicator corresponding to one or more categories of real estate contents
selected by a
corresponding user; and operating at least one processor module to associate
each
real estate content in the plurality of real estate contents with at least one
category in a
plurality of categories; to determine, for the least one user, one or more
categories from
the plurality of categories using the real estate interest indicator
associated with the at
least one user; and a real estate content from the plurality of real estate
contents based
on the determined one or more categories; and to create, for the at least one
user, the
social media message based on the determined real estate content and the user
profile
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of the at least one user, the social media message being associated with a
user
identifier corresponding to the at least one user.
[10] In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention, there is
provided a
system for generating a social media message for at least one user in the
plurality of
users, the system comprising at least one processor module configured to
store, in a
storage module, a user profile corresponding to each user in the plurality of
users and
at least one real estate content in a plurality of real estate contents, the
user profile
includes a real estate interest indicator corresponding to one or more
categories of real
estate contents selected by a corresponding user; to associate each real
estate content
in the plurality of real estate contents with at least one category in a
plurality of
categories; to determine, for the least one user, one or more categories from
the
plurality of categories using the real estate interest indicator associated
with the at least
one user; and a real estate content from the plurality of real estate contents
based on
the determined one or more categories; and to create, for the at least one
user, the
social media message based on the determined real estate content and the user
profile
of the at least one user, the social media message being associated with a
user
identifier corresponding to the at least one user.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[11] Several embodiments of the present invention will now be described in
detail
with reference to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of components interacting with a content system in
accordance with an example embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an example embodiment of various methods of
generating social media messages;
FIGS. 3A and 3B are screenshots of an interface for receiving message content
in accordance with an example embodiment;
FIGS. 4A and 4B are screenshots of an interface for receiving real estate
content
in accordance with an example embodiment;
FIGS. 5A to 50 are screenshots of social media messages in accordance with
an example embodiment;
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FIG. 6 is a screenshot of a social media message in accordance with another
example embodiment;
FIGS. 7A and 7B are screenshots of social media messages in accordance with
another example embodiment;
FIGS. 8A to 8C are screenshots of social media messages in accordance with a
further example embodiment;
FIG. 9A is a screenshot of an interface for displaying real estate content in
accordance with an example embodiment;
FIG. 9B is a screenshot of an interface for contacting a user associated with
the
real estate content shown in FIG. 9A in accordance with an example embodiment;
and
FIG. 10 is a screenshot of social media statistics for a user in accordance
with an
example embodiment.
[12] The drawings, described below, are provided for purposes of illustration,
and not
of limitation, of the aspects and features of various examples of embodiments
described herein. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the
teachings in
any way. For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the
figures have not
necessarily been drawn to scale. The dimensions of some of the elements may be
exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. It will be appreciated
that for simplicity
and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals
may be
repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.
Description of Exemplary Embodiments
[13] The various embodiments described herein generally relate to methods (and
associated systems configured to implement the methods) for generating social
media
messages. The method includes storing user profiles for each user and at least
one
message content in a storage module. The user profile includes, at least, a
content
indicator that generally corresponds to one or more categories of message
content
selected by a corresponding user. A content system may associate each message
content with at least one category. To generate the social media message for a
user,
the content system may determine at least one category based on the content
indicator
associated with that user and a message content based on the determined
category.
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The content system may then create a social media message for that user based
on
the determined message content. After the social media message is generated,
the
content system may further distribute that social media message to one or more
social
media servers associated with that user.
[14] The content system may also store supplemental content for each message
content. As will be described below, the supplemental content may include
images and
descriptions. When generating the social media message, the content system may
determine at least one supplemental content and include that supplemental
content in
the social media message.
[15] Social media networks are becoming crucial platforms for mass content
distribution. Users of the social media networks, however, may have difficulty
maintaining their user accounts on the various social media servers. Some
users may
not be familiar with the operation of the different social media networks
provided on the
social media servers and have difficulty adding content, or messages, onto
their user
accounts associated with those social media servers. Also, maintaining a
regular and
effective social media presence can be quite time-consuming. Some users may
not
have time to constantly post and update messages on their social media
accounts. By
enabling the content system to automatically generate social media messages on
behalf of users, users may benefit from an increased social media presence
with
minimal effort. The increased social media presence may also be customized by
the
users. For example, users can manage their social media presence by
customizing
their user profiles, such as by editing the corresponding content indicator.
[16] It will be appreciated that numerous specific details are set forth in
order to
provide a thorough understanding of the example embodiments described herein.
However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the
embodiments
described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other
instances,
well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in
detail so
as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, this
description and
the drawings are not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments
described herein in any way, but rather as merely describing the
implementation of the
various embodiments described herein.
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[17] The embodiments of the systems and methods described herein may be
implemented in hardware or software, or a combination of both. However,
preferably,
these embodiments are implemented in computer programs executing on
programmable computers each comprising at least one processor module (e.g., a
microprocessor), a data storage system (including volatile and non-volatile
memory
and/or storage elements), at least one input device, and at least one output
device. For
example and without limitation, the programmable computers (referred to below
as
computing devices) may be a personal computer, laptop, personal data
assistant,
cellular telephone, smart-phone device, tablet computer, and/or wireless
device.
Program code is applied to input data to perform the functions described
herein and
generate output information. The output information is applied to one or more
output
devices, in known fashion.
[18] Each program is preferably implemented in a high level procedural or
object
oriented programming and/or scripting language to communicate with a computer
system. However, the programs can be implemented in assembly or machine
language,
if desired. In any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted
language. Each
such computer program is preferably stored on a storage media or a device
(e.g. ROM
or magnetic diskette) readable by a general or special purpose programmable
computer, for configuring and operating the computer when the storage media or
device is read by the computer to perform the procedures described herein. The
subject
system may also be considered to be implemented as a computer-readable storage
medium, configured with a computer program, where the storage medium so
configured
causes a computer to operate in a specific and predefined manner to perform
the
functions described herein.
[19] Furthermore, the system, processes and methods of the described
embodiments
are capable of being distributed in a computer program product comprising a
computer
readable medium that bears computer usable instructions for one or more
processors.
The medium may be provided in various forms, including one or more diskettes,
compact disks, tapes, chips, wireline transmissions, satellite transmissions,
internet
transmission or downloadings, magnetic and electronic storage media, digital
and
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analog signals, and the like. The computer useable instructions may also be in
various
forms, including compiled and non-compiled code.
[20] Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which illustrates a block diagram 100
of
components interacting with a content system 110. The content system 110
interacts
with a storage module 120, one or more social media servers 130 and a user
device
140 via a network 150.
[21] Storage module 120 may be provided using a data storage system. The
storage
module 120 may include one or more databases that are implemented with any
database implementations. Although the storage module 120 is illustrated in
FIG. 1 to
be separate from the content system 110, the storage module 120, or at least a
part of
the storage module 120, may be provided within the content system 110.
[22] The storage module 120 may store information related to users of the
content
system 110, information related to various message contents and other
information for
the operation of the content system 110. The information stored on the storage
module
120 may be received from the user device 140 via the content system 110 and
from the
content system 110 via the network 150. The stored information may be accessed
by
the content system 110 via the network 150.
[23] The information stored in the storage module 120 may include a user
profile for
each user. The user profile may include general user information, such as a
user
identifier for identifying a user, personal information (e.g., occupation,
phone numbers,
e-mail addresses, etc.), geographical proxinnities or locations (e.g., Eastern
Canada or
Toronto, Ontario), general interest information (e.g., hobbies, etc.) and a
content
indicator identifying categories of message content selected by the user.
[24] The content indicator may be associated with one or more category
identifiers.
For example, the category identifiers can include, at least, an identifier for
a
geographical area category, an identifier for a subject category (e.g.,
informational
identifier, lifestyle identifier, home inspection identifier, real estate
identifier, insurance
identifier, fitness identifier, mortgage identifier, etc.), and an identifier
for a content type
category (e.g., article identifier, blog identifier or real estate listing
identifier).
[25] In some embodiments, the content indicator includes a real estate
interest
indicator for identifying one or more categories of real estate contents
selected by a
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user. Like the content indicator, the real estate interest indicator can
include one or
more category identifiers that are related to real estate. For example, the
real estate
category identifiers can include, without limitations, an identifier for a
geographical area
category, an identifier for a subject category (e.g., informational
identifier, home
inspection identifier, real estate insurance identifier, mortgage identifier,
etc.), an
identifier for a content type category (e.g., article identifier, blog
identifier or real estate
listing identifier), and an identifier for a type of property (e.g.,
condominium, house,
townhouse, vacation home, etc.).
[26] The user profile may also be associated with one or more social media
servers
130. In some embodiments, the user profile can further be associated with
corresponding authentication information for each associated social media
server 130.
[27] The storage module 120 may also store information related to message
contents. Message contents may include any data information that can be
included in a
social media message generated by the content system 110 and distributed by
the
content system 110 to a user account associated with a social media server
130. For
example, a message content can include a combination of one or more of a text
data,
an image data, a video data and a Universal Resource Locator (URL)
corresponding to
a webpage. The URL may be associated with an article or a blog entry. It will
be
understood that the message content may include other similar types of data.
[28] For each message content, the storage module 120 may also store
supplemental contents. The supplemental contents may include at least one
image that
is associated with the message content and at least one description associated
with the
message content. The image may be image data that is related to the topic of
the
message content or a category associated with the message content. The
description
may include text data that generally introduces the topic or scope of the
message
content or a category associated with the message content.
[29] Each message content may also be associated with an expiry date. The
expiry
date generally indicates a date on which that message content is no longer
valid or
current. The content system 110 may then remove that message content from the
storage module 120 on the expiry date or prevent that message content from
being
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available for use, such as by associating that message content with a status
indicating
that the message content is invalid.
[30] Social media servers 130 are server computers associated with various
different
social media networks. It will be understood that a social media network may
be
associated with one or more social media servers 130. Without limitations, the
social
media networks may include FacebookTM, Google+TM, a fan page on Facebook,
LinkedIn TM, TwitterTm and MySpace TM. It will be understood that the content
system 110
may similarly interact with other social media networks provided by other
social media
servers 130 via the network 150.
[31] User device 140 may be any computing device capable of network
communication. For example, and without limitation, the user device 140 can be
a
personal computer, laptop, personal data assistant, cellular telephone, smart-
phone
device, tablet computer, and/or wireless device. For ease of exposition, only
one user
device 140 is shown in FIG. 1 but it will be understood that multiple user
devices 140
can communicate with the content system 110 via the network 150 at any given
time.
[32] Content system 110 may be provided as one or more server computers. It
will be
understood that the server computers may be distributed over a wide geographic
area
and connected via the network 150. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the content
system 110
includes, at least, a processor module 112 and an interface module 114.
[33] Processor module 112 includes hardware and software components for
providing computing processing abilities and memory such as a database(s) or
file
system(s). As will be described below, the processor module 112 can operate to
generate social media messages. For ease of exposition, only one processor
module
112 is shown in FIG. 1 but it will be understood that one or more processor
modules
112 can be provided. The one or more processor modules 112 may be provided
within
the content system 110, or separate from the content system 110 but able to
communicate with the content system 110 via the network 150 at any given time.
[34] Interface module 114 provides a communication interface for the content
system
110. The interface module 114 enables connection to the network 150, for
example, to
communicate with the user device 140, storage module 120 and the social media
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servers 130. The interface module 114 may also provide user interfaces from
which
message contents may be received by the content system 110.
[35] Network 150 may be any network capable of carrying data, including the
Internet, Ethernet, plain old telephone service (POTS) line, public switch
telephone
network (PSTN), integrated services digital network (ISDN), digital subscriber
line
(DSL), coaxial cable, fiber optics, satellite, mobile, wireless (e.g. Wi-Fi,
WiMAX), SS7
signaling network, fixed line, local area network, wide area network, and
others,
including any combination of these, capable of interfacing with, and enabling
communication between, the content system 110, the user device 140, the
storage
module 120, and the social media servers 130.
[36] Referring now to FIG. 2, which is a flowchart 200 of an example method of
generating social media messages. To illustrate the example method, reference
will be
made simultaneously to FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B, which illustrate screenshots
of
example interfaces for receiving message contents from a user, and FIGS. 5A to
80,
which illustrate screenshots of example social media messages. It will be
understood
that the content system 110 may receive the message contents from a user via
user
device 140 or the interface module 114, or from the storage module 120.
[37] At 210, the processor module 112 stores, in the storage module 120, a
user
profile corresponding to each user in a plurality of users and at least one
message content in a plurality of message contents.
[38] As described above, a user profile is stored in the storage module 120
for each
user. The user profile may include information associated with the user and
user
preferences, such as the content indicator. The content indicator generally
corresponds
to one or more categories of message content selected by the user. In some
embodiments, the content indicator may include a real estate interest
indicator that is
associated with one or more categories of real estate contents selected by the
user.
The content indicator, therefore, may act as a guide for the content system
110 to
determine the types of message contents that the user would like to have
included in a
social media message.
[39] The user profile may also be associated with at least one social media
server
130. The user profile may further include authentication information
corresponding to
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the associated social media servers 130. For example, a user with a Facebook
user
account and a Twitter user account may want social media messages to be
generated
for both the Facebook and Twitter accounts. The content system 110 can
determine
from a user profile that the user is associated with the social media
networks, Facebook
and Twitter. The content system 110 can then generate social media messages
for the
user for the associated social media servers 130 corresponding to Facebook and
Twitter.
[40] The processor module 112 may receive message contents from a user via the
user device 140 or the interface module 114, or from an external data source.
For
example, a listing agent can provide a message content related to a real
estate listing to
the content system 110 via a user interface provided by the interface module
114. In
another example, the processor module 112 can receive message contents
directly
from a proprietary data service, such as the Multiple Listing Service TM
(MLSTM).
[41] In some embodiments, the storage module 120 may receive the message
content directly from the external data source and the processor module 112
may then
receive the message content from the storage module 120 via the network 150.
[42] Reference is now made to FIG. 3A, which illustrates a screenshot 300 of a
message content interface 306 for receiving a message content 310. It will be
understood that the illustrated message content interface 306 is only for
illustrative
purpose and that different data fields may be used.
[43] The message content interface 306 may include various data fields for
receiving
data associated with the message content 310. The data fields may include a
title field
312, a category dropdown list 314, a subtitle field 316 and one or more
content fields
360. The title field 312 receives a title for the message content 310 and the
subtitle field
316 receives a descriptive title for the message content 310. It will be
understood that
the title field 312 and the subtitle field 316 may receive the same data. The
category
dropdown list 314 provides a list of categories from which at least one
category can be
selected to be associated with the message content 310.
[44] The content fields 360 may include one or more different data fields for
receiving
data associated with the message content 310. In FIG. 3A, a content URL field
362 is
provided for receiving a URL associated with the message content 310 and a
content
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control 364 is also provided for allowing additional data, such as text data,
image data
or video data, to be included in the message content 310. For example, the
message
content 310 may include a URL provided through the content URL field 362 and
an
image data provided using the content control 364. In another example, the
message
content 310 can include only data provided using the content control 364. That
is, the
message content 310 can include only text data, such as an inspirational
quote, or
image data, such as an image of designer decor. It will be understood that the
message
content 310 may include any combination of data received from the content URL
field
362 and provided using the content control 364.
[45] As noted above, the data fields shown in FIG. 3A are provided for
illustrative
purposes. For example, the processor module 112 may instead receive the
message
content 310 using only the content fields 360. That is, the title field 312,
the subtitle field
316 and the category dropdown list 314 may be optional or form part of the
supplemental content.
[46] In the example of FIG. 3A, the message content 310 includes a title
"Inside
Celebrity Homes" received from the title field 312 and a subtitle "Inside a
Celebrity's
Magical Malibu Mansion" received from the subtitle field 316. The category
selected
from the category dropdown list 314 is "informational". A URL is also provided
for the
message content 310 through the content URL field 362.
[47] The processor module 112 may also receive supplemental content for each
message content 310. The processor module 112 may store the supplemental
content
in the storage module 120.
[48] Reference is now made to FIG. 3B, which illustrates a screenshot 302 of
another
message content interface 306' for receiving the message content 310. It will
be
understood that, like the message content interface 306 of FIG. 3A, the
illustrated
message content interface 306' is only for illustrative purpose, and that
different data
fields may instead be used.
[49] The supplemental content for the message content 310 may include image
data
330 and description data 320. By associating the message content 310 with
supplemental content, the processor module 112 may generate, using the message
content 310, different social media messages by using different supplemental
content.
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The inclusion of the supplemental content in the social media messages is
described
below.
[50] The message content interface 306' includes data fields provided on the
message content interface 306 of FIG. 3A as well as a description control 322
for
adding description fields 320, such as 320A to 3200 and an image control 332
for
adding image data 330, such as 330A to 330C. As illustrated in FIG. 3B, each
of the
description fields 320A to 3200 includes a different description text related
to the
message content 310 and each of the image data 330A to 3300 is a different
image
related to the message content 310.
[51] In some embodiments, the processor module 112 receives an expiry date
associated with the message content 310. For example, as illustrated in the
message
content interface 306' of FIG. 3B, an expiry data field 340 may be included
for receiving
a date indicating when the message content 310 is no longer valid. The message
content 310 in the example of FIG. 3B expires on March 1, 2014 and therefore,
the
processor module 112 may remove the message content 310 from the storage
module
120 on March 1, 2014.
[52] The message content 310 may include real estate content. Real estate
content
can include general real estate information, such as real estate news, advice
and
trends, and real estate listings providing information on a property for sale.
The
generation of social media messages based on real estate content, such as real
estate
listings, may be a helpful marketing tool for real estate agents. Social media
networks
are becoming a crucial marketing platform for professionals. Therefore, a real
estate
agent with a regular social media presence gains a marketing advantage.
[53] It will be understood that the described embodiments can similarly be
applied to
different professional fields for which effective marketing is critical in
gaining business
and clients. For example, the described embodiments can be applied to other
sales
agents, such as in insurance and mortgage, and fitness instructors.
[54] With respect to real estate, social media messages that are based on real
estate
listings may increase the visibility of that real estate listing and the
number of real estate
agents who can be associated with that real estate listing. Real estate agents
who
represent a property owner in the sale of their property can be referred to as
listing
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agents. Listing agents are typically more senior real estate agents and earn a
commission whenever their real estate listing is sold. Selling agents, on the
other hand,
are real estate agents who earn a commission when buyer clients they bring to
different
real estate listings make a purchase. Selling agents are typically more junior
real estate
agents. Since listing agents will earn a commission as long as the real estate
property
they represent is sold, a listing agent is likely to benefit from any
additional promotion of
their real estate listings and therefore, listing agents benefit by
authorizing their real
estate listings to be included in social media messages that are generated by
the
content system 110 and distributed to other real estate agents. Similarly,
selling agents
also benefit when social media messages with real estate listings are
generated by the
content system 110 and distributed to their social media accounts since their
perceived
portfolio of listings increases with minimal effort on their part and as a
result, potentially
attracting new buyer clients to them.
[55] Reference is now made to FIG. 4A, which illustrates a screenshot 400 of a
real
estate content interface 406 for receiving a real estate content 410. In the
example of
FIG. 4A, the real estate content 410 is a real estate listing. It will be
understood that the
illustrated real estate content interface 406 is only for illustrative
purpose, and that
different data fields may be used.
[56] The real estate content interface 406 may include various data fields for
receiving data associated with the real estate content 410. As illustrated in
FIG. 4A, the
real estate content 410 can include information related to the property and
the sale of
the property. For example, the data fields can include a location field 412, a
category
dropdown list 414, an address field 416, a listing agent field 418, a price
field 450, a
published listing identifier field 452 and an authorization indicator field
454. The location
field 412 receives geographical data (e.g., city, neighbourhood, etc.)
associated with the
property, the address field 416 receives a physical address of the property,
the listing
agent field 418 receives a name or an identifier associated with the listing
agent and the
price field 450 receives a listing or asking price for the property. The
published listing
identifier field 452 receives an identifier corresponding to a proprietary
publication of the
real estate listing. For example, the proprietary publication can be a real
estate listing
provided by the MLS or other similar services. The category dropdown list 414
provides
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a list of categories from which at least one category can be selected to be
associated
with the real estate content 410.
[57] The authorization indicator field 454 receives an indication of whether
the real
estate content 410 can be shared with other users. As described above, a real
estate
property is represented by at least one listing agent. That listing agent may
allow the
real estate listing to be included in social media messages generated by the
content
system 110 and for the content system 110 to distribute the social media
message to
other users of the content system 110. In the example of FIG. 4A, the
authorization
indicator field 454 is selected and therefore, the content system 110 can
generate
social media messages for other users based on the real estate listing 410.
[58] In some embodiments, the authorization indicator field 454 can include
additional
data fields for customizing the scope of the authorization. The authorization
indicator
field 454 may further indicate certain limitations on how a social media
message based
on the real estate content 410 is used. For example, the authorization
indicator field
454 can include a field for designating a time frame within which the real
estate content
410 can be included in a social media message, types of real estate agents who
can
receive a social media message based on the real estate content 410, and
frequency in
which the real estate content 410 is used in social media messages. It will be
understood that the authorization indicator field 454 can include other
different
limitations.
[59] In the example of FIG. 4A, the real estate content 410 includes a
location
"Toronto, Ontario" received from the location field 412, an address "1234 Long
Blvd."
received from the address field 416, a listing agent named "John" from the
listing agent
field 418, a price of $300,000 from the price field 450, and a MLS number
"1234" from
the published listing identifier field 452. The category of the real estate
content 410 is
selected as "Toronto" from the category dropdown list 414.
[60] Similar to the message content 310 described above with reference to FIG.
3B,
the processor module 112 may also receive supplemental content for each real
estate
content 410. The processor module 112 may also store the supplemental content
in the
storage module 120.
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[61] Reference is now made to FIG. 4B, which illustrates a screenshot 402 of
another
real estate content interface 406' for receiving the real estate content 410.
It will be
understood that, like the real estate content interface 406 of FIG. 4A, the
illustrated real
estate content interface 406' is only for illustrative purpose, and that
different data fields
may instead be used.
[62] Similar to the message content interface 306' of FIG. 3B, the
supplemental
content for the real estate content 410 may include image data 430 and
description
data 420. The real estate content interface 406' includes data fields provided
on the
real estate content interface 406 of FIG. 4A and a description control 422 for
adding
description fields 420, such as 420A to 4200, and an image control 432 for
adding
image data 430, such as 430A to 4300. As illustrated in FIG. 4B, each of the
description fields 420A to 4200 includes a different description text related
to the real
estate content 410 and each of the image data 430A to 4300 is a different
image
related to the real estate content 410.
[63] At 220, the processor module 112 associates each message content 310 in
the plurality of message contents with at least one category in a plurality of
categories.
[64] The processor module 112 associates the message content 310 with at least
one category. The processor module 112 may determine the categories based on
data
provided in the message content 310. For example, the category of the message
content 310 can be the category selected from the category dropdown list 314,
or
based on keywords in the message content 310. As generally described above,
the
categories may include, without limitations, a geographical area category, a
subject
category, and a content type category.
[65] The geographical area category may indicate a location or general region
for
which the message content 310 is associated. As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and
4B, the
geographical area selected for the real estate content 410 using the category
dropdown
list 414 is Toronto. The geographical area category may include different
levels of
geography, such as a national category, a regional category and a local
category. The
processor module 112 may associate any message content 310 that includes data
that
is applicable nationwide with the national category, any message content 310
that
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includes data that is applicable within a region (e.g., a province in Canada
or a state in
the United States) with the regional category, and any message content 310
that
includes data that is applicable locally with the local category. For example,
the
processor module 112 may associate a message content that includes
inspirational
quotes with the national category since inspirational quotes are generally not
geographically limited, a message content related to the condominium market in
British
Columbia with the regional category, and a message content that includes a
real estate
listing for Toronto, such as the real estate content 410, with the local
category.
[66] The geographical area category may further include user-defined
geographical
categories that correspond to certain types of geography instead of
geographical
locations. For example, user-defined geographical categories can include,
without
limitations, urban category, suburban category, farm category, warm climate
category,
cold climate category, oceanic category and landlocked category.
[67] The subject category may indicate a topic of the message content 310. For
example, the subject category can include, without limitations, a wide breadth
of topics,
such as an informational category which indicates the message content 310 is
related
to general news, lifestyle category, home inspection category, real estate
category,
insurance category, fitness category, and mortgage category. As illustrated in
FIG. 3A,
the subject category selected for the message content 310 using the category
dropdown list 314 is the informational category.
[68] The content type category may identify a type of the message content 310.
For
example, the content type category can include, without limitations, an
article category,
a blog entry category, a real estate listing category, an image category, a
video
category and a general message category. Inspirational quotes, for instance,
may be
associated with the general message category.
[69] For embodiments in which the message content 310 includes the real estate
content 410, the processor module 112 may use different or additional
categories, such
as a category based on a type of real estate property. The type of real estate
property
may include a rental home, a vacation home, a condominium, a house and other
types
of real property. Other categories that are more specific to the real estate
field may
similarly be used.
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[70] At 230, the processor module 112 determines, for at least one user in the
plurality of users, one or more categories from the plurality of categories
using
the content indicator associated with the at least one user.
[71] The content indicator may include default preferences provided by the
content
system 110 and user preferences provided by the user.
[72] As described at 210, each user profile includes a content indicator for
indicating
characteristics of the social media message to be generated for the user. For
example,
the characteristics may include the type of message content 310 (e.g.,
articles, images,
real estate listings, etc.), a frequency at which the content system 110
generates social
media messages for that user, and an order, or sequence, in which the
processor
module 112 determines the categories of the message content 310 for that user.
[73] The frequency in which the content system 110 generates a social media
message for a user may be provided as a number of social media messages within
a
predefined time period (e.g., three social media messages in a week) or a
total number
of social media messages for the duration of that user's subscription to the
content
system 110.
[74] The processor module 112 may determine, for the user, categories of the
message content 310 based on a predefined order as provided in the content
indicator.
By using the predefined order, the content system 110 may increase the variety
of the
message content included in the social media messages generated for that user.
The
predefined order may include a category sequence. As well, the predefined
order
provides the content system 110 and the user with greater control over the
frequency in
which certain types of message contents appear in the generated social media
messages.
[75] For example, if the category sequence includes the national category and
the
local category. The processor module 112 determines the category by
alternating
between the national category and the local category. If the predefined order
is not
used, the processor module 112 may determine the national category
consecutively.
[76] Also, by spreading out the categories that are determined by the
processor
module 112, there is smaller likelihood that a message content 310 is repeated
for a
user. Certain categories, such as the national category, are likely to be
associated with
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a greater number of different message contents than other categories, such as
the local
category. Therefore, the use of a predefined order in which certain categories
are
determined by the processor module 112 increases the variety of the message
contents
for a user.
[77] The content indicator may include specific categories of the message
content
310 as selected by the user or a pre-defined order of categories as selected
by the
user. If the content indicator includes specific categories selected by the
user, the
processor module 112 may sequentially determine one of those categories
selected by
the user. The content indicator may instead include a default order in which
categories
of the message content 310 is determined by the processor module 112.
[78] An example order in which different categories of the message content 310
is
determined by the processor module 112 can be a sequence involving the
national
category, the regional category and the local category. For a user profile
associated
with this example order, the processor module 112 can determine, for that
user, the
national category for a first social media message, the regional category for
a second
social media message, the local category for a third social media message, and
so on.
Another example order in which different categories is determined by the
processor
module 112 can be a sequence involving inspirational quotes, the regional
category, the
real estate listings and images.
[79] Referring now to FIGS. 5A to 5C, which are screenshots of example social
media messages based on different message contents 510, 512 and 514,
respectively,
for a user, "Shaun", with a user identifier 540. In the example illustrated in
FIGS. 5A to
5C, the user identifier 540 is associated with a content indicator that
indicates the
categories of the message content 310 should be based on a sequential order
including
a national category, a regional category and a local category. The social
media
message 570 of FIG. 5A includes the message content 510 which is associated
with
the national category (e.g., the condo market in Canada), the social media
message
572 of FIG. 5B includes the message content 512 which is associated with the
regional
category (e.g., Celebrity homes in California), and the social media message
574 of
FIG. 5C includes the message content 514 which is associated with the local
category
(e.g., a real estate listing for a home in Toronto). Each of the social media
messages
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CA 02809567 2013-03-14
570, 572, and 574 also includes an image 530, 530, and 534, respectively. The
processor module 112 can continue to generate social media messages for the
user
"Shaun" based on the order provided by the associated content identifier.
[80] It will be generally understood that an order in which the categories of
the
message content is determined by the processor module 112 can include any
number
of categories.
[81] At 240, the processor module 112 determines, for the at least one user, a
message content 310 from the plurality of message contents based on the
determined one or more categories.
[82] After determining the one or more categories based on the content
indicator
associated with the user, the processor module 112 determines the message
content
310 based on the determined category. Depending on the category, the message
content 310 may include the real estate content 410.
[83] In some embodiments, the content indicator can further specify that a
message
content can be used for a user for a limited number of times. For example, the
content
indicator may specify that no message content can be used more than once when
generating social media messages for that user. The user profile for a user
may be
associated with a record all message contents that were used for generating
social
media messages for that user. When the processor module 112 selects a message
content that was previously used for generating a social media message for
that user,
the processor module 112 selects another message content. In the case that no
other
message content is available, the processor module 112 may determine another
category or not generate a social media message for that user at that time.
[84] In some embodiments, the processor module 112 also determines at least
one
supplemental content from the supplemental contents that are associated with
the
message content 310. As described above, the supplemental contents can include
image data and description data.
[85] At 250, the processor module 112 creates, for the at least one user, the
social media message based on the determined message content 310.
[86] Reference is now made to FIG. 6, which is a screenshot of a social media
message 670 generated based on the message content 310 provided from the
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CA 02809567 2013-03-14
message content interface 306 of FIG. 3A. It will be understood that the
illustrated
social media message 670 is only for illustrative purpose, and that different
data may
be included in the social media message 670.
[87] In the example of FIG. 6, the processor module 112 generated the social
media
message 670 for a user, namely "Leslie", associated with user identifier 640.
The social
media message 670 includes the title 312, the subtitle 316 and the content URL
362
received from the corresponding data fields on the message content interface
306. As
shown in FIG. 3A, the message content 310 is associated with the informational
category based on the category dropdown list 314 and can further be associated
with
the regional category since the message content 310 is related to a mansion
located in
California. The processor module 112, therefore, may determine the message
content
310 for the user "Leslie" because the content indicator in her user profile is
associated
with at least the regional category or the informational category.
[88] It will be understood, though, that the processor module 112 may generate
the
social media message 670 using only the message content 310 received from the
content fields 360. That is, the title 312 and the subtitle 316 may be
optional or may
even form part of the supplemental content.
[89] The processor module 112 may generate social media messages for multiple
users. For example, when generating social media messages for a first user and
a
second user, the processor module 112 can determine a first message content
for the
first user and a second message content for the second user. The first message
content and the second message content may be identical or different. In some
cases,
the processor module 112 may further determine supplemental content for each
of the
first user and the second user. In the case that the first message content is
the same as
the second message content, the processor module 112 may determine
supplemental
content for the first user that is different from the supplemental content for
the second
user in order to generate different social media messages that are different
for the first
user and the second user. However, the processor module 112 may determine
supplemental content that is the same for the first user and the second user.
[90] FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate screenshots of social media messages 770A and
770B, respectively, generated based on the message content 310. Unlike the
social
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CA 02809567 2013-03-14
media message 670, the social media messages 770A and 770B include
supplemental
content provided from the message content interface 306' of FIG. 3B.
[91] Similar to the social media message 670 of FIG. 6, the processor module
112
generated the social media message 770A for the user, "Leslie". In addition to
the title
312, the subtitle 316 and the content URL 362 provided in social media message
670,
the social media message 770A further includes the image data 330A and the
description data 320A associated with the message content 310.
[92] The social media message 770B was generated by the processor module 112
for a user, "Grace", associated with user identifier 740. The social media
message
770B was also generated based on the message content 310 and therefore,
includes
the title 312, the subtitle 316 and the content URL 362 provided in social
media
message 670. However, despite being based on identical message content 310,
the
social media messages 770A and 770B are different since they each include
different
supplemental content. As illustrated in FIG. 7B, the social media message 770B
includes the image data 330B and the description data 320B.
[93] In some embodiments, the message content 310 can include the real estate
content 410.
[94] Reference is now made to FIGS. 8A to 8C, which illustrate screenshots of
example social media messages 870A, 870B and 8700, respectively, generated
based
on the real estate content 410 provided from the real estate content interface
406' of
FIG. 4B. It will be understood that the illustrated social media messages
870A, 870B
and 8700 are only for illustrative purpose, and that different data may be
included each
of the social media messages 870A, 870B and 8700.
[95] Although the processor module 112 generated the social media messages
870A,
870B and 8700 based on the same real estate content 410 for different users,
the
social media messages 870A, 870B and 8700 are different from each other due to
the
use of supplemental content. Each social media message 870A, 870B and 8700
includes the physical address from the address field 416, the price from the
price field
450 and the location from the location field 412 received from the real estate
content
interface 406' of FIG. 4B.
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[96] However, social media message 870A includes the image data 430B and the
description data 420B, social media message 870B includes the image data 430C
and
the description data 4200, and social media message 870C includes the image
data
430A and the description data 420A.
[97] The social media messages 870A, 870B and 8700 are generated by the
processor module 112 based on the real estate content 410, which is a real
estate
listing. The social media messages 870A, 870B and 870C may also include a URL
corresponding to a webpage for that real estate listing. The webpage may be
provided
by the content system 110.
[98] For example, the URL for the real estate listing can be embedded in the
social
media message 870A so that any selection of the social media message 870A
redirects
a display of the user device 140 to the webpage for that real estate listing,
such as
listing interface 900 of FIG. 9A for displaying a real estate listing 910. The
listing
interface 900 includes the real estate listing 910 and an agent contact
control 904.
When the content system 110 receives a selection via the agent contact control
904,
the content system 110 may generate an interface, such as contact agent
interface 980
of FIG. 9B, for contacting a real estate agent associated with the real estate
listing 910.
The listing interface 900 may include other fields and controls for receiving
input from a
potential client. For example, the listing interface 900 may further include a
comment
field from which the content system 110 may receive comments or questions from
the
potential client, or an appointment request field from which the content
system 110 may
receive a request for making an appointment for a showing of the property. It
will be
understood that the listing interface 900 may include other similar fields and
controls for
enabling interaction with the content system 110.
[99] The processor module 112 may create any of the above social media
messages
based also on the user profile of the user for which the social media message
is
generated. In some embodiments, the processor module 112 may associate the
social
media message with a user identifier corresponding to that user.
[100] Continuing with the example described above with reference to FIG. 9A,
the URL
for the real estate listing 910 may include the user identifier 640 for the
user, Leslie, for
which the social media message 870A was generated. Therefore, as illustrated
in FIG.
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CA 02809567 2013-03-14
9B, the contact agent interface 980 can include contact information associated
with the
user identifier 640 instead of contact information associated with the listing
agent
identifier 418. Similarly, if other fields and controls are provided on the
listing interface
900, the content system 110 may forward any input received via those fields
and
controls to the user, Leslie, since the user identifier 640 is associated with
the URL for
the real estate listing 910.
[101] Creating the social media message for a user may further include
distributing the
social media message to at least one social media server 130 associated with
that user.
The social media message may then be posted or associated with a user account
on
each of the social media servers 130 associated with that user.
[102] In some embodiments, for a user associated with multiple social media
servers
130, the processor module 112 may generate social media messages that are
based
on different message contents 310 for each of the different social media
servers 130.
For example, for a user profile that is associated with Facebook and Twitter,
the
processor module 112 can generate a social media message for Facebook based on
a
first message content and a social media message for Twitter based on a second
message content that is different from the first message content. Also, the
processor
module 112 may generate different social media messages based on different
requirements, such as formatting standards, of the social media servers. For
example,
the processor module 112 can generate a social media message for Facebook
using a
different formatting standard than a social media message generated for
Twitter since
social media messages on Twitter are limited to 140 characters.
[103] FIG. 10 illustrates a screenshot of example social media statistics 1000
for a
user. The content system 110 may provide, for each user, social media
statistics 1000
for tracking and monitoring a user's social media activities. For example, the
social
media statistics 1000 can include a feedback summary 1010 for generally
illustrating
the different types of feedback received for social media messages generated
by the
content system 110 for the user, a social media network summary 1020 providing
a
number of network connections that the user has in each associated social
media
server 130, a readership summary 1030 providing a frequency in which social
media
messages generated by the content system 110 for the user is accessed by his
or her
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CA 02809567 2013-03-14
network connections, a social media score 1040 calculated based on various
factors,
such as the readership summary 1030 and the social media network summary 1 020
for
example, and an activity summary 1050 providing a number of social media
messages
generated by the content system 110 for the user. It will be understood that
other data
may similarly be collected and summarized in the social media statistics 1000.
[104] The feedback summary 1010 may illustrate the feedback received for the
social
media messages provided on the user's social media accounts. For example, the
feedback may include a number of times each social media message is selected,
a
number of comments provided for each social media message, and a number of
times
the content system 110 received a request for the user's contact information.
It will be
understood that other types of feedback data may similarly be collected for
the user.
[105] The feedback summary 1010 may further include feedback received on any
social media messages that includes message contents 310 that originated from
that
user. Referring briefly to FIGS. 4B and 8A-8C, the feedback summary 1010 for
the
listing agent, John, can include feedback received on social media messages
generated by the content system 110 for John and also feedback received on any
of
the social media messages 870A to 8700 that the content system 110 generated
for
the users, Leslie, Grace and Shaun, respectively.
[106] The present invention has been described here by way of example only.
Various
modification and variations may be made to these exemplary embodiments without
departing from the scope of the invention, which is limited only by the
appended claims.
Also, in the various user interfaces illustrated in the figures, it will be
understood that the
illustrated user interface text and controls are provided as examples only and
are not
meant to be limiting. Other suitable user interface elements may be possible.
¨ 26 ¨
