U.S. patent application number 13/631466 was filed with the patent office on 2013-03-28 for contest application facilitating social connections.
This patent application is currently assigned to MEDIASCALE LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is MediaScale LLC. Invention is credited to Rian Cool, Joshua Fletcher.
Application Number | 20130079149 13/631466 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47911895 |
Filed Date | 2013-03-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130079149 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fletcher; Joshua ; et
al. |
March 28, 2013 |
CONTEST APPLICATION FACILITATING SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
Abstract
Technologies for facilitating online connections through the use
of a web-based application that enables users to participate in
online contests and receive rewards based on the number of
established connections. For example, an application hosted on a
server enables a sponsoring entity to create an online contest. The
application facilitates a user, who remotely interfaces therewith
utilizing a computing device to participate in the contest by
creating an advocate unique to the user, the contest, and the
sponsoring entity. The application also allows the user to share
the advocate with other online users such that the other online
users join the advocate and establish connections with the
sponsoring entity. The application determines a winner of the
contest based on the number of connections established with the
sponsoring entity for each advocate.
Inventors: |
Fletcher; Joshua; (Seattle,
WA) ; Cool; Rian; (Edmonds, WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MediaScale LLC; |
Seattle |
WA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
MEDIASCALE LLC
Seattle
WA
|
Family ID: |
47911895 |
Appl. No.: |
13/631466 |
Filed: |
September 28, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61540369 |
Sep 28, 2011 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
463/42 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 50/01 20130101;
A63F 13/335 20140902; A63F 13/79 20140902 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/42 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A system for facilitating online connections, the system
comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor, the
memory having stored thereon instructions that, when executed on
the processor, cause the processor to: initiate an online contest;
receive first inputs generated at a remote computing device, the
first inputs being associated with a first contestant account and
directed to the online contest; process the received first inputs
to: generate a first link uniquely associated with the first
contestant account and the online contest; and share the first link
with a supporter account; receive second inputs generated at a
remote computing device, the second inputs being associated with
the supporter account and directed to the online contest; process
the received second inputs to determine that the supporter account
connected to the online contest based on the first link; determine
a first score associated with the first link, the first score being
derived from a number of supporter accounts determined to have
connected to the online contest based on the first link; compare
the first score to a second score associated with a second link,
the second link being uniquely associated with a second contestant
account and the online contest; and declare the first contestant
account as a winner of the online contest based on the
comparison.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second inputs are
received via interfaces executed within a social media network, and
wherein the first contestant account and the supporter account are
associated with user accounts of the social media network.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein determining that the supporter
account connected to the online contest based on the first link
comprises receiving an input indicative of an activation on a
graphic object associated with the first link.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first link is a web link to a
web page unique to the first contestant account and the online
contest, and wherein determining that the supporter account
connected to the online contest based on the first link comprises
receiving an input indicating that the supporter account utilized
the web link to connect to the web page.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises
instructions, that when executed on the processor, cause the
processor to register and authenticate the first contestant account
and the supporter account.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein authenticating an account
comprises determining that the number of contacts associated with
the account is greater than a predefined threshold.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first inputs comprise an
authorization to collect personal information associated with the
contestant account, and wherein sharing the first link with the
supporter account is based on the collected personal
information.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the online contest is associated
with a sponsoring entity, wherein processing the first inputs
comprises associating the first contestant account with the
sponsoring entity, and wherein processing the second inputs
comprises associating the supporter account with the sponsoring
entity.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first and second contestant
accounts are awarded general prizes for participating in the online
contest, and wherein declaring the first contestant account as a
winner further comprises awarding the first contestant account a
grand prize and the second contestant account a secondary prize,
wherein the general prize, the secondary prize, and the grand prize
are predefined by the sponsoring entity.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein the memory further comprises
instructions, that when executed on the processor, cause the
processor to provide services to the sponsoring entity based on the
number of contestant and supporter accounts associated with the
sponsoring entity and based on collected personal information
associated with the contestant and supporter accounts.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein processing the first inputs
further comprises denying a request associated with the first
contestant account to connect to the first link, and wherein
processing the second inputs comprises denying a request associated
with the supporter account to reconnect to the first link.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein processing the second inputs
further comprises associating the supporter account with a third
link uniquely associated with the supporter account and the online
contest and updating the score of the first link based on the third
link.
13. A method for participating in an online contest, the method
executed on a computing device and comprising: rendering an
interface to an application hosted on a server; connecting to an
online contest hosted by the application, the connection being
associated with a user account; receiving an identifier from the
application, the identifier being based on the user account and the
online contest sharing the received identifier with contacts
associated with the user account; and receiving a tally from the
application indicating a rank of the user account in the online
contest, the rank being based on a number of contacts that
confirmed the identifier.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the interface is executed
within a social media network platform, wherein the received
identifier is associated with an identifier account hosted by the
application, and wherein the identifier is displayed as a graphic
object configured to connect a user account to the identifier
account when the graphic object is selected.
15. The method of claim 13 further comprising displaying a list of
contests that the user account is connected to, a tally for each
contest, a list of contacts that have confirmed the identifier, an
expiration time of each contest, and a list of contests available
for the user account to participate in.
16. The method of claim 13 further comprising determining that the
user account is a winner of the online contest based on a
comparison of the tally with tallies of other user accounts
participating in the contest, and receiving a prize based on the
determination.
17. The method of claim 13 further comprising registering the user
account with the application and utilizing the registration and the
identifier to navigate to pages associated with the online contest
and to accept identifiers associated with online contests and other
user accounts.
18. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon
instructions that, when executed on a processor, cause the
processor to execute an online contest, the instructions comprising
instructions to: associate a sponsoring entity with an online
contest, the association comprising an interface configured to
allow the sponsoring entity to access the online contest; connect
user accounts with the online contest, the user accounts comprising
contestant accounts and supporter accounts, the contestant accounts
being associated with contestants participating in the online
contest and the supporter accounts being associated with supporters
joining the online contest; record a connection between a
contestant account from the contestant accounts and a supporter
account from the supporter accounts when the supporter account
joins the online contest based on a connection between the
contestant account and the online contest; and provide information
to the sponsoring entity based on the connections with the online
contest and the connections between the contestant account and the
supporter account.
19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the
interface is configured to allow the sponsoring entity to create
the contest, set-up parameters associated with the contest
including contest duration, rules, and prizes, and monitor
analytics and fraudulent activities associated with the online
contest.
20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the
interface is configured to allow the sponsoring entity to receive
analytics associated with the contest and services based on the
analytics, wherein the analytics comprise a number of contestants,
a number of supporters, a number of user accounts registered with
the application, a number of users connected to the online contest,
a number of users directed from the online contest to a website
associated with the sponsoring entity, and contact information of
users associated with the online contest.
21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the
analytics allow the sponsoring company to provide billing services
comprising at least one of cost per social connection, cost per
recruit, cost per application user, cost per visitor referred, cost
per coupon link, cost per e-mail acquisition, and cost per fan
billing models.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 61/540,369, filed on Sep. 28, 2011, which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The growth and accessibility of data networks and services
via the Internet and the availability of personal electronic
devices such as smartphones have facilitated the rapid growth of
digitally-mediated communications and services. Social networking
sites such as Facebook.RTM. and Twitter.RTM. have become
increasingly popular and allow users to connect with one another
and to share information.
SUMMARY
[0003] Various applications exist for facilitating online contests
via social media networks and web-based services. These
applications typically require users who want to participate in a
contest to enter submissions such as photos, links, essays, and the
like. The applications may use panels of experts or vote tallies to
judge the submissions and determine winners.
[0004] Such applications may be limited by the types of submissions
and the judging process. The application may also be limited by the
services that the applications provide. For instance, the
applications may not encourage contestants to share information
about the contest with other users and may not allow for
determination and rewarding of winners based on the shared
information.
[0005] In various embodiments, systems, methods, and computer
readable media are disclosed for facilitating online connections,
wherein users can execute an application to create and share links
and to receive services associated therewith. More particularly,
techniques are described for facilitating online contests and
determining winners thereof.
[0006] In an embodiment, an application is configured to facilitate
contests and promote entities associated with the contests. The
configuration comprises various components including a sponsoring
entity, a contest, a contestant account, a referral account, a
recruiter account, and an advocate. The application also enables
various functionalities including the ability to establish
connections and links between the components, tally the number of
connections and links, and provide services based one of a or all
of the tallied numbers.
[0007] In an embodiment, the application assigns an advocate to a
contestant. The advocate represents the contestant's entry into the
contest and the recruitment effort within that contest. When the
contestant refers another user to join the advocate, the
application tracks the referral and awards a point to the advocate
as part of the contestant's tally. This tracking provides data to
the contestant about his or her current position in the contest and
encourages additional contestant's activity in the application. The
application notifies the contestant of his or her tally ranking and
encourages the contestant to share the advocate with other users in
order to maintain or improve his or her position in the contest.
The application also processes the tally of recruits to determine
the winner of the contest. The number of winners and prizes per
tally ranking is derived from the rules of the contest. As such,
instead of using a panel of experts or a vote tally to determine a
winner, the application judges a winner based on the contestant's
ability to recruit new users to join the contestant's advocate.
[0008] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not
intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative
aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further
aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by
reference to the drawings and the following detailed
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The systems, methods, and computer media for facilitating
online connections in accordance with this specification are
further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0010] FIG. 1 depicts an example screen shot of an application
administrator home page.
[0011] FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C depict example screen shots of a
new/edit contest page.
[0012] FIG. 3 depicts an example screen shot of an analytics
page.
[0013] FIG. 4 depicts an example screen shot of a contest index
page.
[0014] FIG. 5 depicts an example screen shot of a contest index
page hosted on a social media website.
[0015] FIG. 6 depicts an example screen shot of an application
start page.
[0016] FIG. 7 depicts an example screen shot of the application
start page hosted on the social media website.
[0017] FIG. 8 depicts an example screen shot of a social media
website's request for permission prompt.
[0018] FIG. 9 depicts an example screen shot of a social media
website's post to a social network prompt.
[0019] FIG. 10 depicts an example screen shot of a social media
website's news feed prompt.
[0020] FIG. 11 depicts an example screen shot of a social media
website's invite friends prompt.
[0021] FIGS. 12A and 12B depict example screen shots of an
application share page.
[0022] FIG. 13 depicts an example screen shot of an application
share page in a social media website tab.
[0023] FIG. 14 depicts an example screen shot of a social media
website's share box.
[0024] FIG. 15 depicts an example screen shot of an email exchange
server's share box.
[0025] FIG. 16 depicts an example screen shot of an email sent to
an email account via the email exchange server's share box.
[0026] FIG. 17 depicts an example screen shot of an application
referral page.
[0027] FIG. 18 depicts an example screen shot of an application
referral page's join referring a user to a contest button.
[0028] FIG. 19 depicts an example screen shot of an application
index page.
[0029] FIG. 20 depicts an example screen shot of an application
index page displaying a contest section particular to a
contestant.
[0030] FIG. 21 depicts an example screen shot of a contest pop-up
rules box.
[0031] FIG. 22 depicts an example screen shot of a contest pop-up
terms and conditions box.
[0032] FIG. 23 depicts an example screen shot of a share page
ranking.
[0033] FIG. 24 depicts an example screen shot of a referral account
start page.
[0034] FIG. 25 depicts an example flow diagram illustrating an
administrative functional flow in accordance to various embodiments
of the present disclosure.
[0035] FIG. 26 depicts an example flow diagram illustrating a
canvas flow in accordance to various embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0036] FIG. 27 depicts an example flow diagram illustrating a login
flow in accordance to various embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0037] FIG. 28 depicts an example flow diagram illustrating a
contestant account flow in accordance to various embodiments of the
present disclosure.
[0038] FIG. 29 depicts an example flow diagram illustrating a
referral account flow in accordance to various embodiments of the
present disclosure.
[0039] FIG. 30 depicts an example representation of an email sent
by an application to advertise or promote contests.
[0040] FIG. 31 depicts an example computing system wherein aspects
of the present disclosure can be implemented.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0041] Specific details are set forth in the following description
and figures to provide a thorough understanding of various
embodiments of the disclosure. In the drawings, similar symbols
identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise.
Certain well-known technology details, such as computing and
software technologies, are not set forth in the following
description to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the various
embodiments. Those of ordinary skill in the relevant art will
understand that they can practice other embodiments of the
disclosure without departing from the scope of the subject matter
presented herein. Finally, the various techniques described herein
can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination
thereof.
[0042] One skilled in the art will appreciate that, for this and
other operational procedures and methods disclosed herein, the
operations and methods may be implemented in a different order.
Furthermore, the described operations are only provided as
examples, and some operations may be optional, combined into fewer
operations, or expanded into additional operations. One skilled in
the art will also appreciate that certain well-known technology
details regarding functions of the application are not set forth
herein to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the various embodiments.
Although various embodiments and technologies thereof are described
herein utilizing particular server social media platforms, one
skilled in the art will understand that he or she can practice
other embodiments of the disclosure without departing from the
scope of the subject matter presented herein.
[0043] Various embodiments describe herein a user, a company, a
sponsoring entity, a client, an administrator, a sub-administrator,
a contestant, a referral user, a non-referral user, a recruit, and
a recruiter interfacing with an application. Although the terms
user, company, sponsoring entity, client, administrator,
sub-administrator, contestant, referral user, non-referral user,
recruit, and recruiter include actual persons or entities that
interface with the application using a user interface executing on
a computing device, the terms should not be limited as such. One
skilled in the art will appreciate that, for example based on
context, the term user includes a user account, the term company
includes a company account, the term sponsoring entity includes a
sponsoring entity account, the term client includes a client
account, the term administrator includes an administrator account,
the term sub-administrator includes a sub-administrator account,
the term contestant includes a contestant account, the term
referral user includes a referral account, the term non-referral
user includes a non-referral account, the term recruit includes a
recruit account, the term recruiter includes a recruiter account.
Any of the accounts can be associated with the application, a
social media network, a web hosting server, and/or any third party
web-based application.
[0044] In an embodiment, an application is configured to facilitate
online contests and promote sponsoring entities. An example
application is the BandWagon.RTM. application, referred to herein
as the "BW App." The application is hosted on a remote server and
comprises an interface to a computing device associated with a
user. The interface thereto can be executed locally on the
computing device or remotely on a third party server. The user
comprises any of a company, a client, a sponsoring entity, an
administrator, a sub-administrator, a contestant, a referral user,
a non-referral user, a recruit, and a recruiter. The interface to
the application may vary based at least on the user type as will be
described below.
[0045] The computing device is connected to the server over a
communication network, such as an internet protocol (IP) based
network. The computing device is configured to execute the user
interface comprising, for example, a web browser linked to the
application. Access to and execution of the application can be
facilitated by a third party, such as a social media website, an
e-mail server, or a web-hosting application server. For instance,
the computing device may download instructions that, when executed
on the computing device, cause the computing device to run a user
interface to the application. The instructions comprise software
modules downloadable from the server where the application resides
or from a third party server such as the App Store.RTM. or Google
Play.RTM.. In a further embodiment, the user interface can be
embedded or integrated within a third party web-page, such as a
page within a social media website such as Facebook.RTM. or
Twitter.RTM..
[0046] In an embodiment, the application is implemented as software
and is hosted on a server such as an Amazon.RTM. server. The
application's user interface is embedded within a page of a social
media website such as Facebook.RTM.. To set-up the interface,
Facebook.RTM. provides an assigned space, such as
http://apps.facebook.com/exampleassignedspace, in which
Facebook.RTM. has an inner frame that points to the hosting
Amazon.RTM. server. The application may live on one server and may
also be duplicated across multiple servers according to demand. The
application is accessed via a secure shell (SSH) or a secure file
transfer protocol (FTP).
[0047] The application relies on data passed by Facebook.RTM.
through the application iframe, mainly to authenticate a user. In
order for the application to function as a general web application
or in any other technology environment, the authentication process
is rewritten to bring the application outside of the Facebook.RTM.
iframe. The authentication process depends on the environment,
network, or technology from which the application is accessed.
[0048] The application may user a MySQL database server on the
Amazon.RTM. relational database service platform. The data is
stored in the MySQL database. An advocate created by a contestant
has its own entry in a database table. User accounts, contest
settings, application entries, applications members, and various
metrics are also stored in database tables.
[0049] A user can access the application from various websites on
the internet or download the software and use it on a computer or a
mobile device. Companies may administer contests hosted by the
application in order to reach new potential customers. The
application allows the companies to create a new line of
communication between themselves and new potential customers. The
new lines of communication include acquiring email addresses or
phone numbers of the potential customers or connecting with them
via social media networks such as Facebook.RTM. and Twitter.RTM..
Contestants compete in recruiting the largest number of new people
to join their advocates. The contestant(s) that recruits the
largest number of new people wins designated prizes. The
application tracks the number of new recruits that join another
contestant and the number of new connections--or lines of
communication--that are created between the sponsoring company and
the contestants.
[0050] In the context of a social media network such as
Facebook.RTM., the application's ability to track connections is
referred to as "like" tracking. The application records two types
of "likes:" likes that are indicated by the button within the
application frame and likes that are indicated by the button on a
social media network page outside the application tab frame. The
application determines when a user clicks the like button within
the application frame based on a social media network's callback
function, which is called when a user clicks any like button. On a
social media network page tab, a user can click the like button on
the social media network page outside the application frame. The
application tracks the likes by, for example, recording the loads
of the application tab along with the number of page likes at the
time of the loads. If the number of page likes increments between
two loads of the tab, and if those two loads have the same referrer
or user, the application assumes that those two loads are the same
user, and counts that as a like.
[0051] Contestants participate in the contest by opening the
application in any accessible form--whether on the web, on a
computer, or on a mobile device. If accessed on the web,
contestants navigate to the application's website via the Internet,
as shown in FIG. 19, or to the website of the company sponsoring a
contest, as shown in FIG. 5. Contestants may also receive emails
advertising a contest and directing them to the application, as
shown in FIG. 30. The application provides instructions on how a
contestant can enter and compete in each contest. The contestant
completes several steps, including but not limited to, accepting
the contests rules and terms and conditions, starting an advocate,
and sharing the contest and advocating with friends, as shown in
FIGS. 6, 12A, and 12B. The contestant is able to check back in to
the application to invite more friends and to keep track of his or
her place in the contest.
[0052] In an embodiment, the application facilitates a connection
between a sponsoring entity and a contest such that the sponsoring
entity sponsors the contest. The application also enables a
connection between a contestant account and the sponsoring entity
such that a contestant associated with the contestant account
accesses the contest. Once a contestant-contest connection is
established, the application associates a first advocate with the
contestant account such that the first advocate is specific to the
contestant-contest connection. The first advocate may be a web link
unique to the contestant-contest connection. Thereafter, the
application allows the contestant to recruit a referral user
associated with a referral account by sharing a link that directs
the referral user to a page associated with the first advocate. In
turn, the application creates a connection between the referral
account and the first advocate and a connection between the
referral account and the sponsoring entity when the referral user
clicks or accesses the link. The application also associates the
referral user with a recruiter account when the referral user
initiates a second advocate for the contest. The application
creates a connection between the referral account and the recruiter
account and a connection between the recruiter account and the
first advocate. The application awards a point, score, or token to
the contestant account based on the created connections.
[0053] The application determines, for a contest, an advocate that
comprises the largest number of connections, declares a contestant
account associated with the advocate as a winner of the contest,
and provides services thereto based at least on rules associated
with the contest. The services include, for example, a monetary
reward, a coupon, or a prize. Similarly, the application ranks and
rewards the contestant accounts based on the number of connections
associated with the respective advocates. For example, the
application may provide a three-tier prize system wherein a winner
qualifies for a grand prize, a contestant account ranked within a
predetermined range qualifies for a secondary prize, and all
contestant accounts qualify for a general prize. The general prize
includes, for example, links to coupons associated with the
sponsoring entity. The application can also provide the coupon
links to the referral accounts. The application may declare winners
based on the ranks of the contestants.
[0054] The application also tracks and records various information
associated with the connections and links. The information
comprises connections resulting from a particular contest or from
any group of contests. The information also comprises advocates,
shared links, traffic to the application from the links, contest
page views associated with the particular contest or the group of
contests, and outgoing traffic from the application to external
sites of sponsoring entities. The application processes the
information to provide additional services to the contestant
accounts, the referral accounts, the sponsoring entities, or third
parties. The additional services include, for example, analytics
and billing.
[0055] In an embodiment, a sponsoring entity accesses the
application and creates a contest. The application allows the
sponsoring entity to set contest rules according to policies and
procedures of the application. The rules define parameters for a
contestant's, referral user's, non-referral user's, recruit's, or
recruiter's participation in the contest. The rules include, for
example, the contest expiration date, the number of participants,
the number of times a participant can participate in the contest,
prizes, data collection, etc.
[0056] To participate as a contestant, the user launches the user
interface on the computing device and connects to the application
as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 19. The application associates the user
with a contestant account, which enables the user to connect to a
contest and a sponsoring entity thereof. The user executes a
designated action, such as a click on a contest-specific button
within the user interface as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In turn, the
application establishes a connection between the contestant account
and the contest. When establishing the connection, the application
authenticates the contestant account. The authentication comprises
registering a new contestant or an account thereof, confirming the
status of an existing contestant or an account thereof, agreeing to
contest rules, terms, and conditions as shown in FIGS. 6, 8, 21,
and 22, and preventing fraud as will be described below. The
application also assigns a contest-specific advocate to the
contestant account. The advocate assignment creates an advocate
account in a database associated with the application and used to
tally the number of referrals. The referrals comprise users or
accounts thereof that the contestant recruits to join the advocate.
A referral joins the advocate when, for example, he or she clicks
on the advocate.
[0057] The application displays the advocate to a user as a graphic
object, a web link, or a web page which are connected to the
advocate account. To recruit referral users, the contestant shares
the advocate with the referral users. The application facilitates
the sharing of the advocate by, for example, enabling the
contestant to post the graphic object within a social media web
page associated with the contestant as shown in FIGS. 9-10, wherein
the posting can be directed to a specific number of referral users
as shown in FIG. 11. The application also facilitates the sharing
of the advocate by, for example, broadcasting the web-link through
a social media website as shown in FIG. 14 or through email as
shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. In yet another example, the application
facilitates the sharing of the advocate by posting the advocate as
a web page accessible to the referrals as shown in FIGS. 12A, 12B,
and 13.
[0058] To participate as a referral user, the referral user
launches a user interface on a computing device, connects to the
application, and selects the advocate specific to the
contestant-contest. The application facilitates the selection by
displaying, for example, the advocate and/or a link thereto to the
referral user via the user interface as shown in FIGS. 10, 16, and
17. The application establishes a referral account associated with
the referral user and a connection between the referral account and
an account associated with the sponsoring entity of the contest
associated with the advocate. The referral user joins the advocate
by, for example, clicking on the displayed link as shown in FIG.
18. Once a referral joins the advocate, the application updates the
advocate account to add the referral user to the current referrals.
As such, the application is able to count in real time the number
of referrals associated with an advocate. When a contestant is
running multiple advocates or when a contest is associated with
multiple contestants and because an advocate is specific to a
contestant and a contest, the application is able to tally in real
time the number of referrals for each contest per contestant and
the number of referrals for each contestant per contest.
[0059] When a referral user joins an advocate, the application
allows the referral user to join other advocates as shown in FIG.
19. The application also allows the referral user to start his or
her own advocate associated with the same contest. In other words,
the application gives the referral user an option to become a
contestant, wherein the referral user can connect to the contest,
create an advocate, and share the advocate with other referral
users in a similar manner as described herein above. For example,
the application can display a link to the referral user to start an
advocate as shown in FIG. 19. By clicking on the displayed link,
the referral user becomes a contestant, wherein the application
identifies the referral user as a recruiter and generates a
corresponding recruiter account and a connection therewith to the
contest. In another example, the application updates the referral
account to a recruiter account. When the application identifies a
user as a recruiter, the application provides functionalities
thereto similar to the ones provided to a contestant. For example,
the application authenticates the recruiter, assigns an advocate
specific to the recruiter and the contest, creates a corresponding
advocate account in the database associated with the application,
shares the advocate with other referral users, and tallies the
number of referrals that join the advocate.
[0060] The contest may be associated with an expiration time prior
to which the contest is active. The application allows a contestant
to join the contest and to repeatedly share the corresponding
advocate with previous or new referral users as described above
within the active time of the contest. The application also allows,
within the active time, a referral user to join the advocate and to
become a recruiter as described above. The application limits a
contestant from creating more than one advocate associated with the
contest and limits a referral user from repeatedly joining a same
advocate and repeatedly becoming a corresponding recruiter. Once
expired, the application limits further actions initiated by
contestants, referral users, or recruiters. The application also
tallies the total number of referrals per contestant and declares
various contest winners and prizes based on the tallied numbers and
predefined criteria.
[0061] In an embodiment, the application prohibits a first
contestant associated with a first advocate from joining the first
advocate as a referral user. The application also allows the first
contestant to join, as a referral user or a recruiter, a second
advocate of a second contestant for the same contest. For example,
the first contestant may receive a link to the second advocate with
a description to join the second advocate as a referral user. In
such a scenario, the application allows the first contestant to
join the second advocate through a link associated with the first
advocate instead of joining the second advocate following the steps
described herein above for a referral user.
[0062] In another embodiment, the first contestant can share his or
her advocate with a referral user. When the referral user joins the
advocate, the application prompts the referral user to start his or
her own advocate for the same contest. If the referral user does
so, the referral user becomes a second contestant and can share his
or her advocate with other referral users. The application detects
when the second contestant shares his or her advocate with the
first contestant. For example, the application can track and
determine that the second contestant created his or her advocate
based on the advocate received from the first contestant. In such a
scenario, the application prohibits the first contestant from
joining the advocate of the second contestant for that same
contest. In other words, the application can be configured to
encourage users to create connections for new contests and share
advocates with new users.
[0063] The application can also be configured to track the history
of a contestant, a referral user, and a recruiter. The tracked
history includes, for example, established connections and joined
links associated with the respective user accounts. The application
processes the tracked history for analytic purposes and for
encouraging user activities in the application. In an embodiment,
the application maintains data that provide various statistics or
analytics about the contests, the sponsoring entities, the users,
the advocates, the connections, the shares, and the links as shown
in FIG. 3. For example, for a contest, the application displays an
analytics page that lists the total number of red flags associated
with an advocate, the total number of red-flagged users, and the
total number of red-flagged connections in the contest as shown in
FIG. 3. The use of a red flag indicates a potential fraudulent
activity as will be described below. The application also has the
authority to disqualify any user who is deemed to be cheating and
to remove the corresponding advocate. In a further embodiment, the
application facilitates the distribution of prizes by signed and
certified mail ensuring that only users using a proper legal
documented name for their social media accounts are able to receive
prizes. These auditing measures protect the businesses and billing
models against duplicate connections and/or fraudulent activities
that may skew billing and/or analytics of a contest.
[0064] In an embodiment, the application comprises fraud detection
capabilities that alert an administrator when a user appears to be
fraudulently participating in a contest. For example, the
application detects when a user appears to be using duplicate or
false user accounts on a social media network in order to increase
the user's tally. While users can typically create multiple social
media user accounts, contest rules often only allow a contestant to
participate in a contest with one social media user account. When a
new contestant registers to use the application, the contestant
grants the application special permissions to analyze the
contestant's profile on the social media network in which the
contest is associated. If a contestant and/or a referral user has
less than a set number of contacts associated with the
corresponding social media user account, the application deems that
account to be potentially fraudulent. The required number of
contacts is set in the application administration. The application
associates a red flag with a potentially fraudulent user
account.
[0065] In an embodiment, the application can be described in terms
of three interfaces: an administrative interface, an advocate
interface, and a recruit interface. The administrative interface is
only visible to those with special permissions or administrators.
The administrative interface allows contests to be created, edited,
and monitored. This interface includes a screen where an
administrator enters data necessary to start a new contest as shown
in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C. The administrative interface is also used
to edit the details of a contest. This interface further provides
the administrators with access to analytic data for each of the
contests and allows the administrators to monitor performance, user
information, warnings of possible user fraud, and/or any other
information being tracked by the application as shown in FIG. 3.
The administrative interface is set-up on a tiered authorization
and access system. The main administrator gives access to different
sub-administrators that access segments of this interface and data
and functions thereof. For example, a sponsoring entity may be
given access to an analytics data page limited to the particular
contests in which the sponsoring entity is associated and has
permission to view.
[0066] The advocate interface allows users, such as contestants, to
create their own advocate and monitor their rankings in a contest
relative to other users participating in the same contest. The
advocate interface includes an application index page that allows a
user to see the available contests including the contests in which
the user is or is not participating as shown in FIG. 19. The
advocate interface allows a user to enter a specific contest from
the contest index page as shown in FIG. 4. The contest index page
can also be accessed from the sponsoring entity's social media
network page, if the user started a contest on this page or upon
agreement with the client as shown in FIG. 5. Additionally, the
user may be directed to the contest index page via email or other
announcements made by the company administering the application as
shown in FIG. 30. The advocate interface also includes a share page
that allows users to view their rankings in a particular contest as
well as links and tools that help them share advocates as shown in
FIGS. 12A and 12B. The advocate interface also provides specific
prompts that help the user share his or her advocate as shown in
FIGS. 12B, 14, and 15.
[0067] The recruit interface provides an interface to users that
join an advocate. Referrals are associated with users that have
created and shared an advocate. A referral user is given the
opportunity to join the advocate. When the referral user makes a
connection with the sponsoring entity associated with the contest,
the application counts the referral user as a member or tally of
the contestant's advocate. When the referral user completes the
action of joining the advocate as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the
application prompts the referral user to start his or her own
advocate and allows the referral user to enter the advocate
interface described herein.
[0068] The following description of the application flow describes
activities of users within the application when tracking and
creating connections for a sponsoring entity on a social media
network platform such as the Facebook.RTM. platform. This
description is provided for the purpose of illustrating functions
and attributes of the application and is not meant to limit the
scope of the disclosure to the described social media network
platform. While the application describes specific processes that
are common to particular platforms, such as Facebook.RTM.,
Google+.RTM., or Twitter.RTM., some functions or features of the
application flow will be different from one platform to another.
The application flow can be described in terms of two flows: an
administrative flow, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, and a user flow, as
shown in FIGS. 26-29.
[0069] In an administrative flow embodiment, administrators are
able to log onto an administrator home page as shown in FIG. 1.
This page is unavailable to the general public. Access to the
administrator home page is granted by the company administering the
application. The administrator home displays a list of contests
that are saved on the application. The list includes active
contests, expired contests, or contests that are scheduled to begin
in the future. A contest remains saved on the application and
displayed on the administrator home page until deleted by an
administrator. An administrator may start a new contest or may
navigate to an edit page or an analytics page for each of the saved
contests. The company can also provide clients with a
sub-administrator access to the application. Sub-administrators are
able to view analytics pages for contests that they were given
permission to see. Sub-administrators may also be given full,
limited, or no ability to start new contests or make changes to
existing contests. Sub-administrator access permissions may be
altered at any time to suit the needs of the company.
[0070] When a contest is started, specific data regarding the
contest is entered by an administrator and/or sub-administrator
into the application's new contest page as shown in FIGS. 2A and
2B. This data includes graphics, information regarding prizes that
contestants will compete for, coupon codes, rules, start and end
times, and any other pertinent information regarding the contest.
When the information is saved, the contest becomes accessible to
users on the application for the time period designated by the
administrator. The administrator is also able to edit any of the
contest details at any time during the contest from the same page
by clicking the edit button on the analytics page.
[0071] While the contest is active and after the contest expires,
administrators and sub-administrators are able to view a variety of
contest metrics on the analytics page as shown in FIG. 3. Each
contest has its own individual analytics page that contains data on
the number of advocates created, page views, likes, shares, clicks
on shares, invites, clicks on share links, clicks on coupon links,
and emails gathered to share with the sponsoring entity. Some of
the statistics are further broken down into subcategories. Page
views are displayed as a number of views from the application's
home page, start page, join page, and share page and as an
aggregate number thereof. The page views may also display a
breakdown of which social media network platform is associated with
users. Likes are displayed as a number of likes from referrals,
non-referrals, and referrals via share links and as an aggregate
number thereof. Shares are displayed as a number of shares to
Facebook.RTM., Twitter.RTM., email, and as an aggregate number
thereof. Clicks on shares are displayed in the same way as shares.
The analytics page displays the total number of red flagged-users
that the application flagged as being potentially fraudulent in the
contest. The analytics page also contains a list of the top
advocates in the contest. The list includes, but is not limited to:
name/identification of the user who started the advocate, his or
her tally, and the number of red-flagged users in that advocate.
This data allows administrators to analyze user behavior and to
determine the success of the contest. Analytics data is also used
by the company administering the application, for example, in cost
per fan or cost per connection billing. For a contest that
obligates a client to compensate the company on a cost per fan
basis, the analytics page allows both the client and the company to
track campaign costs during the contest and to deduce total costs
when the contest expires. This tracking of payment may be used with
other billing models.
[0072] Once a contest starts, the company advertises the new
contest to its audience. For example, the company advertises
contests to contacts on various social media networks and via user
email lists as shown in FIG. 30. An administrator from the company
copies the share link from the administrator edit page that
displays the link and includes the share link in advertising
communications sent by the company. These communications are in any
form that the company sees fit to employ. A recipient of the
advertising communications clicks on the share link and is directed
to the contest index page. The click is tracked on the contest's
analytics page.
[0073] In a user flow embodiment, current or potential users are
alerted to new contests through a variety of methods, including,
for example, email as shown in FIG. 30, social media network
notifications (e.g., Facebook.RTM. posts, Twitter.RTM. feeds,
Facebook.RTM. advertising), search engine advertising, and blog
posts. The alerts are made by, but are not limited to, the company
and the clients. The user flow can be described in terms of two
flows: contestant or non-referral user flow, as shown in FIGS.
26-28, and referral user flow, as shown in FIG. 29. A non-referral
user is a contestant who has navigated to the application without
being referred by another contestant via an advocate share link. A
user who has navigated to the application via a contest link is
also referred to as a non-referral user.
[0074] In a non-referral user flow embodiment, announcements of new
contests link a user to a contest index page within the application
on blank page (e.g., a canvas page), as shown in FIGS. 4 and 30, or
in a menu item (e.g., a tab) of a social media network fan page
associated with the contest, as shown in FIG. 5. The contest index
page displays the prize details and rules of the contest and
contains a like box, which allows a user to begin the process of
starting an advocate for the contest. The user is prompted to
"like" the designated fan page associated with the particular
contest. "Liking" in the context of a social media network, such as
Facebook.RTM., is associated with a user clicking a displayed like
button. Once the like is executed or validated, a "start an
advocate" button, terms and conditions, and contest rules are
displayed to the user as shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 21, and 22. In an
embodiment, the user is also provided an opportunity to opt-in an
email mailing list. The opt-in button is displayed as a check box
under the "start an advocate button" and allows the user to sign-up
to the sponsoring entity's email list as shown in FIG. 6. The names
and email addresses of users who check the opt-in box are saved in
the application database and presented to the client at the
expiration of the contest.
[0075] Once the user clicks the "start an advocate button," a
standard social media network request for permission dialog box is
displayed to a new user who has not previously used the application
as shown in FIG. 8. The permission dialog box prompts the user to
decide whether to allow the application to access personal
information from the user's social media network profile, including
access to the user's profile picture, name, user identification,
gender, and list of friends and permission to send future emails to
the user and friends. The collected email addresses are used to
announce new contests to the users. When the user clicks the allow
button, the application accesses the user's personal information
and completes the registration process. The application does not
again prompt the user to authorize access to the personal
information unless, in the future, the user removes the application
from his or her social media network profile settings or when the
application requires access to the information for verification of
the user's registration status and/or for miscellaneous tracking
purposes. The application captures and stores the data in a
database accessible by the company, the company's agents, or any
entity assigned access. The application processes the stored
personal information to inform users of future contests and to
analyze past contest and associated campaigns.
[0076] Once the application is allowed to access the personal
information, the application prompts the user to share his or her
advocate with friends and/or any other contacts. A social media
network "post to your wall" dialog box is displayed and comprises
prepopulated text that was entered by the administrator during the
contest setup as shown in FIG. 9. The dialog box allows the user to
post a link of the advocate and a share link thereof on his or her
social media network wall. The post is displayed on the news feeds
of the user's social media network friends as shown in FIG. 10. The
application prompts a second dialog box that allows the user to
send invitations with the share link to friends and contacts for
joining the advocate as shown in FIG. 11.
[0077] The application also directs the user to the application's
share page as shown in FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 13. The share page is
customized to the individual advocate and displays, for example,
the time left in the contest, the user's ranking in the contest,
and a face pile--a collection of profile pictures of the user's
social media network friends who have joined the advocate. The
share page also includes prompts for the user to invite friends to
the advocate. The invitation comprises a social media network link
such as a Facebook.RTM. link that opens the "post to your wall" and
"invite friends" dialog boxes, a Twitter.RTM. link that opens a
"what is happening" Twitter.RTM. dialog box as shown in FIG. 14, or
an email link that opens a prewritten email message prompting the
recipient to join the sender's advocate as shown in FIGS. 15 and
16. A share link is included in the sharing tools from this share
page. The share link identifies the advocate and directs any
referral user who clicks on the link to the advocate. An online
coupon code is also used as another incentive to participate and is
displayed on the share page. When the user likes the sponsoring
entity's social media network fan page and starts an advocate, the
application rewards the user with a coupon code for a product or
service provided by the sponsoring entity and/or the company
administering the application. The application creates a coupon
link for one of or all of the contests. The application directs the
user to an external website of the sponsoring entity's choosing
when the coupon is clicked over. The click on the coupon is counted
in the analytics page.
[0078] In a referral user flow embodiment, a recruit who joins an
existing advocate begins using the application in the referral user
flow. A user who is recruited by a non-referral user is considered
a referral user. A recruit is directed to the application via the
share link uniquely assigned to the advocate. When the non-referral
user shares the advocate as described above, the share link can be
distributed by any platform on the Internet including but not
limited to Facebook.RTM., Twitter.RTM., and email. The application
tracks a user connecting to the application via the share link and
gives credit to the recruiting user, i.e., the contestant or
non-referral user whose advocate is associated with the share
link.
[0079] When a referral user or recruit follows a share link, the
application directs him or her to the contestant's advocate
referral page as shown in FIG. 17. The recruit is prompted to like
the social media network fan page associated with the contest in
order to help the contestant win the contest. If the recruit social
media network likes the page (e.g., connects to the page), the
application prompts the recruit to join the contestant's advocate
as shown in FIG. 18. Upon joining the advocate, the application
credits the recruiting user's or contestant's advocate with a point
or a score to his or her tally for the particular contest. The
tally for the advocate is used to determine the contestant's rank
in the contest while the contest is active and to determine the
winner(s) once the contest expires. The application stores all
points, calculates users' rankings relative to other contestants,
and displays the rankings during the contest to encourage
additional activities and sharing as shown in FIGS. 12A and 20.
[0080] After joining the advocate, the application prompts the
referral user to start his or her advocate for the contest by
taking a designated action, such as a click on a start an advocate
button. Once this action is taken, the application identifies the
referral user as a recruiting user. The application provides the
recruiting user with the opportunity to agree to the contest's
terms and conditions and to start the new advocate. The application
follows a similar flow to the non-referral user flow to process
actions from and return services to the recruiting user.
[0081] In an embodiment, users accessing the application within an
application tab on a company's social media network page or from a
canvas are able to view either a single featured contest of the
company's choice or all available contests, including descriptions
of contest prizes on the application index page as shown in FIG.
19. A contest description includes a countdown, for example a clock
or a timer, indicating the remaining duration of the contest and a
button prompting a user to start an advocate. When the user clicks
the button, the application directs the user to the contest index
page, starting the non-referral user flow.
[0082] In a further embodiment, a user who returns to the
application index page after entering a contest is shown a list of
his or her advocates as depicted in FIG. 20. In an example, the
advocates are listed under an advocate category. The user enters
the advocate share page from the list in order to invite additional
contacts to join the advocates. The link to the advocate also
displays the current tally ranking, which encourages the user to
increase his or her sharing and participation. The user also
returns to the share page to retrieve the coupon code. In other
words, the application continually directs users to their advocate
share pages, which encourages sharing as much as possible.
[0083] The user flow for accessing the contest index page from the
tab on a social media network fan page is similar to the flow for
accessing the contest index page from a canvas page. In the social
media network fan page, the application interface is displayed in a
slightly smaller frame when loaded to the tab. As explained above,
the application and the interface thereto can be embedded on any
platform in addition to the illustrated screen shots.
[0084] In an embodiment, while tracking the number of joins or
referrals for the purpose of awarding a contest winner, the
application tracks several other metrics that can be used in a
billing system associated with the company that administers the
application. The company uses the metrics to employ several unique
billing models.
[0085] In an embodiment, the company can bill clients of the
application, such as the sponsoring entities associated with the
contests, on a cost per social connection (CPSC) basis. CPSC can
also be referred to as cost per fan (CPF) when the application
tracks connections on the social media network platform, such as
the Facebook.RTM. platform. As described herein, tracking
connections is not limited to Facebook.RTM.. The company can charge
a specific amount for each new connection. This CPF billing
capability is unique to the application. The application's tracking
allows for a uniquely accurate CPSC. When the application tracks
connections on the social media network, the company may charge on
an accurate CPF basis.
[0086] In another embodiment and as described above, the
application tracks the number of recruits and/or referrals who join
an advocate. This metric is not only used for awarding a winner for
a specific contest, but is also used by the company as a cost per
recruit (CPR) billing model. As no other contest application
employs the same recruitment based model for determining the
contest winner, the CPR billing model is also unique to the
application.
[0087] In yet another embodiment and as described above, to
participate in a contest or advocate, the application requires a
user to register. For each contest, the application tracks the
number of newly registered users. The company is able to charge the
clients on a cost per application user (CPAU).
[0088] In an embodiment, the application tracks the number of users
that are directed to the application via unique share links managed
by the company as shown in FIGS. 2C and 30. This data allows the
company to charge on a cost per visitor referred (CPVR) basis, in
which the clients are charged based on the number of users who
visit the application via the share links or based on the number of
users who also make a connection with the sponsoring entities.
[0089] In a further embodiment, the application tracks the number
of users who are directed from the application to an external site
associated with the sponsoring entity. For example and as shown in
FIGS. 2C and 12B, the application embeds within a user's page a
coupon-like link address to a website of selected by the sponsoring
entity. The company can charge the clients on a cost per coupon
click (CPCC) basis, in which the clients are charged based on the
number of users who are directed to the external site via the
coupon link. The company may also use the coupon link to track and
charge clients on an affiliate basis for the resulting sales
originating from this link to their products or services.
[0090] In another embodiment, the application acquires email
addresses of users through an email mailing list opt-in button. The
opt-in button can specify the use of the acquired email addresses,
which includes, for example, providing the addresses to the
sponsoring entity of the contest. This allows the company to charge
clients on a cost per email acquisition (CPEA) basis. CPEA can
function as a supplementary billing structure, in which the clients
are charged per email acquired beyond any additional costs accrued
through other billing models.
[0091] FIG. 31 depicts an example computing system wherein aspects
of the present disclosure can be implemented. For example, the
computing system 100 may be a computing device wherein users can
interface with the application. In another example, the computing
system 100 may be a server wherein the application is hosted. In a
basic configuration, the computing system 100 may include at least
a processor 102, a system memory 104, a storage device 106,
input/output peripherals 108, communication peripherals 110, and an
interface bus 112. The interface bus 112 is configured to
communicate, transmit, and transfer data, controls, and commands
between the various components of the computing system 100. The
system memory 104 and the storage device 106 comprise computer
readable storage media, such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, hard-drives,
CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, flash
memory, and other tangible storage media. Any of such computer
readable storage medium can be configured to store instructions or
program codes embodying aspects of the disclosure. Additionally,
the system memory 104 comprises an operation system and
applications. The processor 102 is configured to execute the stored
instructions and can comprise, for example, a logical processing
unit, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, and the
like.
[0092] Further, the input and output peripherals 108 include user
interfaces such as a keyboard, screen, microphone, speaker, other
input/output devices, and computing components such as
digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converters, graphical
processing units, serial ports, parallel ports, and universal
serial bus. The input/output peripherals may be connected to the
processor 102 through any of the ports coupled to the interface bus
112. Finally, the communication peripherals 110 are configured to
facilitate communication between the computing system 100 and other
computing devices over a communications network. The communication
peripherals 110 include, for example, a network interface
controller, modem, various modulators/demodulators and
encoders/decoders, wireless and wired interface cards, antenna, and
the like.
[0093] To understand aspects of the disclosure and without limiting
the disclosure as such, the following paragraphs provide
definitions of certain terms used herein.
[0094] "Application"--Software that is designed to be loaded and
used within a specific context, including but not limited to
specific websites, specific computer operating systems, and
specific computing hardware.
[0095] "Contact"--In terms of a social media network - all of the
social media network users that a given social media network user
has a connection with. These connections allow the users to
communicate with one another electronically, as well as share
information and digital media. A user typically invites another
user to become a contact and that invitation is accepted. Contact
may also refer to more traditional forms of one-to-one connections
between two people, including possession of one another's
addresses, email addresses, or telephone numbers.
[0096] Contest Application Submission ("Submission")--A required
submission of a photo, video, essay, link or some other type of
content that can be judged to determine the winner of the
contest.
[0097] "Judging the Submission"--The process of determining the
winner of a contest. Judging is often based on the number of shares
or votes from other user or by the determination of an expert panel
of some qualification.
[0098] "Google+.RTM."--A social network that is owned and operated
by Google.RTM..
[0099] "Social Media"--Web based and mobile tools that allow social
interaction, the sharing of information, and the creation of
communities through online networks of people including the
creation and sharing of user-generated content. Social media
involves many different outlets, including: collaborative projects
(e.g., Wikipedia.RTM.), blogs and microblogs (e.g., Twitter.RTM.),
content communities (e.g., YouTube.RTM.), social networking sites
(e.g., Facebook.RTM.), virtual game worlds (e.g., World of
Warcraft.RTM.), and virtual social worlds (e.g., Second Life.RTM.).
Social media involves the interplay of many technologies (e.g.,
email, blogs, video, pictures, instant messaging, etc.).
[0100] "Social Media User Account"--A unique account created by an
individual on a social media network. This account allows the
individual to gain access to the social media network as well as to
the application, which may be accessed from the social media
network.
[0101] "Social Media Network Page"--A unique webpage on a social
media network that is associated with and controlled by a social
media user account. Users typically have the ability to make
connections with other social media network pages or users, create
and distribute information or other content, or communicate from
these pages.
[0102] BandWagon Application ("BW App")--The application described
above and includes user interfaces, administrator and operation
functions, payment processes, and all other unique attributes
connected to the application and the business model. The BW App is
software designed to facilitate contests on the Internet. The BW
App is accessed via various webpages on the Internet.
[0103] BandWagon App User ("BW App User" or "Contestant")--Any
individual person who uses the BW App for the purposes of
participating in a contest.
[0104] "Connection"--Any method by which a new communication
channel is established or subscribed to between a BW app user,
referral user, or non-referral user and a sponsoring entity of a
Contest. These communication channels are typically web based and
include, but not limited to, Facebook.RTM. Likes, Twitter.RTM.
Follows, or emails. More traditional communication channels
include, but are not limited to, phone numbers or addresses.
[0105] "Share"--Any method by which a contestant communicates the
existence of his or her advocate to referrals or recruits.
Typically, these communications occur via the Internet (e.g.,
social networking sites, email, and instant messaging) but may also
include tradition modes of communication (e.g., word of mouth, and
writing).
[0106] "Advocate Share Link"--The BW App assigns every advocate a
unique, trackable URL. Contestants share their share links through
a variety of different communication methods. Referral users who
click on the advocate share link are directed to the referral page
of the advocate associated with that link. The BW App uses the
advocate share links to track the number of referrals a contestant
recruits to his or advocate.
[0107] "Contest Share Link"--The BW App assigns every contest a
unique, trackable URL that can be used by the company administering
the BW App to direct non-referral users to specific contests. The
company can share the contest share link through a variety of
different communication methods. The BW App uses this contest share
link to track the number of users the company was able to direct to
a specific contest via the used communication channels.
[0108] "Coupon Link"--The BW App can assign every contest a unique,
trackable URL that directs users from a specific coupon to an
external website associated with a sponsoring entity. The BW App
tracks the number of users that visit the sponsoring entity's
external site via a share page of the contest. The BW App also uses
this link to track sales and create an affiliate program with the
sponsoring entity.
[0109] "Application Registration"--The process that a contestant
follows to register and use the BW App. This process varies
depending on the platform in which the BW App is accessed (e.g.,
from a website, on Twitter.RTM., on Facebook.RTM., etc.).
Registration creates an entry for the contestant in the BW App
database recording information about the contestant. The specific
information captured about each contestant varies from one contest
to another depending on, but not limited to, requirements of a
client, allowances granted by the contestant, allowances granted by
the platform or network on which the BW App is accessed, and any
regulatory privacy requirements.
[0110] "Start BandWagon"--The process in which a contestant enters
a specific contest. A unique advocate is created for that
contestant and for that contest. A contestant creates an advocate
in order to share the associated contest with recruits. The Start
BandWagon action usually involves the contestant clicking on the
"Start Your BandWagon" button within the BW App but may be
designated by another action depending on the platform.
[0111] Join the Advocate BW ("Join the Advocate BW", "Join")--The
process in which a referral user becomes a recruit to another
contestant's advocate by clicking on the "join" button on the
referral page of the BW App. Every join is counted in the BW App
database. The application tracks the joins to determine the size of
the advocate and ultimately to determine the winner(s) of the
contest.
[0112] "Tally"--The number of recruits that join a contestant's
advocate.
[0113] "Tally Ranking"--The ranking of contestants relative to one
another, at the expiration of a contest, based on the tally of
their advocates. Contestants are ranked in first, second, third,
etc. with higher tally rankings given to the users with higher
tallies. Prizes are awarded based upon tally ranking.
[0114] "Grand Prize"--The highest prize level, awarded to one or
more contestants at the expiration of a contest. Contestants with
the highest tally ranking are awarded the grand prize.
[0115] "Secondary Prize"--Any prize that is awarded to a contestant
who has a lower tally ranking than the winner of the grand prize in
a contest. The client determines whether to award secondary prizes
and/or the amount of secondary prizes awarded.
[0116] "General Prize"--A prize that is awarded to all contestants
who create an advocate for a contest.
[0117] "Contest Expiration"--The time and date in which a contest
ends. The contest expiration is determined prior to starting a
contest. Countdown clocks, displayed on the application's index
page and the user's share pages, provide a countdown to the contest
expiration. After a contest expires, winners are chosen based on
the size of users' advocates. A contest may expire at any time if a
maximum number of prizes and/or coupons are distributed.
[0118] Cost Per Social Connection.TM. ("CPSC")--The method by which
the company administering the application bills clients for
services rendered. The application tracks all new connections
between contestants and sponsoring entities. The client is billed
at a contractually agreed upon rate for each connection the contest
was able to generate for the sponsoring entity. Clients under CPSC
contract may not be charged on a per campaign basis, but rather a
set cost for each connection generated, plus any agreed upon
additional fees. The company reserves the right to charge clients
on a per campaign basis or any other method.
[0119] Cost Per Recruit.TM. ("CPR")--The method by which the
company administering the application bills clients for services
rendered. The application tracks all new recruits who join other
contestants' advocates. The client is billed at a contractually
agreed upon rate for each join that occurs during a contest.
Clients under CPR contract may not be charged on a per campaign
basis, but rather a set cost for each join that occurs, plus any
agreed upon additional fees. The company reserves the right to
charge clients on a per campaign basis or any other method.
[0120] Cost Per App User.TM. ("CPAU")--The method by which the
company administering the application bills clients for services
rendered. The application tracks all new contestants who register
to use the application to participate in a contest. The client is
billed at a contractually agreed upon rate for each new contestant
who registers during a contest. Clients under CPAU contract may not
be charged on a per campaign basis, but rather a set cost for each
new contestant, plus any agreed upon additional fees. The company
reserves the right to charge clients on a per campaign basis or any
other method.
[0121] Cost Per Visitor Referred.TM. ("CPVR")--The method by which
the company administering the application charges clients for
services rendered. The application tracks all visitors who were
directed to the application via the unique share links. Clients
under contract to pay on a CPVR basis may be charged for each new
visitor to the application via the unique share links or for each
new visitor to the application via the unique share links who
starts an advocate or makes a connection with the sponsoring
entity. The company reserves the right to charge clients on a per
campaign basis or any other method.
[0122] Cost Per Coupon Click.TM. ("CPCC")--The method by which the
company administering the application charges clients for services
rendered. The application tracks all contestants who were directed
from the application to an external site of the sponsoring entity's
choosing via the unique coupon link. Clients under contract to pay
on a CPCC basis may be charged for each contestant that is directed
to the external site of the sponsoring entity's choosing via the
unique coupon link. The client may also be charged on an affiliate
business as a percentage of sales related to this link. The company
reserves the right to charge clients on a per campaign basis or any
other method.
[0123] Cost Per Email Acquisition.TM. ("CPEA")--The method by which
the company administering the application charges clients for
services rendered. The application has the ability to allow users
to "opt-in" to the sponsoring entity's email mailing list. Clients
under contract to pay on a CPEA basis will be charged for each
email address that is acquired by the application. The company
reserves the right to charge clients on a per campaign basis or any
other method.
[0124] Cost Per Fan.TM. ("CPF")--The method by which the company
administering the application charges clients for services
rendered. The application tracks all new likes for a sponsoring
entity's social media fan page. The client is billed at a
contractually agreed upon rate for each fan the contest was able to
generate for the fan page. Clients under contract to pay on a Cost
Per Fan Basis are not charged on a per campaign basis, but rather a
set cost for each fan generated, plus any agreed upon additional
fees. The company reserves the right to charge clients on a per
campaign basis or any other method. This billing method is similar
to the CPSC billing method described above but in the specific
context of a social media platform for the application.
[0125] "Sponsoring Entity"--Any individual, group, organization, or
company that sponsors a contest for the sake of creating
connections with users. A sponsoring entity may be different from a
client when, for example, the client is an agency hired to
represent the sponsoring entity. For the purpose of this
disclosure, a client and a sponsoring entity may be interchangeable
in some but not all situations.
[0126] "Client"--Any entity that pays for the use of the
application and/or the related services of the company
administering the application. For the purpose of this disclosure,
a client and a sponsoring entity may be interchangeable in some but
not all situations.
[0127] "Contest"--A contest facilitated by and hosted on the
application. Winner(s) of the contest are determined by the ability
of a user to recruit the most number of users to his or her
advocate for each contest. Recruited users are required to first
like the sponsoring entity in order to join a referring user's
advocate.
[0128] "Company"--The legal entity or entities that own(s) and
controls all operations of the application and all affiliated
business.
[0129] "Advocate"--An advocate is each user's entry into a contest.
A contestant has an advocate for each contest that the user
participates in. The advocate is credited a point for every recruit
that makes a connection to the sponsoring entity.
[0130] "Flow"--The process by which administrators, clients,
contestants, referral users, and recruits interface with the
application. This involves any activities or actions performed by
any of the above mentioned users while using the application. Flow
also refers to the transmission of information within the
application, to the application from external sources, or to
external sources from the application. The screen shots and
diagrams described in the figures attempt to give a comprehensive
overview of the flow but may not include all aspects thereof and
this flow may develop over time to accommodate new technologies or
business needs.
[0131] "Non-Referral User Flow"--Similar to flow, except that this
process describes the activities of contestants who use the
application without having been first recruited by another
contestant. Contestants in the non-referral user flow are
non-referral users.
[0132] "Referral User Flow"--Similar to flow, except that this
process describes the activities of recruits who have navigated to
the application via advocate share links. Contestants in the
referral user flow are referral users.
[0133] "Non-Referral User"--An individual who is using the
application without first having been referred to the application
by another contestant via an advocate share link. Even when the
individual is referred by the company, the sponsoring entity, the
client, or any other entity or communication that is not a
contestant, the individual is still referred to as a non-referral
user.
[0134] "Referral User"--An individual or recruit who has navigated
to the application via an advocate share link.
[0135] "Recruit"--Any individual person who has been solicited by a
contestant for the purpose of joining that user's advocate.
Recruits are recruited through the share process.
[0136] "Referral Page"--A page within the application that referral
users are directed to via an advocate share link. This page prompts
referral users to make a connection with the sponsoring entity and
join the referring BW app user's Advocate. This page is unique to
each contest and each advocate.
[0137] "Share Page"--A page within the application where a user is
able to view his or her current ranking in a contest and share his
or her advocate with others--making every share page unique to each
user and his or her specific advocate. A user may have access to as
many share pages as the number of contests that the user has
entered in and has created an advocate for. The share page contains
links that allow the user to share his or her advocate via a social
media network, email, or any other media. The share page also
displays a coupon and/or coupon code for a product or service that
is presented to all users who start an advocate and/or make a
connection with the sponsoring entity.
[0138] "Administrator"--An individual who is given the necessary
access and permissions to use the administrative interface of the
application. An administrator is typically an employee, agent, or
contractor of the company. Administrators have the ability to
start, edit, and cancel all contests using the administrative
interface. Administrators have access to all contests hosted on the
application as well as analytics for those contests.
[0139] "Sub-Administrator"--An individual who is given some form of
limited access as an administrator but maybe given broader control
depending on the contract or agreement between the company and the
client or sponsoring entity. A sub-administrator's access may
include the ability to start, edit, and cancel contests and/or view
various levels of analytics.
[0140] "Application Index"--A page within the application that is
tailored to an individual contestant to show thereto the contests
that he or she has entered and the active contests that the user
has yet to enter. Contestants are able to enter share pages for
contests that they have already entered or start advocates for
contests that they have yet to enter.
[0141] "Contest Index"--A page within the application that displays
prize details for a contest, a link to make a connection (e.g., a
social media like box), and contest rules. This page is where app
users begin the process of starting an advocate. Contestants
navigating to the contest index are directed to the share page if
they have already created an advocate for that particular
contest.
[0142] "Facebook.RTM." (FB)--The social media network and
website.
[0143] Facebook.RTM. Platform ("Facebook.RTM.")--The code
infrastructure of the social media website. The platform allows
developers to create and load new applications to the website to be
accessed by Facebook.RTM. users from Facebook.RTM..
[0144] Facebook.RTM. Users ("FB Users")--Any person engaging with
Facebook.RTM. as defined above.
[0145] Facebook.RTM. Fan Page ("Fan Page")--Any page, presence,
and/or application hosted on the Facebook.RTM. platform as defined
above. This includes fan pages of people, business, and all other
entities that exist on Facebook.RTM..
[0146] Facebook.RTM. Like ("FB Like")--A method for FB users to
broadcast content to their social network and/or to volunteer to
receive content from the fan page administrator. In Facebook.RTM.
parlance, to "like" a company is a verb describing a FB user's act
of clicking a Facebook.RTM. like icon.
[0147] Facebook.RTM. Fan ("FB Fan")--Once a FB user completes the
FB like for a fan page, the user becomes a FB fan of that
particular fan page until some action is taken to rescind the FB
like.
[0148] Facebook.RTM. Share ("FB Share")--FB share is similar to FB
like in that both are methods for FB users to broadcast content to
their social network and/or to volunteer to receive content from
the fan page administrator. In Facebook.RTM. parlance, FB share can
also be referred to as a "like". However, the FB user's act of
clicking a Facebook.RTM. like icon only shares the particular
content referenced (e.g., links, articles, photos, video, etc.) and
not a fan page in general.
[0149] Fan Page Administrators ("FB Administrator")--The company,
organization, person, group of persons, or any other entity that
controls the administration and/or utilizes a fan page.
[0150] Facebook.RTM. Authentication ("FB Allow")--The process of
allowing an application to pull information from a FB user account
and/or authenticating and tracking a FB user with the tools
provided by Facebook.RTM.. This is a similar process as an
application registration but in the specific context of
Facebook.RTM..
[0151] Facebook.RTM. Application ("FB App")--A web application or a
stand-alone piece of software that is designed to be loaded in the
context of Facebook.com. FB Apps can integrate with many aspects
and functions of Facebook including news feed, notifications, and
social plugins. FB Apps can be accessed from various parts of
Facebook.RTM. including a canvas page that the FB App is loaded to
and tabs within user and fan pages. FB Apps are loaded to and
accessed from Facebook but are hosted externally.
[0152] "News Feed"--A list of updates on a FB user's FB home page.
A news feed shows the activities of the FB user's FB friends and
organizations or companies that he or she is a fan of Activities
can include FB shares, status updates, photo and video uploads,
announcement of a FB user's new FB like, and announcement of a FB
user's activities on a FB App.
[0153] "Notifications"--A list on a FB user's Facebook.RTM. page
that alerts the user when other FB users take actions related to
him or her. Notifications include invitations to use a FB App,
friend requests, event invitations, etc.
[0154] "Canvas Page"--A blank page within Facebook.com where
developers can load and run a FB App within the context of
Facebook.RTM..
[0155] "Tab"--Menu on a user's Facebook.RTM. page that allows the
user to navigate to allowed subpages and Apps.
[0156] Facebook.RTM. Contests ("FB Contests")--Contests facilitated
by and hosted on a FB App in the context of Facebook. Contests
require a FB App submission for the sake of contest entry. The
winner of the contest is determined by judging the submission.
Voting in FB Apps is typically tallied by using FB likes for app
submissions.
[0157] Facebook.RTM. Like Box ("FB Like Box")--Part of the
application in which a FB like button is embedded. Users who click
the like button in the FB like box like the client who has
sponsored the specific contest. The application is like-gated
meaning that a user is unable to participate in an advocate.
[0158] Sections may be embodied in, and fully or partially
automated by, code modules executed by one or more computers or
computer processors. The code modules may be stored on any type of
non-transitory computer-readable medium or computer storage device,
such as hard drives, solid state memory, optical disc, and/or the
like. The processes and algorithms may be implemented partially or
wholly in application-specific circuitry. The results of the
disclosed processes and process steps may be stored, persistently
or otherwise, in any type of non-transitory computer storage such
as, e.g., volatile or non-volatile storage.
[0159] The various features and processes described above may be
used independently of one another, or may be combined in various
ways. All possible combinations and subcombinations are intended to
fall within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, certain
method or process blocks may be omitted in some implementations.
The methods and processes described herein are also not limited to
any particular sequence, and the blocks or states relating thereto
can be performed in other sequences that are appropriate. For
example, described blocks or states may be performed in an order
other than that specifically disclosed, or multiple blocks or
states may be combined in a single block or state. The example
blocks or states may be performed in serial, in parallel, or in
some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed from
the disclosed example embodiments. The example systems and
components described herein may be configured differently than
described. For example, elements may be added to, removed from, or
rearranged compared to the disclosed example embodiments.
[0160] Conditional language used herein, such as, among others,
"can," "could," "might," "may," "e.g.," and the like, unless
specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the
context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain
embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include,
certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional
language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements
and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or
that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for
deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these
features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed
in any particular embodiment. The terms "comprising," "including,"
"having," and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in
an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements,
features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term "or" is
used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so
that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the
term "or" means one, some, or all of the elements in the list.
[0161] While certain example embodiments have been described, these
embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not
intended to limit the scope of the inventions disclosed herein.
Thus, nothing in the foregoing description is intended to imply
that any particular feature, characteristic, step, module, or block
is necessary or indispensable. Indeed, the novel methods and
systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other
forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in
the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made
without departing from the spirit of the inventions disclosed
herein. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended
to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope
and spirit of certain of the inventions disclosed herein.
* * * * *
References