U.S. patent application number 14/824021 was filed with the patent office on 2016-05-12 for gamification for online social communities.
The applicant listed for this patent is Lithium Technologies, Inc.. Invention is credited to Michael Wu.
Application Number | 20160132973 14/824021 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50733350 |
Filed Date | 2016-05-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160132973 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wu; Michael |
May 12, 2016 |
Gamification for Online Social Communities
Abstract
A computer server system provides an online community for
customers of a business entity. A first level feedback module
provides visual feedback to each user in a user interface for the
online community, which quantifies each user's interaction with the
community. A notification module sends an electronic message to a
user when the user's interaction is below a predefined threshold
rate. A second level feedback module calculates second level
metrics that quantify other users' evaluations of postings to the
online community by a first user. Visual feedback of the second
level metrics is provided. A third level feedback module awards a
designated achievement badge to users whose interaction metrics
exceed predefined threshold values, and displays the achievement
badge in the user interface. The system promotes a high level of
user participation in the online community and thereby contributes
to a low cost of technical support provided by the business
entity.
Inventors: |
Wu; Michael; (Oakland,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lithium Technologies, Inc. |
San Francisco |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
50733350 |
Appl. No.: |
14/824021 |
Filed: |
August 11, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13848706 |
Mar 21, 2013 |
9105044 |
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14824021 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
463/42 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 50/01 20130101;
G06Q 30/0231 20130101; A63F 13/35 20140902 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 50/00 20060101
G06Q050/00; A63F 13/35 20060101 A63F013/35 |
Claims
1. A computer server system, comprising: one or more servers
maintained by a business entity to host an online community that
discusses products or services provided by the business entity,
wherein each of the one or more servers includes one or more
processors, memory, and one or more programs stored in the memory,
the one or more programs including a first level feedback module, a
notification module, a second level feedback module, and a third
level feedback module, and a participation measurement module,
wherein: the first level feedback module is configured to provide
visual feedback in a user interface for the online community, the
visual feedback quantifying each user's interaction with the online
community according to one or more first level metrics that measure
cumulative postings to the online community, wherein the visual
feedback for new users to the online community is in a first format
and the visual feedback for users who are not new users to the
online community is in a second format distinct from the first
format, and users are classified as new users of the community
based on predefined new user criteria; the notification module is
configured to send an electronic message to a respective user when
the user's interaction with the online community is below a
predefined threshold rate, the electronic message sent over a
communication channel distinct from the online community; the
second level feedback module is configured to calculate a plurality
of second level metrics, wherein each second level metric
quantifies other users' evaluations of postings to the online
community by a first user, and wherein the second level feedback
module is configured to provide visual feedback of the second level
metrics to the first user in the user interface for the online
community only when the first user is not classified as a new user
according to the new user criteria; the third level feedback module
is configured to award a designated achievement badge to users
whose first and second level metrics exceed a predefined set of
threshold values, and to display the achievement badge in the user
interface for the online community; and the participation
measurement module provides metrics that measure participation in
the online community and measure reduction in technical support
costs for the business entity in relation to participation in the
online community.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The disclosed implementations relate generally to online
social communities, and more specifically to increasing user
participation in those communities using techniques of
gamification.
BACKGROUND
[0002] An online community is a web site designed for users to
interact with each other, usually with some common theme. Unlike a
traditional website, in which the website owner controls all of the
content, an online community enables and encourages users to
participate in the content. Users post comments, replies to
comments, questions, and answers to other users' questions; more
experienced users develop articles and knowledge bases, and lead
forum discussions or blogs.
[0003] Business entities now recognize the value of having an
online community for the business. In this case, the community
focus is on the products or services of the business, and users
participate in the community just like any other online community.
While online communities can be beneficial for marketing, online
communities are not just a marketing gimmick. For example, real
users post real questions, and the questions are frequently
answered by other users in the community. Typically the users are
customers (or prospective customers) of the business entity.
[0004] Online communities for business entities produce a positive
return on investment in several ways. First, because some users are
obtaining answers to their questions from the online community, it
reduces the cost for technical support provided by the business
entity. In addition, the online discussions and comments become
part of the web, and are indexed by search engines, so a good
online community is one effective tool to achieve search engine
optimization (SEO).
[0005] The usefulness of an online community, however, depends on
the active involvement of the users. Sometimes a user may visit the
website for the online community one time, and not return. Other
users may access the website only when there is an immediate
pressing question. Therefore, there is a need to promote greater
user participation in the online communities provided by business
entities.
SUMMARY
[0006] Disclosed implementations of the present invention address
the problems of user participation in online social communities by
providing appropriate positive feedback using techniques of
gamification. When users receive positive feedback about their
involvement with the community, it encourages them to participate
even more. New visitors receive enough feedback to encourage then
to return to the community; intermediate users receive recognition
for their assistance to others; and some users reach the level
where they receive special recognition of their significant
contributions to the community. Importantly, disclosed
implementations utilize a continuum of feedback mechanisms, where
appropriate mechanisms are highlighted in accordance with each
user's proficiency and ability.
[0007] According to some implementations, a computer server system
provides an online community for customers, and prospective
customers, of a business entity. Each of the servers has one or
more processors and memory, and the memory stores one or more
programs. The system includes a first level feedback module
configured to provide visual feedback to each user in a user
interface for the online community. The visual feedback quantifies
the respective user's interaction with the online community
according to one or more first level metrics. The system includes a
notification module configured to send an electronic message to a
respective user when the user's interaction with the online
community is below a predefined threshold rate. The electronic
message is sent over a communication channel distinct from the
online community. The system includes a second level feedback
module configured to calculate a plurality of second level metrics.
Each second level metric quantifies other users' evaluations of
postings to the online community by a first user. The second level
feedback module is configured to provide visual feedback of the
second level metrics to the first user in the user interface for
the online community. The system includes a third level feedback
module configured to award a designated achievement badge to users
whose first and second level metrics exceed a predefined set of
threshold values. The achievement badge is displayed in the user
interface for the online community. The three feedback modules and
the notification module promote a high level of user participation
in the online community and thereby contribute to a low cost of
technical support provided by the business entity.
[0008] In some implementations, as users receive higher level
feedback, the lower level feedback mechanisms are de-emphasized or
removed from the user interface entirely. For example, when a user
has received badges or awards for contributions to an online
community, simple feedback of "points" or a leader board are
typically not needed. The user is receiving an intrinsic reward for
her community contributions, and does not need an extrinsic point
system "reward." In this way, the feedback mechanisms are used when
needed, but withdrawn as appropriate to reduce over-reliance on
unsustainable extrinsic rewards.
[0009] In some implementations, the computer server system further
includes a reputation module configured to communicate achievement
badges with online social media other than the online community and
verify the authenticity of those badges, thereby making a user's
reputation within the online community portable to the other online
social media.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates the context in which some implementations
of the present invention operate.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an analytic server in
accordance with some implementations.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a user computing device in
accordance with some implementations.
[0013] FIG. 4 provides a feedback spectrum, illustrating the
various characteristics of feedback techniques in accordance with
some implementations.
[0014] FIGS. 5A and 5B are functional block diagrams illustrating
feedback processes implemented in an online community in accordance
with some implementations.
[0015] Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts
throughout the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF IMPLEMENTATIONS
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates the context in which implementations of
the present invention operate. A business entity 120 provides
products or services. To support the business, the business entity
120 maintains a website 122, operated by one or more website
servers 300. The business website 122 typically includes marketing
web pages 128 as well as a sales interface 126 to enable users 100
to purchase the products or services provided by the business
entity 120. In some implementations, the website 122 includes
access to online technical support 124, which may provide immediate
support (e.g., online chat with a technical support specialist),
access to an automated process flow for answering questions, access
to a knowledge base, or a forum to post questions. In some
implementations, the online technical support 124 is integrated
with the online community 130. Many business entities also provide
phone technical support 150, where users or customers speak
directly to a technical support person.
[0017] As described in more detail below, some business websites
122 include an online community 130, which is a joint collaboration
between the business entity 120 and the users 100. An online
community typically includes topic forums where users post and ask
questions, a knowledge base providing detailed solutions to various
problems or issues, discussion boards on topics related to the
products or services of the business 120, articles provided by
individual users recognized as experts in the community,
recommendations from users (e.g., recommendations for products to
use as well as products to not use for specific circumstances), and
so on. An online community can be an effective way to get answers
to immediate questions (e.g., "what skin care product should I use
to resolve a specific condition?") as well as discuss topics of
general interest related to the business (e.g., "I like the
high-end laptop computers provided by the company because . . .
").
[0018] Although the online community 130 is depicted in FIG. 1 as
part of a single website 122, one of skill in the art recognizes
that the website 122 may be implemented by a plurality of distinct
website servers 300, and different portions of the website 122 may
be hosted at different physical locations. For example, a business
entity may manage the main content of its website (e.g., sales 126
and marketing 128), but may outsource the online community 130 to a
third party provider.
[0019] Users 100 access the business website 122 using various
computers or computing devices 102. A computing device 102 can be a
desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, PDA,
Smartphone, or any other electronic device that includes a web
browser 104 and a communication interface 204 to connect to other
computers over a communication network 106, such as the
Internet.
[0020] One way to find resources on the Internet or other
communication network is to use a search engine 140. A search
engine 140 continuously (or at least frequently) crawls the web to
identify and index the available information. In particular, search
engines identify the information on the business website 122,
including the information associated with the online community 130.
For example, if a user 100 posts a question on a forum in the
online community 130, and another user posts an answer to the
question, the search engine indexes those postings, which makes it
easier for other users 100 to find that information. For example,
when a user 100 is searching for an answer to a question (e.g.,
"what type of wood should I use to build a small deck in my back
yard?"), the search engine may identify a discussion about that
topic on a community forum, and provide the user with a link to
that forum.
[0021] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a user 100 can connect to phone
technical support 150 using a telephone 108. Some users 100 have
telephones 108 that are Smartphones with a user interface 110,
although desktop phones and other hard wired telephones 108 would
work as well. Although telephone 108 and user computer 102 are
illustrated as two separate devices in FIG. 1, it is well known
that the phone functionality and computing functionality may be
combined in a single electronic device (e.g., Smartphone).
[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a user device 102,
according to some implementations. The user computing device 102
can be a desktop computer, laptop computer, a Smart Phone, or other
mobile device that can connect to other computing devices over a
communication network 106. The user device 102 typically includes
one or more processing units (CPU's) 202, one or more network or
other communications interfaces 204, memory 214, and one or more
communication buses 212 for interconnecting these components. The
communication buses 212 may include circuitry (sometimes called a
chipset) that interconnects and controls communications between
system components. The user computing device 102 also includes a
user interface 206 comprising a display device 208 and input
devices 210 (e.g., keyboard, mouse, touch screen, keypads, etc.).
The memory 514 includes high-speed random access memory, such as
DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or other random access solid state memory
devices; and may include non-volatile memory, such as one or more
magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash
memory devices, or other non-volatile solid state storage devices.
The memory 214 may optionally include one or more storage devices
remotely located from the CPU(s) 202. The memory 214, or
alternately the non-volatile memory device(s) within the memory
214, comprises a computer readable storage medium. In some
implementations, the memory 214 stores the following programs,
modules and data structures, or a subset thereof: [0023] an
operating system 216 that includes procedures for handling various
basic system services and for performing hardware dependent tasks;
[0024] a communication module 218 that is used for connecting the
user computing device 102 to other computer systems via the one or
more communication interfaces 204 (wired or wireless) and one or
more communication networks 106, such as the Internet, other wide
area networks, local area networks, metropolitan area networks, and
so on; [0025] a user interface module 220 that receives commands
from the user via the input devices 210 and generates user
interface objects in the display device 208; [0026] a web browser
104 that enables a user to access to access resources, web pages,
and web applications over a communication network; [0027] an online
community interface 222, providing access to the online community
130 at the business website 122. In some implementations, online
community interface 222 executes within the web browser 104; other
implementations provide a community application that executes on
the user device 102 outside of the web browser 104; and [0028]
client data 224, such as cookies or other data saved locally and
used by the online community interface 222.
[0029] Each of the above identified elements may be stored in one
or more of the previously mentioned memory devices, and corresponds
to a set of instructions for performing a function described above.
The set of instructions can be executed by one or more processors
(e.g., the CPUs 202). The above identified modules or programs
(i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate
software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various subsets
of these modules may be combined or otherwise re-arranged in
various implementations. In some implementations, the memory 214
may store a subset of the modules and data structures identified
above. Furthermore, the memory 214 may store additional modules and
data structures not described above.
[0030] Although FIG. 2 shows a user computing device 102, FIG. 2 is
intended more as a functional description of the various features
which may be present in a user device than as a structural
schematic of the implementations described herein. In practice, and
as recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, items shown
separately could be combined and some items could be separated.
[0031] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a website server 300,
according to some implementations. A website server 300 typically
includes one or more processing units (CPU's) 302, one or more
network or other communications interfaces 304, memory 314, and one
or more communication buses 312 for interconnecting these
components. The communication buses 312 may include circuitry
(sometimes called a chipset) that interconnects and controls
communications between system components. The website server 300
optionally includes a user interface 306 comprising a display
device 308 and input devices 310 (e.g., keyboard, mouse, touch
screen, keypads, etc.). The memory 314 includes high-speed random
access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or other random access
solid state memory devices; and may include non-volatile memory,
such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk
storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid
state storage devices. The memory 314 optionally includes one or
more storage devices remotely located from the CPU(s) 302. The
memory 314, or alternately the non-volatile memory device(s) within
the memory 314, comprises a computer readable storage medium. In
some implementations, the memory 314 stores the following programs,
modules, and data structures, or a subset thereof: [0032] an
operating system 316, which includes procedures for handling
various basic system services and for performing hardware dependent
tasks; [0033] a communication module 318, which is used for
connecting the website server 300 to other computers via the one or
more communication interfaces 304 (wired or wireless) and one or
more communication networks 106, such as the Internet, other wide
area networks, local area networks, metropolitan area networks, and
so on; [0034] an optional user interface module 320, which receives
commands from the user via the input devices 310 and generates user
interface objects in the display device 308; [0035] a web server
module 322, which receives resource requests (e.g., HTTP requests)
and returns web pages or other resources to the requestor. The web
server module may run Apache Tomcat, Microsoft.RTM. Internet
Information Server, or other similar software; [0036] an online
technical support module 324, which provides a user interface for
users ask questions and respond to those questions. In some
implementations, the technical support module 324 is fully
automated, but in other implementations, the technical support
module includes support personnel, who may communicate with users
through online chat, email, etc. to answer questions. The technical
support module 324 provides the functionality for the online
technical support 124 for the website 122; [0037] a community
analytic module 326, which computes various metrics to quantify
users' interactions with the online community 130, and to provide
various feedback to encourage greater participation by users.
Included in the community analytic module 326 is a first level
feedback module 328, which computes metrics that quantify a user's
direct involvement with the community. For example, the metrics may
include number of postings, number of postings on distinct topics,
number of questions asked, number of responses to other users'
questions, and so on. The first level metrics are displayed for
each user in the user interface so that each user has quantified
feedback. In some implementations, the feedback for the first level
metrics includes a ranking or comparison with other users.
Generally, such feedback is provided for a relevant subset of the
users. For example, a comparison of website activity for "newbies."
(If would not be particularly useful or helpful to compare the
activity of newbies to the activity of users who have been
contributing to the community for a long time.) The community
analytic module 326 also includes a second level feedback module
330, which includes a set of second level metrics that quantify a
user's interactions with the community based on the evaluations of
other users. For example, the second level metrics identify the
number of postings by each user that have received kudos from
others, the number of postings that have been designated as
accepted solutions, the number of postings that have been nominated
for incorporation in a knowledge base (sometimes called a "tribal
knowledge base" or "TKB"), the number of knowledge base articles
written by each user, and so on. The analytic module 326 provides
feedback to each user about the second level metrics in the user
interface for the online community 130. The community analytic
module 326 also includes a third level feedback module 332, which
defines certain awards based on various combinations of the first
and second level metrics. For example, an award may be defined that
includes all users who have been received 50 kudos for their
postings, had 20 responses nominated for knowledge base articles,
and have been active in the community for at least a year.
Implementations generally support award definitions that are
configurable and enable multiple such awards, each with its own
definition. In general, multiple people can receive a specified
award, as long as each user meets the criteria. Some awards
specifically include a limit on the recipients, such as the first
person this year to meet certain criteria, or the first N people to
meet the criteria, where N is a positive integer. The awards are
sometimes referred to as badges or meta-badges depending on the
criteria required to receive the award. The Community analytic
module 326 displays the awards in the user interface, either
privately (only the user sees her own awards), publicly (everyone
can see the awards), or semi-privately (only a relevant limited set
of people sees each award); [0038] a notification module 334, which
notifies users 100 of specific events or conditions. In some
implementations, the notification module alerts people of upcoming
events that might be of interest. In some implementations, the
first level feedback module 328 uses the notification module to
notify a user when his involvement with the community 130 falls
below a threshold rate. For example, if a user 100 has visited the
community only one time in the current week (or current month,
etc.), the notification module 334 may alert the user 100 of
relevant items of interest, such as new knowledge base articles,
new postings relevant to user's prior expressed interests, etc. The
first and second level feedback modules 330 and 332 may also use
the notification module to let the user 100 know that she is close
to achieving a certain threshold level (e.g., 10 postings for the
month). [0039] a reputation module 336, which tracks the
recognition each user has received from the community 130 (e.g.,
badges), and provide that recognition to other social media outside
of the community. This can be particularly useful to a user 100 who
has been very active in the community, and would like the earned
reputation to carry over to other social media. The reputation
module 336 both provides the reputation data, as well as a means to
verify or authenticate the reputation. For example, a user 100 may
be uniquely identified within a community by an email address, and
the reputation module can verify that the user 100 with a certain
email address has specific achievements within the community.
Conversely, the reputation module 336 can utilize earned reputation
from external social media, and incorporate it into the profile
information, ranking, etc. for the user in the present online
community 130. [0040] A database 338, which stores data for the
website 122. The database 338 may include relational database(s),
non-relational database(s), file server(s), and/or other storage
means such as cloud storage; [0041] the database 338 stores product
and services data 340 for the business entity 120. This includes
descriptions of products, pricing, availability, store locations,
and so on; [0042] the database 338 stores sales data 342 for the
business entity 120, including web pages that provide an online
store for the products and services of the business entity 120, as
well as orders for products and services placed by users 100;
[0043] the database 338 stores marketing data 344, which provides
details about products and services, special sales events, and so
on. In some implementations, the marketing data is combined with
the product and services data 340 and/or the sales data 342; [0044]
the database 338 stores user information 346 for each user 100,
including a user ID (e.g., an email address) and password, certain
profile information (which may be optional), and a set of user
preferences. The user preferences 346 may specify user interface
features, what topics are of interest to the user, what
notifications are allowed (e.g., notifications of upcoming events),
and so on; [0045] the database 338 stores community forum and
discussion board data 348, including both the web pages used to
implement forums and discussion boards, as well as the comments,
questions, and answers provided by the users 100. The forum data
348 also includes metadata, such as the author of each posting, the
time of the posting, what posting it is responding to (if any), and
topic associated with the posting (supplied by the user or inferred
from the posting by natural language processing or subsequent human
categorization), links to subsequent responses, and so on; [0046]
the database 338 stores community metric data 350, which includes
all of the metric data tracked or computed by the first, second,
and third level feedback modules 328, 330, and 332. Like the
community forum and discussion board data 348, the community metric
data 350 includes metadata that specifies when it was computed, how
it was computed (when appropriate), and so on; [0047] the database
338 stores community ranking/badges/awards 352, both current and
historical. Some items are temporal in nature (such as ranking), so
some implementations store history of the rankings, making it is
possible to look at what the rankings were at any point in the
past. Typically, once badges are earned or awarded, they are not
rescinded (unless due to error), so historical data is limited. On
the other hand, awards may occur periodically (e.g., annually). For
example, a "most valuable contributor" award may be given annually,
so the database 338 tracks who was the most valuable contributor
for each year; [0048] the database 338 stores one or more knowledge
bases 354, which contain information or articles on specific
designated topics. For a small business entity 120, there is
typically a single knowledge base, which can be searched by topic
or keywords. For larger business entities 120, there be two or more
knowledge bases 354, typically for different business units; and
[0049] the database 338 also stores data, information, web pages,
and configuration parameters for many other aspects of the website
122.
[0050] Each of the above identified elements may be stored in one
or more of the previously mentioned memory devices, and corresponds
to a set of instructions for performing a function described above.
The set of instructions can be executed by one or more processors
(e.g., the CPUs 302). The above identified modules or programs
(i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate
software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various subsets
of these modules may be combined or otherwise re-arranged in
various implementations. In some implementations, the memory 314
stores a subset of the modules and data structures identified
above. Furthermore, the memory 314 may store additional modules and
data structures not described above.
[0051] Although FIG. 3 shows a website server 300, FIG. 3 is
intended more as a functional description of the various features
that may be present in a set of servers than as a structural
schematic of the implementations described herein. In practice, and
as recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, items shown
separately could be combined and some items could be separated. For
example, the database 338 and corresponding data in FIG. 4 could be
implemented on a set of database servers separate from the other
modules, or the web server module could be implemented on a
separate set of designated web servers. The actual number of web
site servers 300 used and how features are allocated among them
will vary from one implementation to another, and may depend in
part on the amount of data traffic that the system must handle
during peak usage periods as well as during average usage
periods.
[0052] Each of the methods described herein may be implemented by
instructions that are stored in a computer readable storage medium
and that are executed by one or more processors of the website
servers 300 or user computing devices 102. Each of the functional
operations shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, or in the figures below may
correspond to instructions stored in a computer memory or computer
readable storage medium.
[0053] FIG. 4 illustrates a spectrum of feedback techniques that
are applicable to keeping users engaged in an online community 130.
Some feedback techniques are useful and effective to get new
visitors engaged with the community (the left side of FIG. 4), and
as a user 100 becomes more involved, other feedback techniques play
a more important role (the right side of FIG. 4). Combining both
the short term techniques and the long term techniques is an
effective way to maintain a healthy, resilient community 130. As
users become more involved with the community, the longer term
feedback mechanisms are emphasized, and the shorter term feedback
mechanisms are de-emphasized or eliminated entirely. Using this
holistic approach rather than isolated feedback mechanisms provides
an overall scalable architecture that is sustainable.
[0054] In some implementations, a user has some control of the
feedback mechanisms as well, using user preferences 346. For
example, some users may wish to turn off display of a point tally
or a leader board, even before receiving any metabadges or awards.
On the other hand, some users may prefer to continue receiving the
simple feedback even after substantial involvement with the
community.
[0055] On the left in FIG. 4 are seven characteristics for
evaluating the various feedback techniques. At the top is the time
scale of reinforcement 414. Some of the feedback techniques are
effective for immediate feedback (e.g., does a visitor stay at the
website 122 right now, or navigate to one of the millions of other
websites on the Internet; does the visitor return to the website
122 during the week after the initial visit; etc.). Other feedback
techniques keep long time user engaged in the community.
[0056] The second characteristic is the visibility 416 of the
feedback. This ranges from visible only to an individual user 100
to being visible to everyone in the community or even beyond the
community. The third characteristic in FIG. 4 is the type of
behavior 418, ranging from individual actions (e.g., posting a
single question to a forum) to many interrelated actions. The user
actions are also measured using various metric types 420. Some
simple metrics are just cumulative (e.g., number of postings my a
user 100), but over time a more important metric is the frequency
of postings, frequency of postings on related topics, or other more
complex metrics.
[0057] The feedback techniques have some susceptibility to "gaming"
422, such as a user making bogus or duplicate postings that are
counted as involvement with the website. Other feedback techniques
are less susceptible to gaming, typically because the feedback
metrics require the involvement of other users. For example, other
users are not going to give kudos to bogus or duplicate postings.
Another important characteristic of feedback metrics is the value
to the user 424. The term "value" here is used in a social sense,
not money. Some feedback has little intrinsic value, but the
long-term feedback techniques recognize a person's valuable
contributions to a community. Finally, some feedback techniques are
more sustainable 426 than others. For example, just quantifying a
person's postings has little value when a person posts for the
200th time. On the other hand, when a person receives public
recognition for valuable contributions to a community, the
recognition is frequently sufficiently value to sustain
interest.
[0058] One simple feedback technique is a "point" system 402 or
other metric that quantifies direct involvement by a user 100 in an
online community 130. In some implementations, there is a single
point system, but different numbers of points are added to a user's
cumulative total based on the type of interaction. For example,
posting a question or comment may be worth a single point, whereas
posting an answer to another person's question might be worth 2
points. Some implementations also assign additional points when a
posting receives kudos or other recognition from other users. For
the time scale characteristic 414, a simple point simple has
immediate, short term feedback 428. The points for involvement are
typically shown only to the individual user 100, so the visibility
is private 434. Typically, a point system 402 is based on single
actions 440, such as making a posting, and the points accumulate
446. This sort of immediate and direct feedback helps to jump start
a user's involvement in the community because the user is being
"rewarded" for the behavior. Of course, receive points 402 is an
extrinsic reward with little or no intrinsic value 460.
Furthermore, accumulating points based on individual actions can be
achieved by gaming 454 the system. For example, even nonsensical
questions, comments, or alleged "answers" would count as postings
and receive points. Finally, a point system by itself does not
sustain 466 long term interest in the online community 130. For
example, after obtaining hundreds (or thousands) of points, there
is little incentive to earn more points.
[0059] Further along the feedback spectrum are simple badges 404. A
simple badge is recognition for achieving a certain threshold value
of points or involvement for a single metric. For example, a badge
may be awarded when a user posts a message (question, answer,
comment, etc.) to the online community 130 for the 20th time.
Badges can also issued for achieving a certain quantity metric
within a specified period of time, such as ten postings within a
week. In some implementations, simple badges can be awarded in
stages, such a first stage badge after 20 points, a second stage
badge after 100 points, a third stage badge after 500 points, etc.
The time scale 414 is slighter longer for simple badges 404,
because a user 100 does not receive a badge for a single action.
Like a point system, simple badges 404 are typically visible only
to the individually user (434). Unlike a simple point system, where
a user sees feedback for actions immediately, a badge requires a
sequence of actions 472. The metric 420 for a simple badge 404 is
based on total accumulative interaction, just like a point system
402. Despite requiring a greater number of user actions to receive
a simple badge 404, a simple badge has many of the same drawbacks
as a simple point system 402: it is still relatively easy to game
454 the system with irrelevant postings, and there is no intrinsic
value (460). Simple badges 404 are slightly more sustainable 466
than a simple point system, particularly with tiered badges where
each tier requires progressively more involvement with the
community.
[0060] Leader boards 406 take metrics, and make the data available
to groups of people within the community. on the time scale 414, a
leader board 406 is in an intermediate reinforcement technique in
the continuum 430. In particular, a user is now competing against
others in the community, rather than just reaching a target like
simple badges 404. In some implementations, a leader board is
public (436) to everyone within the online community 130; in other
implementations, a leader board is public (436) to a certain subset
of the community 130 based on various criteria. For example, there
may be a leader board for each general topic area, and the leader
board for a topic area may limit visibility to those who have been
involved with that topic area. In some implementations, leader
boards are designated based on other demographic criteria, such as
geographic location, or length of time involved with the site. For
example, there could be a leader board 406 for users from the San
Francisco bay area who have been involved with the online community
130 for less than 6 months. Again, such a leader board might limit
its availability to users in the same designated group (e.g., users
in New York City would have their own leader board). Sometimes, by
limiting a leader board 406 to a relevant cohort of users, it
increases each users interest and engagement with the online
community 130.
[0061] In some implementations, a leader board 406 is based on
frequency 448 rather than total accumulation. For example, a leader
board could display the most active users for the current week. One
advantage of a frequency approach is that it gives newer users an
opportunity to "compete" with users who have been active for a much
longer period of time. Even a user with thousands of posts will
start at zero for the upcoming week (or month, etc.), and thus all
users are starting at the same starting line. Some implementations
provide both types of leader boards (cumulative and frequency
based), and may provide them together on a single board, or have a
toggle between two or more leader board views.
[0062] Leader boards 406 can still be gamed (422), if they are
based on metrics that use unverified postings. However, online
communities are almost always moderated (i.e., real people review
postings to make sure they are meaningful, non-objectionable,
etc.). If a user managed to get onto a leader board 406 through
bogus or duplicate postings, it is likely that it would not last
for long. Furthermore, a moderator could limit the access
privileges of a user who is not using an online community 130
appropriately, thus preventing a user from repeating the gaming
behavior. Although there is no guarantee that a user on a leader
board 406 has contributed useful comments, questions, or answers to
the community 130, public recognition can have greater intrinsic
value and be more sustainable than simple badges 404. Also, based
on that recognition, some users are prompted to be more active in
the community, and continue to make more useful contributions.
[0063] The higher level forms of feedback identify and promote more
valuable contributions from users. Metabadges 408 utilize metrics
that quantify other people's evaluations of each user
contributions. For example, a user's postings may receive kudos
from other users, a consensus of users may designate a posting as
an accepted solution, users may nominate a posting for a knowledge
base article, or a user may actually contribute a knowledge base
article based on users' agreement that the individual user is an
expert in a certain topic area. Because metabadges 408 are based on
other users' opinions, they are much harder to game 456, have more
social value 462, and are more sustainable 468. Metabadges can be
based on any previous achievement 450 of a user, and are based on
many interactions 442. Some metabadges are based on a set of
thematically related actions, which are typically relatively rare
and unique. For example, for an online community 130 related to
artistic work, the community might award a "critics trophy" for a
user with 50 kudos plus 20 ratings plus 10 reviews plus 10
comments; an "art director medal" could be awarded to a user with
10 images that have received kudos plus 5 videos with kudos; or a
"publisher medal" could be awarded to a user for being the top
poster on a leader board for five consecutive weeks. Metabadges 408
are typically public 436 within the online community 130, but may
be limited to a certain subset of the sets as described above with
respect to leader boards 406. On the time scale 414 continuum 430,
metabadges require a much longer period of time.
[0064] Ranks and reputation 410 are similar to metabadges, but are
typically for a broader set of unrelated actions (442). For
example, an online community could be configures to have a "valued
contributor" rank for users 100 with 50 posts plus 25 kudos+10
accepted solutions; a "trusted contributor" rank for users 100 with
80 posts plus 50 kudos plus 30 accepted solutions plus registered
with the community for more than a year; and a "senior producer"
rank for users 100 with 50 comments plus 30 kudos plus 100 tags
plus 1 publisher medal plus registered with the online community
for more than 2 years. Of course each online community can
configure as many ranks as appropriate and based on appropriate
criteria.
[0065] Ranks typically convey certain privileges the users who
achieve those ranks. For example, a senior producer may be entitled
to have her own blog within the community, or have a designated
forum conducted by individual. In some implementations, a rank is
public only within the community, but other implementations
publicize a person's rank beyond the community (438).
[0066] Some implementations provide feedback in the form of a
portable reputation 412. A portable reputation basically takes rank
or reputation 410 within the community 130, and exports that
reputation to other communities, social media, etc. Achieving a
portable reputation takes a very long time 432 (years), but it is
based almost entirely on reciprocity actions 444 (i.e., making
contributions to others who have recognized those contributions).
Because of the reciprocity metrics, earning a portable reputation
412 is very difficult to game 458, and has long term intrinsic
value 464. Moreover, a person achieves that level because of the
intrinsic desire to contribute to the community 130, and thus it is
long-term sustainable 470.
[0067] To make a reputation portable beyond the community (438),
the reputation module 336 has an interface to export the
rank/reputation to other online communities or social media.
Furthermore, the reputation module 336 can verify a reputation. For
example, another designated online social media site may enter into
a reciprocity agreement with the online community 130. When the
reputation module receives a verification request from the social
media site, the module 336 can confirm the rank for the user (e.g.,
using the user's email address).
[0068] FIGS. 5A and 5B are a functional block diagram of processes
500 implemented on one or more website servers 300 hosting an
online social community 130. The processes 500 provide user
feedback, which results in greater user participation (both number
of participants and extent of participation). Although the blocks
in the diagram are listed in a specific order, they do not
necessarily occur in order or in a similar time frame. For example,
a first user may be receiving first level feedback, a second user
receiving second level feedback, and a third user receiving third
level feedback. The first user may not receive second or third
level feedback for a long time (e.g., months or years), and the
second user may not receive third level feedback for a long time
(e.g., many months, possibly years).
[0069] The process 500 provides (502) an online community for
customers and prospective customers of a business entity. In some
implementations, the process 500 is also applied to non-business
entities, as long as the entity has specific organizational
objectives, and has an online community in which user participation
helps accomplish those objectives. The process is performed (504)
at one or more server computers, each having one or more processors
and memory. The memory stores one or more programs that execute to
perform the process 500.
[0070] The online community provides (506) visual feedback to each
user, using a user interface. In some implementations, there are
user preferences 346 that determine the extent of the feedback or
how it is displayed (e.g., a user may turn off the feedback). The
visual feedback quantifies (508) each user's interaction with the
online community according to one or more first level metrics.
First level metrics compute direct interaction with the community,
and accumulate over time. In some implementations, the one or more
first level metrics includes (510) a metric that quantifies the
number of postings to the online community by each user. Some
implementations further subdivide the count of postings into
different types, such as questions, comments, and answers to other
users' questions. In some implementations, the data for one or more
first level metrics is provided in a leader board.
[0071] In some implementations, the user interface for the online
community displays only first level metrics for new users of the
online community. That is, second and third level metrics
(described below) are not displayed for the new users. For new
users, the higher level feedback mechanisms are beyond reach, and
thus their display could dissuade some new users from
participating. Different implementations identify new users in
various ways. In some implementations, new users are users who have
been registered with the online community for less than a
predefined period of time (e.g., 3 months). In some
implementations, new users are users whose cumulative involvement
with the community is less than a first predefined involvement
threshold. These implementations recognize that a user who is not
very involved with the community is still a new user, even if
registered with the community for a substantial period of time. In
other implementations, new users are users whose involvement with
the community during a preceding predefined span of time is less
than a second predefined involvement threshold. Here, rather than
looking at total cumulative involvement, the computer system looks
only at a certain recent period of time (e.g., the past month).
[0072] A notification module 334 sends (512) an electronic message
to a user when the user's interaction with then online community
falls below a predefined threshold rate. For example, a new
registered user may spend little or no time interacting with the
community during a week. In response, the notification module can
alert the user to interesting information, events, new postings, or
new people available through the community. The focus of the
notification is information related to the known interests of each
user. For example, if a user has indicated an interest in plasma
television sets, the notification module could alert the user that
there is an active discussion board with new postings on that
topic. Generally, the electronic messages sent by the notification
module are sent (514) over a communication channel distinct from
the online community. For example, some implementations support
sending (516) email messages and/or SMS text messages.
[0073] A second level feedback module 330 calculates (518) several
second level metrics. Each second level metric quantifies (520)
other users' evaluations of postings to the online community by a
first user. Unlike a first level metric, a second level metric
incorporates other people's assessment of what the first user has
posted, and thus a second level metric more accurately measures a
person's contribution to the community. For example, in some
implementations, the plurality of second level metrics includes one
or more metrics that measure the number of kudos received for
postings by each user. In another example, some implementations
include a second level metric that measures the number of postings
by each user that are nominated for inclusion in a knowledge base.
The second level metrics can also be computed for specific topic
categories.
[0074] The second level feedback module provides (526) visual
feedback of the second level metrics to each user in the user
interface for the online community. In some implementations, user
preferences 346 control how the data is displayed. In some
implementations, the visual feedback of the second level metrics
includes (528) one or more leader boards. A leader board identifies
the top contributors according to a specific metric, and in some
implementations, provides data for two or more metrics. Some leader
boards include both first and second level metrics. In some
implementations, a leader board is configurable to display desired
metrics, or to toggle between various metrics. In some
implementations, the information on the leader board is filtered
(530) so that the user interface displays information for each
respective user based on a group of other users sharing a set of
demographic characteristics with the respective user. For example,
the demographic characteristics for filtering could include gender,
age, geographic location, length of time as a registered user, or
designated topic areas.
[0075] In some implementations, when the user interface displays
one or more second level feedback metrics, the visual feedback for
first level metrics is diminished. Once a user has reached a higher
level of involvement, there is less need for the first level
feedback, so the first level feedback can be diminished or
eliminated. For example, the first level feedback could be
displayed in a smaller portion of the screen, or a less conspicuous
portion of the screen. In some implementations, the first level
feedback is not directly displayed, but can be brought up using a
user interface control (e.g., a button). In this way, the user can
see the first level feedback if desired, but the first level
feedback is not constantly displayed. Some implementations apply
the same or similar display techniques to the interplay between
second and third level metrics (e.g., not displaying third level
metrics until a user has progressed to the appropriate stage and
diminishing the display of second level metrics when third level
metrics are displayed).
[0076] A third level feedback module 332 awards (532) a designated
achievement badge to users whose first and second metrics exceed a
predefined set of threshold values. The metrics selected as
criteria for an achievement badge (e.g., metabadges 408) and the
corresponding threshold values are configurable for each online
community. Examples of metabadges 408 were described above with
respect to FIG. 4. As illustrated in the examples in FIG. 4, one of
the metrics is the length of time that a user has been registered
with the community. Generally, achievement badges 408 are displayed
(534) in the user interface for the online community, providing
public recognition of a user's contribution to the community.
[0077] As a result of the three levels of feedback, more users
become engaged in the community, and remain engaged in the
community. That is, the feedback mechanisms promote (536) a high
level of user participation in the online community. As a direct
result of user participation in the online community, people who
would otherwise require technical support (phone support 150 or
online technical support 124) are frequently able to get answers to
their questions from the online community 130. Therefore, the three
levels of feedback, by increasing user participation in the
community, contribute (536) to a low cost of technical support
provided by the business entity.
[0078] Some implementations measure the high level of user
participation by comparing an online community with and without the
three levels of feedback. In particular, a high level of user
participation in the online community is computed 538 in some
implementations by having a higher level of user participation that
an alternative online community that does not compute first and
second level metrics, provide visual feedback of the first and
second level metrics, and award achievement badges based on first
and second level metrics exceeding a predefined set of threshold
values.
[0079] In some implementations, the high level of user
participation in the online community further results in (540)
better search engine placement for a website corresponding to the
business entity. Because data from the online community is crawled
and indexed by search engines 140, search engines are more likely
to correlate relevant query search terms with the online community,
thus leading new users to the business website 122, and thus to the
business entity 120. Furthermore, the online community typically
includes lots of valuable information that new users are seeking,
making it more likely that a user will do business with the
business entity.
[0080] Some implementations include a reputation module 336, which
enables a person who has attained various badges or ranks to carry
that reputation over to other online media. For example, the
reputation module 336 can communicate (542) achievement badges with
online social media other than the online community and verify
(542) the authenticity of those badges, thereby making a user's
reputation within the online community portable to the other online
social media.
[0081] The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has
been described with reference to specific implementations. However,
the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms
disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view
of the above teachings. The implementations were chosen and
described in order to best explain the principles of the invention
and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in
the art to best utilize the invention and various implementations
with various modifications as are suited to the particular use
contemplated.
* * * * *