JP2002207667A - Electronic bulletin board system utilizing character program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an active electronic bulletin board system by allowing a character on an electronic bulletin board so as to communicate with the user of the electronic bulletin board. SOLUTION: A character program has individual relations with respective users to update information on the character him/herself from the relations with the respective users, and quickens the users to visit by an electronic mail at need while regularly investigating the visiting frequencies of all the users to the electronic bulletin board and those of the respective user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic bulletin board system operated on a network, and more particularly, to an electronic bulletin board system using a character program which has an individual relationship with a user and changes information of the character itself.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electronic bulletin board system is operated by a server computer managed by a business operator. The server computer stores and manages messages sent through a network in a database, and also allows a connecting user to store the message in the database. Provide content.

[0003]

In the current electronic bulletin board system, there are many electronic bulletin board systems in which the number of users has been reduced and no one has posted a message. If there are no users to
The bulletin board will become even less lively.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has a character program resident in an electronic bulletin board system to improve the user's willingness to visit and form a sense of unity between users. With the goal. In order to achieve this object, an electronic bulletin board system according to the present invention includes the following requirements (1) to (7). (1) A server computer that communicates with users through a network, and mediates information exchange between users by an electronic bulletin board. (2) In response to a request from the user, search the database for user information, relation information between the character and the user, and character information. (3) An electronic bulletin board incorporating the information of the requirement (2) is displayed on the user computer. (4) Activate the character program in response to a request from the user. (5) Data transmitted and received between the user and the character program is stored in the database. (6) The data of the requirement (5) updates the relationship information between the character and the user in the database. (7) The relationship information between the character and the user of the requirement (6) updates the character information in the database.

The electronic bulletin board system described in the requirements (1) to (7) includes the following requirements (8) to (9). (8) The decrease in the number of people who visit the electronic bulletin board and the decrease in the frequency of visits update the character information, and the character program sends an e-mail to each user in consideration of the information related to the character to urge the visit. (9) The character program periodically refers to the visit frequency of each user, updates information on the relationship between the user and the character, and considers the relationship between the user and the character to the user whose frequency is low. Send an email to encourage a visit.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS === Configuration of Electronic Bulletin Board System and Explanation of Terms === FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an electronic bulletin board system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Server computer S] is a computer that controls and manages the entire electronic bulletin board system. It connects to the Internet and functions as a WWW server 10 and an e-mail server 20. [User computer A]: Computers scattered throughout the wide area operated by the user and connected to the Internet. The user browses and posts messages, and transmits and receives data to and from the character using the user computer. [Electronic bulletin board 40]: This is a database managed by the database management system DBMS on the server computer S, and stores messages sent from users.

[User information 50]... This database is managed by a database management system DBMS on the server computer S, and stores user information such as a visit history of the user and a message to be posted. The publication request message mentioned here includes all information published on the electronic bulletin board, such as the message text, title, handle name (pen name), and the like.

[Character information 60] is a database managed by the database management system DBMS on the server computer S, and stores information on the relationship between each user and the character and information on the character itself.

[E-mail information 70] ... server computer
This is a database managed by the database management system DBMS on S, and stores a template of an e-mail that the character sends to each user.

=== Information Processing in Use of Electronic Bulletin Board Including Interaction with Character === FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing when a user publishes a message and interacts with a character. . Hereinafter, description will be made according to this flowchart.

<Display of Electronic Bulletin Board> The user connects the user computer to the Internet, and sends out the URL of the message registration screen for posting. When the two are connected, a posting request message registration screen is sent from the server computer S to the user computer A. On this screen, "Message registration corner", "Character information", "Past messages", "Information of the user who wrote the message", "Information on the relationship between the user who wrote the message and the character", "Registration message to be posted" Relationship information between the user who received the screen and the character "is displayed. The "Message Registration Corner" has four entry fields: "Handle Name", "Title", "E-mail", and "Text".
There are two buttons (100).

<Message transmission> After the user fills in the four entry fields and clicks the "post" button, the screen information after the message desired to be posted is transmitted to the server computer S (110).

<Display of Electronic Bulletin Board with Message> The relationship between the user and the character is checked from the database, and the relationship is attached to the handle name.
The screen information of the electronic bulletin board on which the handle name and the message to be posted are entered is sent to the user computer (120).

<Send Action to Character> The user sends an action from the computer to the character program. Here, the action means a button click, a mouse action, or the like that enables the user to communicate with the character (130).

<Judgment of action> The character program determines whether the sent action is “good” or “bad”.
Is determined. When the user sends an action by a button, the button click is given a meaning of “good” or “bad”, and the determination is made. In the case of mouse action, stroking the character displayed on the screen left and right with the mouse means "good", and clicking the character means "bad" (140).

<When the judgment is “good”> When the judgment of the action is “good”, a “good” point of the relationship information between the user and the character is added, which means that the relationship between the two is improved. (150). Then, a "good" point of the character item of the character information is added, and the character itself is improved (160).

<When the judgment is “good”> On the other hand, when the judgment of the action is “bad”, a “bad” point of the relationship information between the user and the character is added, and it is determined that the relationship between the two has become worse. Means (170). Then, a "bad" point of the character item of the character information is added, and the character of the character itself becomes worse (180).

=== Information Processing Regarding E-mail Transmission Based on Visit Frequency Analysis === FIG. 3 shows that a character program sends an e-mail when the frequency of visits to all users or each user to the electronic bulletin board decreases. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of information processing when performing the processing. Hereinafter, description will be made according to this flowchart.

<Determination of Overall Visit Frequency> The visit frequency to the electronic bulletin board is periodically checked (200). If the value has decreased to a certain value, it is determined that "the frequency of visits has decreased", and the character item of the character information, "Lonely shop"
Points are added (210). Further, an e-mail for inviting all users to visit is sent (220).

<Determination of Overall Visit Frequency> On the other hand, as a result of the visit frequency check, if the visit frequency has not decreased to a certain value, it is determined that “visit frequency has not decreased” and the character item of the character information of the character information is determined. Add “Energy” points (23
0).

<Determination of Visit Frequency of Each User> The database is examined to see if any user has a visit frequency lower than a certain value (240). As a result of the investigation, when there is a user whose visit frequency is lower than a certain value, a point of "relational sparseness" of the relation information between the user and the character is added (250). Further, the user is sent an e-mail prompting a visit (260). On the other hand, as a result of the investigation, if there is no user whose visit frequency is lower than a certain value, the process is terminated.

=== Other Applications === <Chat> Chatting may be performed by adding to the electronic bulletin board what is required for the chat function such as an automatic reload function.

<E-mail sent by the character> The character may send an e-mail to a user who visits frequently or an ordinary user.

<Character is a Pet> Characters may be various. For example, a character can be used as a pet and all users of the electronic bulletin board can breed it together. Each user presses a bait button or the like to create an individual relationship with the pet, and the “weight” and “height” of the pet are updated as character information.

<Character is a virtual manager> The character can be used as a virtual manager to make various use of the electronic bulletin board. For example, a message posted in the past may be searched from a database, or a homepage related to the message may be searched.

<Writing on Bulletin Board by Character> A character may write a message on an electronic bulletin board. The message may be related to a past message, or may be a result of automatically searching a homepage related to the past message.

[0028]

According to the electronic bulletin board system of the present invention, the motivation to use the system can be maintained by the interaction between the user and the character. Also, based on log analysis of the visit frequency, the character sends an e-mail to all users if the visit frequency to the electronic bulletin board is decreasing, and if the visit frequency of a certain user is decreased, the character By transmitting the e-mail to the character, the electronic bulletin board can be prevented from being left unattended and activated. The character of the character is formed from the frequency of visits to the electronic bulletin board and the relationship between each user and the character. Therefore, all users have changed the character and behavior of the character, and it is possible to support the sense of unity of the entire user.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic bulletin board system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of information processing when a user publishes a message and interacts with a character in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of information processing when a character program transmits an e-mail when the frequency of visits of all users or each user to the electronic bulletin board has decreased in one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 S server computer A user computer DBMS database management system 10 WWW server 20 character program 30 e-mail server 40 electronic bulletin board 50 user information 60 character information 70 e-mail information

Claims (2)

[Claims] An electronic bulletin board system has the following requirements (1) to (7). (1) A server computer that communicates with users through a network, and mediates information exchange between users by an electronic bulletin board. (2) In response to a request from the user, search the database for user information, relation information between the character and the user, and character information. (3) An electronic bulletin board incorporating the information of the requirement (2) is displayed on the user computer. (4) Activate the character program in response to a request from the user. (5) Data transmitted and received between the user and the character program is stored in the database. (6) The data of the requirement (5) updates the relationship information between the character and the user in the database. (7) The relationship information between the character and the user of the requirement (6) updates the character information in the database. 2. The electronic bulletin board system according to claim 1, comprising the following requirements (8) to (9). (8) The decrease in the number of people who visit the electronic bulletin board and the decrease in the frequency of visits update the character information, and the character program sends an e-mail to each user in consideration of the information related to the character to urge the visit. (9) The character program periodically refers to the visit frequency of each user, updates the relationship information between the user and the character, and considers the relationship between the user and the character to the user whose frequency is decreasing. Send an email to encourage a visit.