JP7417567B2 - Servers, information processing methods, programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a management server and method for assigning ranks to users, which is applied to social networking services (SNS) and the like.

In general membership systems, etc., points or ranks are given to each user according to the amount spent, and when each user uses a service, benefits such as a discount on the usage fee are given according to each user's points or rank. A membership system that grants membership is known. In this regard, comparing the rank of a user who intends to use the service with the ranks of users who are friends with the user, applying the highest rank and granting benefits when the user uses the service; A management device that manages a website is disclosed (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-30159

In the case of a management device that manages a website in Patent Document 1, the rank of a user is compared with the ranks of other users who are friends with the user, and the best rank is applied to the user. However, in Patent Document 1, it is applied regardless of the relationship between the user and the user who has the highest rank and is friends with the user, so it does not necessarily reflect the reality of the friendship relationship. There may be cases where it is not. For example, simply forming a formal friend relationship with a user who has a higher rank will result in the higher rank being applied, which will not encourage the building of friendship relationships in the original sense, and will not encourage the activities of members, etc. The problem is that it cannot be transformed into a

In view of these problems, the present invention provides a ranking of users that takes into account the user's friendship relationships, thereby encouraging the user to actively build friendship relationships and encouraging the user to enjoy services provided by SNS etc. One of the purposes is to encourage active use.

A management server according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a user evaluation unit that determines a user's personal rank based on the user's personal usage history, and acquires the personal ranks of one or more related users associated with the user. and an overall rank evaluation unit that weights the user's individual rank with each of the individual ranks of one or more related users to derive the user's overall rank.

In another aspect, the overall rank evaluation unit may derive the user's overall rank based on the degree of intimacy between the user and related users.

In another aspect, the degree of intimacy may be calculated based on the number of common friends between the user and the related user.

In another aspect, the degree of intimacy may be calculated based on the frequency of communication between the user and related users.

Additionally, in another aspect, the associated user may be associated with the user in a mutually approved friendship relationship.

In another aspect, the overall rank evaluation unit may derive the user's overall rank based on the duration of the friendship relationship.

In another aspect, the personal rank may also include evaluation performed by adding and subtracting points.

In another aspect, the evaluation performed by adding and subtracting points may be characterized in that when the user uses the service in a manner contrary to a predetermined usage method, the evaluation is performed by deducting points.

In another aspect, the related user evaluation information acquisition unit may also include obtaining the personal rank of an indirectly related user who is further associated with the related user through a friendship relationship.

In another aspect, the overall rank evaluation unit may derive the user's overall rank based on content present information between the user and related users.

Furthermore, in the method for assigning ranks to users according to an embodiment of the present invention, the management server determines the personal ranks of the users based on the user's personal usage records, and The user's overall rank may be derived by obtaining the personal rank of the related user and weighting each of the personal ranks of one or more related users on the user's personal rank.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to encourage users of SNS, etc., to actively build friend relationships, and to encourage users to actively use services provided by SNS, etc.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between a management server that ranks users, which is applied to SNS, etc., a user's terminal device, and an SNS server, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the states of associated users in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the states of associated users in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a process flow when the management server 100 determines an individual rank according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a process flow when the management server 100 derives a comprehensive rank according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing friend relationships between users and their related users in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between related users and indirectly related users in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a situation in which content is presented as a gift between a user and a user related to the user in an embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings and the like. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different modes, and should not be construed as being limited to the contents of the embodiments exemplified below. In this specification and each figure, the same elements as those described above with respect to the previously shown figures are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations may be omitted as appropriate.

[Overview of the management server that assigns ranks to users]
FIG. 1 shows the relationship between a management server 100 that ranks users, which is applied to SNS, etc., and a plurality of user terminal devices 400 and an SNS server 200, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The SNS server 200 provides SNS services to a plurality of user terminal devices 400 and sends and receives information. The SNS services provided by the SNS server 200 include not only chat functions and voice call functions, but also music content download services, online game provision services, food delivery services, taxi dispatch services, fees for SNS services, and affiliated web services. Includes remittance and payment services, etc., such as payments at stores or actual stores.

The management server 100 provides an individual user's overall rank in response to a request from the SNS server 200. Note that in the present invention, a "rank" is given to each user according to the usage status, such as the usage frequency and usage amount of the SNS service and various services affiliated with the SNS service. Depending on the rank, the user can receive discounts on services, issue coupons, improve communication speed, improve voice quality, add additional functions, acquire points, and other services directly or indirectly provided by the SNS server 200. You can get special benefits.

The plurality of user terminal devices 400 may be communication terminals that can be connected to at least the network 300 shown in FIG. 1, and each user terminal device 400 may have different functions. As the user terminal device 400, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a PDA, a personal computer, a wearable terminal, a PHS, etc. can be used.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration in which the management server 100 and the SNS server 200 are connected via the network 300, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the management server 100 and the SNS server 200 may be connected to the network 300 through a separate network or through a dedicated line. Furthermore, the management server 100 and the SNS server 200 are not limited to being physically or functionally separated, and the management server 100 may include some or all of the functions of the SNS server 200, and the SNS server 200 may include some or all of the functions of the management server 100.

<Hardware configuration of management server>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. According to FIG. 3, the management server 100 includes a control section 111, a hard disk 112, and a communication section 113.

The control unit 111 is a central processing unit (CPU).
unit), storage devices such as registers and memory. The control unit 111 causes the CPU to execute a program stored in the memory, and also performs arithmetic processing in response to a command signal from an SNS server or the like.

The hard disk 112 is a storage device that can store a large amount of data, and stores programs and the like necessary for arithmetic processing. Further, the hard disk 112 stores data as a result of arithmetic processing by the control unit 111 and information received from the SNS server 200 temporarily or for a certain period of time.

The communication unit 113 controls transmission and reception of data via the SNS server 200 and the network 300.

<Functional configuration of management server>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. According to FIG. 2, the management server 100 includes a user evaluation section 10, a related user evaluation information acquisition section 20, and a comprehensive rank evaluation section 30.

The user evaluation unit 10 determines a user's personal rank based on the user's personal usage history of various services provided by the SNS service. For example, the user evaluation unit 10 acquires the user's personal usage record information from the SNS server 200, determines the personal rank of each user, and stores the determined personal rank in the hard disk 112 of the management server 100. The determined personal rank may be stored in a database 500 connected to the management server 100 via a dedicated line. Note that the database 500 may be connected to the management server 100 via the network 300, and in this case, it may be connectable from the SNS server 200.

The ranks may be named from top to bottom using predetermined symbols such as SS, S, A, B, . . . F, or may be expressed numerically within a predetermined range. In the following, description will be made using numerical ranks. The larger the rank value, the higher the rank, that is, the greater the profit obtained according to the rank. Conversely, the smaller the rank value, the lower the rank.

When the user starts using the SNS service, the management server 100 gives the user an initial rank value. The initial value of the rank may be the same for all users, or it may have a different initial value depending on the user's SNS service usage conditions at the start of the service, the campaign period set by the SNS service provider, etc. May be given. The rank may increase or decrease depending on the user's usage of the SNS service.

The related user evaluation information acquisition unit 20 acquires the individual ranks of the user and one or more users associated with the user. Here, being "associated" with a user means that the users have some common attribute, such as being friends on the SNS service or belonging to the same group. However, in view of the purpose of the present invention, which is to encourage users to actively use services such as SNS, being "associated" with a user means that the user is associated with a mutually approved friend relationship. It is desirable that the In addition, from the perspective of reflecting the substantial relationship between a user and other users in ranking, being "related" means that the user is associated with a mutually recognized friend relationship. is desirable.

Examples of mutually approved friend relationships include when user A sends a friend request to user B, user B approves the friend request, and a friend relationship is established, or when user A sends a friend request to user B. There is a case where user A sends an invitation message to a group to which he belongs, and user B approves the invitation message and becomes a member of the group.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the states of associated users in the management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, X, Y1, Y2, Y3,...Yn each represent a user. X is connected to Y1, Y2, Y3, . . . Yn by a line, indicating that X is associated with Y1, Y2, Y3, . . . Yn. For example, when the association is a friend relationship, it indicates that X has a friend relationship with n users Y1, Y2, Y3, . . . Yn.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the states of associated users in the management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Also in FIG. 5, X, Y1, Y2, Y3, . . . Yn each represent a user. Looking at Figure 5, users X and Y1, Y2, Y3, ...Yn are surrounded by dotted lines, indicating that users X and Y1, Y2, Y3, ...Yn belong to the same group. It shows.

The overall rank evaluation unit 30 weights the individual rank of the target user with the ranks of one or more people related to the user to derive the overall rank of the user.
<Management server operation>

The operation of the management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the flow of processing when the management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention determines an individual rank. The SNS server 200 transmits a command for determining an individual rank to the user evaluation unit 10 of the management server 100 (S11). The user evaluation unit 10 receives a personal rank determination command from the SNS server 200. The personal rank determination command may include information such as the name, ID, and attributes of one or more users whose personal ranks are to be determined. Further, when receiving the personal rank determination command, the user evaluation unit 10 may receive personal usage record information that includes information on the user's use of SNS services.

Next, the user evaluation unit 10 transmits a current personal rank request command to the database 500 to obtain the current personal rank from the database 500, as necessary.

Next, the user evaluation unit 10 calculates and determines a personal rank based on the personal rank determination command received from the SNS server 200, personal usage record information, and the current personal rank acquired from the database 500 (S12 ).

Next, the user evaluation unit 10 transmits a personal rank update command to the database 500, and transmits the determined personal rank. The database 500 updates the personal rank based on the personal rank update command received from the user evaluation unit 10 and the determined personal rank (S13).

Although FIG. 4 shows an example in which the user evaluation unit 10 performs an operation to determine an individual rank in accordance with an instruction from the SNS server 200, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the personal usage record is stored in a database that can be accessed by the SNS server 200 and the management server 100, and the user evaluation unit 10 is set to periodically determine the personal rank, so that when the user evaluation unit 10 determines the personal rank, It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the database is accessed at the same time.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the flow of processing when the management server 100 derives the overall rank according to an embodiment of the present invention. The SNS server 200 transmits a total rank calculation command to the management server 100 for determining the total rank (S21). The related user evaluation information acquisition unit 20 and the overall rank evaluation unit 30 of the management server 100 may directly or indirectly receive the overall rank calculation command from the SNS server 200.

The related user evaluation information acquisition unit 20 transmits a related user's personal rank request command to the database 500, and obtains the related user's personal rank (S22). The range of related users may be determined based on information or instructions attached to the overall rank calculation instruction received from the SNS server 200.

The comprehensive rank evaluation section 30 acquires the individual rank of the related user from the related user evaluation information acquisition section 20. The overall rank evaluation unit 30 also obtains the individual rank of the user whose overall rank is to be determined from the database 500. Note that the personal rank of the user may be obtained when the related user evaluation information obtaining unit 20 obtains the personal rank of the related user from the database 500. The overall rank evaluation unit 30 derives and determines an overall rank based on the individual rank of the user and the individual ranks of related users (S23). The overall rank evaluation unit 30 transmits the determined overall rank to the SNS server 200.

Note that the method for determining the overall rank is performed using one of the examples of methods for deriving the overall rank described below or a combination thereof. The overall rank evaluation unit 30 may determine the overall rank according to a predetermined overall rank derivation method. Alternatively, the overall rank evaluation unit 30 may determine the overall rank based on a method specified in the overall rank calculation command received from the SNS server 200.
<Example of how to derive overall rank>

A detailed example of the method for deriving the overall rank will be described below.

One method for deriving the overall rank is to simply add up the ranks of multiple people related to the user. In FIG. 4, it is assumed that the user for whom the overall rank is derived is user X, and the users related to user X are users Y1, Y2, Y3, . . . Yn. Then, it is assumed that the personal rank of user X is RX, and the personal ranks of users Y1, Y2, Y3, . . . Yn are RY1, RY2, RY3, . . . RYn, respectively. At this time, the overall rank TRX of user X is expressed as TRX=RX+RY1+RY2+RY3+...+RYn.

Another method of weighting ranks may be to add a certain number of higher ranks from the personal ranks of a plurality of people related to the user. For example, in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the personal ranks of users Y1, Y2, Y3, ...Yn are RY1, RY2, RY3, ...RYn, respectively, and the personal ranks are RY2>RY1>...>RYn>...>RY3. The total rank TRX of user X when the top two ranks are added is expressed as TRX=RX+RY2+RY1.

Further, as a method of weighting other ranks, a method of adding the average value of the individual ranks of a plurality of people related to the user may be used. For example, in FIG. 4, if the individual ranks of n users Y1, Y2, Y3,...Yn are respectively RY1, RY2, RY3,...RYn, the overall rank TRX of user X is TRX=RX+(RY1+RY2+RY3+...+RYn) /n.

<Method of deriving overall rank based on intimacy>
The overall rank evaluation unit 30 of the management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may derive the overall rank based on the degree of intimacy between the user and related users. Below, as examples of deriving the overall rank based on intimacy, a method of calculating based on communication frequency and a method of calculating based on the number of common friends will be explained.

[Calculation method based on communication frequency]
It is considered that the more frequently communication such as messages or voice calls occurs between users who are friends in an SNS service, the higher the degree of intimacy between the users. Table 1 shows the communication frequency and the corresponding value of the correction coefficient α. The correction coefficient α takes a larger value as the frequency of communication increases.

For example, assume that user X has related users Y1, Y2, Y3, ...Yn, and their individual ranks are RX, RY1, RY2, RY3, ...RYn. Further, correction coefficients α corresponding to communication frequencies between user X and related users Y1, Y2, Y3, ... Yn are respectively α1, α2, α3, ... αn. At this time, the total rank TRX of the user X may be calculated as TRX=RX+α1×RY1+α2×RY2+α3×RY3+...+αn×RYn.

For example, if the frequency of communication between user 1.5, α2=0.1. At this time, if the personal ranks RY1 and RY2 of related users Y1 and Y2 are RY1=4.0 and RY2=7.0, respectively, the corrected personal ranks are α1×RY1=6.0, α2× RY2=0.7. In this way, when using the correction coefficient α according to communication frequency to calculate the overall rank TRX, the personal ranks of related users with frequent communication are corrected in the direction of increasing, and conversely, the personal ranks of related users with low communication frequency are corrected. is corrected to decrease.

The method of calculating based on communication frequency is not limited to the method described above. The communication frequency categories and correction coefficient values shown in Table 1 can be changed and applied as appropriate. Alternatively, only the individual ranks of a certain number of related users in descending order of frequency of communication may be used to calculate the overall rank, without using the correction coefficient. Furthermore, if the communication frequency is less than a certain frequency, a method may be adopted in which the communication frequency is not used in calculating the overall rank.

As mentioned above, when calculating the overall rank based on communication frequency, the ranks of related users with whom you communicate frequently will be reflected in the overall rank, so simply use the ranks of related users. It becomes possible to derive a comprehensive rank that is more in line with the actual nature of friendship relationships than in the case of the present invention. Furthermore, since a comprehensive rank that is based on the reality of the user's friendship relationships is derived and applied to various services, it is possible to encourage users to use SNS services. Furthermore, related users with whom you communicate with infrequently can not be considered when deriving the overall rank, or their influence can be reduced, so it is possible to eliminate the incentive to build friendships solely for the purpose of increasing the overall rank. Become.

[Calculation method based on the number of mutual friends]
There may be a tendency that the more common friends the users have, the greater the degree of intimacy. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing friend relationships between user X and related users Y1 to Y8. In FIG. 8, the presence of a line connecting X, Y1 to Y8 indicates that a friendship exists between the users. For example, user X and user Y3 have two common friends: users Y1 and Y2.

Table 2 shows the ranks of related users Y1 to Y8 and the number of friends they have in common with X.

As an example of a method of deriving the overall rank based on the number of common friends, only the ranks of a certain number of related users may be used in descending order of the number of common friends. For example, if we decide to use the ranks of the top two related users with the largest number of mutual friends, then according to Figure 8 and Table 2, the ranks of related users Y8 and Y3 (Y8 is 1.5, Y3 is 3.2 ) is used to derive the overall rank of user X.

Further, instead of considering only the number of common friends as in the above example, the degree of intimacy may be calculated from the ratio of the number of common friends to the friend list and used for deriving the overall rank. That is, the degree of intimacy of each related user may be calculated using the maximum number of possible mutual friends as the denominator and the number of common friends with each related user as the numerator. In this case, for example, in Table 2, the maximum number of common friends is 7, so if X's personal rank is RX and the personal ranks of users Y1 to Y8 are RY1 to RY8, respectively, then user X's overall rank TRX is It may be calculated as TRX=RX+(RY1×1+RY2×1+RY3×2+RY4×0+RY5×1+RY6×1+RY7×1+RY8×3)/7.

Alternatively, the friend list of user X and the friend list of related users may be calculated for each related user, and the degree of intimacy for each related user may be calculated. In this case, user X's overall rank is calculated by picking up a predetermined number of related users with high intimacy and adding them to user X's personal rank. Further, it may be added in a weighted manner depending on the intimacy ranking or the calculated intimacy value.

Further, the degree of intimacy between users may be calculated by an algorithm.

Furthermore, as another example, if the number of common friends is less than a certain number, a method may be adopted in which the number of mutual friends is not used for deriving the overall rank. If a method is adopted in which the number of mutual friends is less than 1, it is not used for deriving the overall rank, and in FIG. 8 and Table 2, the rank (6.0) of related user Y4 is not used for deriving the overall rank. It turns out.

As another example, similar to the calculation method based on communication frequency described above, a correction coefficient can be set according to the number of mutual friends, and the rank of each related user can be calculated using each correction coefficient. The corrected rank may be used to derive the overall rank.

As described above, when calculating the overall rank based on the number of common friends, the contribution ratio of the ranks of users with a large number of common friends, that is, users with high intimacy, increases. Therefore, compared to simply using the ranks of related users, it is possible to derive a comprehensive rank that is more in line with the reality of friendship relationships. Furthermore, the more friends the user has in common, the more the overall rank can be increased, so there is an incentive for the user to actively try to build friendships.

An example of a calculation method based on communication frequency and an example of a calculation method based on the number of mutual friends have been explained respectively. These methods may be combined as long as they are not inconsistent with each other and may be applied as a method for deriving the overall rank. For example, if the related user is a family member of the user, they may communicate frequently but may have few friends in common. When the communication frequency is higher than a certain value, by applying the method used to derive the overall rank regardless of the number of friends in common, it is possible to derive the overall rank based on the reality of the user's friend relationships even in such cases. It becomes possible to realize this.

<Method of deriving the overall rank based on the duration of friendships>
The overall rank evaluation unit 30 of the management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may derive the overall rank based on the duration of the friendship relationship. Table 1 shows the friendship duration and the corresponding value of the correction coefficient β in the friendship relationship between the user and the user related to the user. The correction coefficient β takes on a larger value as the friend's duration is longer.

In the same way as explained in <Method of calculating based on communication frequency> above, the correction coefficient β is calculated according to the duration of the friendship relationship between user X and related users Y1, Y2, Y3, ...Yn. Let them be β1, β2, β3, ... βn, respectively. At this time, the total rank TRX of user X may be calculated as TRX=RX+β1×RY1+β2×RY2+β3×RY3+...+βn×RYn. Further, without using the correction coefficient, only the individual ranks of related users whose friendships last for a certain period of time or longer may be used to calculate the overall rank. Alternatively, if the duration of the friendship relationship is less than a certain period, it may not be used in calculating the overall rank.

As explained above, when calculating the overall rank based on the duration of friendship relationships, the proportion of the ranks of related users with whom friendships have lasted longer will be reflected in the overall rank. Therefore, compared to simply using the ranks of related users, it is possible to derive a comprehensive rank that is more in line with the reality of friendship relationships. Further, since the points of related users who have continued for a long time are given preferential treatment, this provides an incentive for users to use the SNS service for a long period of time. Furthermore, the ranks of related users with whom the friendship relationship lasts for a short period of time are not reflected in the derivation of the overall rank, or the proportion of their reflection can be reduced, so it is possible to immediately build friendship relationships solely for the purpose of increasing the overall rank. It becomes possible to eliminate incentives.

<Method of deriving the overall rank based on the individual ranks of indirectly related users who are further associated with related users through friendships>
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between related users and indirectly related users. Here, the term "indirectly related user" refers to a user who is associated with a related user through a friendship relationship, but who is not a friend of the user. In FIG. 9, related users of X are Y1 and Y2. Related user Y1 is friends with users Z11 and Z12, and user X and users Z11 and Z12 are not friends, so users Z11 and Z12 are indirectly related users of user X. Similarly, users Z21, Z22, and Z23 are also indirectly related users of user X.

The related user evaluation information acquisition unit 20 of the management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention acquires the individual ranks RX, RY1, and RY2 of the user X whose overall rank is to be calculated, and the related users Y1 and Y2. In addition, personal ranks RZ11, RZ12, RZ21, RZ22, and RZ23 of indirectly related users Z11, Z12, Z21, Z22, and Z23 are acquired.

Next, the overall rank evaluation unit 30 of the management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention calculates the overall rank of the related users. In FIG. 9, the overall ranks TRY1 and TRY2 of related users Y1 and Y2 may be calculated as TRY1=RY1+(R11+R12)×γ and TRY2=RY2+(R21+R22+R33)×γ, respectively. Here, "γ" is a parameter that defines the rate at which the individual rank of the indirectly related user contributes to the overall rank of the related user. The value of γ can be set as appropriate, but if the contribution ratio of the individual ranks of indirectly related users becomes too large, the contribution ratio of the individual ranks of related users will decrease, so the value of γ should be 0 or more and less than 1. It is desirable that

The total rank evaluation unit 30 calculates the total rank TRX after calculating the total ranks TRY1 and TRY2 of the related users. In this case, TRY1 and TRY2 may be added to the user's personal rank, for example, TRX=RX+TRY1+TRY2.

<Method of deriving overall rank based on content present information>
The overall rank evaluation unit 30 of the management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may derive the overall rank based on the content present information. Note that "content" in the present invention means audio, music, images, videos, software, programs, and other information. Furthermore, "content present information" in the present invention means that a user transfers content to another user, purchases it on behalf of another user, or makes it available to other users. . The content present information includes information on the other party to whom the content was presented, the time when the content was presented, the content of the presented content, the price of the content, and the like.

The content present information only needs to be referenced by the management server 100 as needed, and may be held by the SNS server 200 or connected via a network separate from the management server 100 and the SNS server 200. It may be stored in a storage server or the like that is available. Further, when the management server 100 receives a request to calculate the overall rank from an external source such as the SNS server 200, the content present information may be received.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a situation in which content is presented as a gift between a user and its related users. The arrow line indicates that the content was presented by the user to the user in the direction of the arrow, the white star indicates the content that was presented from User X to the related user, and the black star indicates the related user. The content presented to user X by the user is shown. FIG. 10 shows that one piece of content was presented from user X to user Y1 during a certain period of time. It is also shown that one piece of content was presented to user X from user Y2. Further, user X presents two pieces of content to user Y3, and user Y3 presents one piece of content to user X. Note that there is no content present information between user X and user Y4.

Several methods for deriving the overall rank based on content present information will be explained. Hereinafter, the individual ranks of users X, Y1, Y2, Y3, and Y4 will be respectively RX, RY1, RY2, RY3, and RY4, and the overall rank of user X will be TRX.

As an example, if a user for whom the overall rank is to be derived presents content to a related user, the personal rank of the related user to whom the gift was given is determined based on the number of pieces of content presented within a certain period of time. There may be a way to weight it. Here, if 0.2 times is added for each present, the overall rank of user X may be TRX=RX+1.2×RY1+RY2+1.4×RY3+RY4. Here, since user X presents one piece of content to user Y1, 1.2×RY1 is added to RX. Furthermore, since user X presents two pieces of content to user Y3, 1.4×RY3 is added to RX. Note that since user X has not presented content to users Y2 and Y4, RY2 and RY4 are added to RX as is.

When weighting the personal rank of the related user who gave the content as a gift, when deriving the user's overall rank, the personal rank of the related user who gave the gift can be weighted and obtained. Therefore, it is possible to give the user an incentive to present content to related users.

On the contrary, weight may be given to the personal rank of the related user who presented the content to the user. In FIG. 10, since users Y2 and Y3 present content to user X, RY2 and RY3 may be weighted and added to RX. In this case, if the user presents the content to the other party, he or she can have the other user's overall rank weighted with his or her own personal rank, so that the user can add benefits to the content as a gift. can do. Therefore, according to the method of deriving the overall rank based on the content present information, it is possible to give the user an incentive to present the content.

Further, the personal rank of the other user may be weighted for both the case where the content is presented and the case where the content is presented as a present.

Furthermore, the weighting may be changed depending on the contents of the presented content. In this case, the management server 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may receive priority content information when receiving an instruction to calculate the overall rank from the SNS server 200 or the like. Here, priority content information refers to instructions such as instructions to prioritize weighting when calculating the overall rank, arguments, etc. when there is an exchange of gifts of content that match parameters such as content type and vendor providing it. means.

For example, when content is presented as a present from a related user, when calculating the overall rank by weighting the personal rank of the related user, the content presented by user Y2 to user X is game content provided by company A; Assume that the content presented by user Y3 to user X is game content from company B. At this time, if the game content provided by Company A is given as a gift, 1x will be added, and if any other gift is given, 0.2x will be added, etc., depending on the contents of the specified content. The weight of the individual rank may be changed depending on whether or not. When such an addition method is adopted, a user who is given content as a gift will have an advantage when purchasing content from the same company, etc., so it is possible to give the user an incentive to purchase content.

<When ranking includes evaluation by adding and subtracting points>
Although the ranks explained so far have all been positive evaluations, the ranks may also include negative evaluations. That is, in addition to adding points to the rank based on the evaluation, points may also be subtracted, and the subtracted points may result in a negative evaluation. For example, when a user is given a positive evaluation, the personal rank value may take a positive value, and when a user is given a negative evaluation, the personal rank value may take a negative value. . In this case, if the overall rank is a positive value, the user will be given a benefit, but if the overall rank is a negative value, the user will not be given the benefit or will receive some or all of the services provided. may be set to be subject to restrictions.

An example of giving a negative evaluation to a user's rank is shown below. For example, when a user fraudulently uses a service such as SNS, a negative evaluation may be given to the user depending on the type and degree of the fraudulent act. Further, for example, if a user who is using a payment service has a low payment success rate, or if the payment success rate is lower than a predetermined value, a negative evaluation may be given to the user. Further, a negative evaluation may be given when the user's SNS service usage rate is low or when the user's SNS service usage rate is lower than a predetermined value. In addition, in connection with the provision of services such as SNS, operators of SNS, etc., are responsible for users who violate the user's terms of service, acts that inhibit the healthy development of the business, or other acts that violate the prescribed actions intended by the operator. It may be set to give a negative evaluation to the actions of the person.

Hereinafter, referring to Table 4, a specific example of deriving the overall rank when the rank includes a negative evaluation will be described. Table 4 is a diagram showing the individual ranks of users Y1, Y2, Y3, and Y4 related to user X.

For example, the overall rank TRX of user X may be calculated as TRX=RX+3.0-4.0+1.0+2.0, where RX is the individual rank of user X.

Furthermore, while the top two personal ranks of related users are basically used, if the personal ranks of related users have negative evaluations, a method may also be applied in which the lowest personal rank is also used. In the case of Table 4, TRX=RX+3.0+2.0-4.0=RX-1.0 is calculated. If such a method is adopted, if there is a related user who has a personal rank of negative evaluation for the user, the negative evaluation will have a stronger influence on the overall evaluation of the user.

As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to include a negative evaluation in the individual rank and to reflect the negative evaluation in the calculation of the overall rank. In this way, if a certain user's personal rank becomes a negative evaluation, the negative evaluation will be reflected in the overall rank calculation of the related user with whom the user is friends, causing trouble to the related user. Therefore, incentives can be given to users who use services such as SNS to comply with the correct usage method according to the rules so as not to receive negative evaluations.

As explained above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, users of SNS etc. are encouraged to actively build friend relationships, and users are encouraged to actively use services provided by SNS etc. be able to.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the respective embodiments can be implemented in appropriate combinations within a mutually consistent range.

10: User evaluation section, 20: Related user evaluation information acquisition section, 30: Overall rank evaluation section,
100: Management server, 111: Control unit, 112: Hard disk, 113: Communication unit, 200: SNS server, 300: Network, 400: Multiple user terminal devices, 500: Database

Claims (14)

A server that provides social network services,
A storage unit that associates and stores user information and first user information on the social network service , and associates and stores the user information and information of a second user having a higher rank than the first user. and,
A message sent by the social network service from the user to the first user or the second user associated with the user, or from the first user or the second user associated with the user. an evaluation unit that evaluates the rank of the user of the social network service based on the message sent to the user,
The evaluation unit performs an evaluation to change the rank of the user from a first rank to a second rank when a first message is sent from the first user to the user;
When a second message is sent from the second user to the user, the evaluation unit may change the rank of the user from the first rank to a third rank higher than the second rank, or the second rank. An evaluation is performed to change the rank to the fourth rank, which is lower than the rank. The server according to claim 1,
The evaluation unit is configured to evaluate the evaluation unit based on the number of messages sent from the user to the first user, or the number of messages sent from the first user to the user, by the social network service. Evaluate your rank. The server according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The storage unit stores information on the user in association with information on each of a plurality of users including the first user on the social network service. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The association on the social network service includes that the user and the first user are friends. The server according to claim 4,
The friend relationship includes a relationship in which the user approves the first user, and the first user approves the user. The server according to claim 4,
The friend relationship is set when the user sends a request to set up the friend relationship to the first user, and the first user approves the request. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The evaluation unit evaluates the rank based on the user's usage history on the social network service. The server according to claim 7,
The usage history includes the history of remittances or payments made on the social network service. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The rank is a numerical value. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The user is associated with benefits by the server based on the rank. The server according to claim 10,
The benefits include benefits related to points acquired by the user. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The evaluation unit is configured to perform an evaluation that changes the rank of the user from the first rank to the second rank when a message is sent a first number of times from the first user to the user within a set period. conduct,
The evaluation unit is configured to determine that when the second user having a higher rank than the first user sends a message to the user a second number of times less than the first number of times during the set period, Based on the second user's rank and the second number of times, an evaluation is performed to change the user's rank from the first rank to the fourth rank, which is lower than the second rank. An information processing method of a server providing a social network service, the method comprising:
On the social network service, the user's information and the first user's information are associated and stored in the storage unit of the server , and the user's information and the second user's information having a higher rank than the first user are stored. storing it in the storage unit in association with the
A message sent by the social network service from the user to the first user or the second user associated with the user, or from the first user or the second user associated with the user. evaluating a rank of the user of the social network service by an evaluation unit of the server based on a message sent to the user;
When a first message is sent from the first user to the user, the evaluation unit performs an evaluation to change the rank of the user from the first rank to the second rank,
When a second message is sent from the second user to the user, the rank of the user is changed from the first rank to a third rank higher than the second rank, or a third rank lower than the second rank. The evaluation section performs an evaluation to change the rank to 4. A program executed by a server that provides a social network service,
On the social network service, the user's information and the first user's information are associated and stored in the storage unit of the server , and the user's information and the second user's information having a higher rank than the first user are stored. storing it in the storage unit in association with the
A message sent by the social network service from the user to the first user or the second user associated with the user, or from the first user or the second user associated with the user. evaluating the rank of the user of the social network service by an evaluation unit of the server based on the message sent to the user;
When a first message is sent from the first user to the user, the evaluation unit performs an evaluation to change the rank of the user from the first rank to the second rank,
When a second message is sent from the second user to the user, the rank of the user is changed from the first rank to a third rank higher than the second rank, or a third rank lower than the second rank. The server executes the evaluation by the evaluation unit to change the rank to 4.

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