I enjoy Google+, the social network that Google launched in 2011 that has gone through a lot of changes. At first, it seemed to be focused primarily on letting people share, and communicate in several ways. In May of 2012, I wrote about 8 patents that described aspects of the social network, titled Social Circles, Content Sharing, and Social Visibility Pending Patents for Google Plus.
More Changes to Come at Google+?
It’s been interesting watching Google make changes to Google+, and they might make some more. For instance…
Imagine that you have friends, family, and co-workers who are connected to you in a social network; and you consent to share information with them about different activities that you are performing so that they could join in with you for a meal or a concert that you might be planning on attending.
That’s the focus of a patent granted to Google today at the USPTO, filed around 3 years ago.
The activities could include things such as going for a jog or dining out somewhere. It might simply involve reading a web page, or reading a book, or going shopping. Notifications of those seem aimed at allowing others to join you in an activity.
The social network described in the patent isn’t named, and might or might not be Google+. If it were (and it probably is), it would be a significant change from the collection curation and community activity taking place on Google’s social network at present.
Related Content:
I could see Google+ offering such notifications, and recommendations based upon activities that your connections might be performing. The patent shows us what an activities and recommendations page might look like:
The patent is:
Activity notification and recommendation
Inventor: Julie Farago
Assigned to: Google
US Patent 9,203,914
Granted December 1, 2015
Filed: November 30, 2012
Abstract
A system and method for notifying people related to a user of activity are disclosed. A processing module receives and processes the activity for the user. A notification module is communicatively coupled to the processing module.
The notification module is configured to receive the activity from the processing module. The notification module is also configured to notify a social network of the start of the activity. The notification module is further configured to notify people related to the user of the activity.
I’m not sure what direction Google+ might be headed in next, but it’s become one of my favorite social networks based upon the conversations I have with others there, and the sharing that takes place. The communities are fun and filled with knowledgeable people, willing to share information, observations, and experiences with others. Having a channel available where you can have a positive influence upon others can be good for your brand, and good for business. That’s as much reason as I need to spend time there. If sharing information about activities that I perform through notifications becomes something that shows up there, I might try it out.
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About Bill Slawski
With more than 26 years of SEO experience and a Juris Doctor Degree, Bill Slawski is the foremost expert on Google’s patents as related to SEO. Patent Exploration is one of the quickest and most detailed ways to find new information about SEO. Bill is the Editor of SEO by the Sea, a prominent search engine optimization blog, where he is the author of over 1,300 posts. Bill’s experience includes Fortune 500 brands and some of the largest websites in the world. Bill is a contributing author for Moz, Search Engine Land, and Search Engine Journal. In 2014-2021, he spoke at industry-leading international conferences about topics including search engine algorithms, universal and blended search, personalization in search, search and social, and duplicate content problems, structured data, and schemaJoin thousands of marketers to get the best search news in under 5 minutes. Get resources, tips and more with The Splash newsletter:
