With the development of computer connectivity systems, such as the Internet, users have been communicating electronically to meet, interact, and collaborate with others. Electronic interactions can occur via asynchronous modalities such as email, discussion and news group threads or postings, for example.
Computer users have taken advantage of this increased connectivity to maintain, expand, and enhance their personal and professional lives. Thus, users interact with others online for a variety of different reasons and, as a result, a vast number of online communities have emerged to meet Internet users' various personal, social, recreational, and professional needs. While these online communities may differ in the modes of interaction and services offered to members, a primary function of these communities is to help people establish and maintain interpersonal connections with others and/or obtain pertinent information.
Generally, there are two types of existing systems that facilitate interactions over a social network. One is a notification system in which a member of a group receives whatever content is posted to a group. For example, a distribution list merely propagates a posted piece of email to everyone on the list. Further, a group notification can be issued indicating that something or a quantity of items was posted during a period of time such as for a week. Alternatively, posted items can be periodically sent to members directly or in the form of link(s). Another type of system is a syndicated system in which recent content posted by a source is available to subscribers through automated uploads of the contents.
Both these approaches essentially either replicate substantially all content that has been posted (e.g., copy of original content or link to the content), or possibly supply shortcut information such as “X many-new-items-posted”. These systems can be difficult to manage for large groups and/or a large quantity of content. Also, relevant data is difficult to discern from the information that may have little or no interest to a particular user.