(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2007/ A1

Transcription

1 t US 2007 O169165A1 (19) United State (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2007/ A1 Crull et al. (43) Pub. Date: Jul. 19, 2007 (54) SOCIAL NETWORK-ENABLED Related U.S. Application Data INTERACTIVE MEDIA PLAYER (60) Proviional application No. 60/752,814, filed on Dec. (76) Inventor: Robert Wayne Crull, Edmond, OK 22, Proviional application No. 60/824,199, (US); Bill Cody Miller, Arlington, TX filed on Aug. 31, (US); Andrew Blim Kenney, Oklahoma City, OK (US); Thad Publication Claification Thoma Martin, Norman, OK (US) (51) Int. Cl. Correpondence Addre: H04N 7/16 ( ) FSH & RICHARDSON P.C. (52) U.S. Cl /135 P.O. BOX 1022 (57) ABSTRACT MINNEAPOLIS, MN (US) Sytem and method for online Social networking may (21) Appl. No.: 11/615,828 include an interactive media player. The interactive media player may exhibit media and allow interaction between (22) Filed: Dec. 22, 2006 uer and/or uer and adminitrator. YY Y-rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr a re SS: i V a 5-8-V-3 &Y r W X earner rearranean. Reearnerrara. SS R - R - SY & Sr SSSYS3 S$8SS S. - a a ----a---- wwww. w R w arra & S-' ' (S.W-wy. -\-Sa w SSSSSSSSSSSSS R SSS&S&SSSR 8 S ; & S R 4. SS S-3 X' S k Y. R 8 S\\\aaara-aer Y w A Y. S. Y R S$xi: Nix i SS & E-x S. a - a. x \. \\ c - Mr. M' \ 38 :^ $383, RSS i. Y: w w x -' - - Y. S. w S.. SSSSS k -a.. Y w- R.S.' w X --- w t & R YSESS.& S & y r aaaakaaw.wrwywww.x.y. *w- w t S-a-a-a a--a-a arra..a raaaaaaa R y w. : y - t.. k h - 1- i. SSS SS 8 Y Y.. Y a------a-a-a-a-a-a- aaaaaaaa. na i

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9 US 2007/ A1 Jul. 19, 2007 SOCIAL NETWORK-ENABLED INTERACTIVE MEDIA PLAYER CLAIM OF PRIORITY Thi application claim priority under 35 U.S.C S119(e) to U.S. Proviional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/752,814, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CROSS-DOMAIN SOCIAL NETWORKING filed On Dec. 22, 2005, and to U.S. Proviional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/824, 199, entitled SOCIAL NETWORK-EN ABLED INTERACTIVE MEDIA PLAYER filed on Aug. 31, 2006, the entire content of which are hereby incorpo rated by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD 0002 Thi invention relate to online network, and more particularly to an online Social network that include an interactive media player. BACKGROUND 0003 Social networking refer to the ocial tructure among individual and/or organization, explaining way in which they connect and interact through variou Social familiaritie. Reearch in a variety of academic area ha demontrated the critical role Social network play on vari ou level (peronal to international) in developing norm and behavior of individual within the ocial network In the age of the Internet, ocial networking alo refer to a category of online application deigned to connect individual (e.g., friend, people with common interet, buine partner, potential mate) uing virtual communitie. Media ite on the Internet alo ditribute online muic, video, and entertainment. SUMMARY 0005 Sytem and procee for online ocial network ing may create a mechanim for the ditribution of media within a Social network. A ocial network may include one or more webite that include interactive media player. Social network may be utilized to ditribute media, pro mote media, and encourage dicuion and interaction cen tered on media. The interactive media player may create a mechanim for the ditribution of media within a ocial network. The interactive media player may alo facilitate media promotion ince feedback for new media can be obtained quickly and/or uer can communicate, foter di cuion, and requet exhibition of new media while inter acting with other uer in the Social network A proce for ocial networking may include receiving a requet from a uer for acce to a firt webite coupled to the Social network; receiving a requet from the uer for acce to a media exhibition on an interactive media player on the firt webite from the uer; preenting the media to the uer on the interactive media player, and allowing the uer to interact on the interactive media player with other uer. The firt webite may be coupled to an authentication ytem. Whether a uer i logged on to the authentication ytem may be automatically determined In ome implementation, the media may be pre ented to the uer, if the uer i logged on to the authenti cation ytem and/or if the uer i not logged on to the authentication ytem. A uer that i logged on to the authentication ytem may be allowed to interact with the other uer. In one implementation, a uer that i not logged on to the authentication ytem may be inhibited from interacting with other uer The interactive media player may include more than one channel. Different media may be exhibited on different channel. The uer may be allowed to interact on the interactive media player with other uer on the ame channel and/or with uer viewing different media on dif ferent channel In ome implementation, a ytem may include a proceor and a memory coupled to the proceor, where the memory tore program intruction operable to perform a proce of the Social networking ytem. In ome imple mentation, the proce may be performed by Software that include operable computer-readable intruction. DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 0010 FIG. 1 i an illutration of an example of a ocial network FIG. 2 i another illutration of an example ocial network FIG. 3 i an illutration of an example interaction between a uer and an interactive media player in a Social network FIG. 4 i a flowchart of an example proce for acceing the interactive media player in a Social network FIG. 5 i an example of a creen hot of an interactive media player in a Social network FIG. 6 i an illutration of interactive prompt on an example interactive media player FIG. 7 i a illutration of an example proceing for acceing and interacting with the interactive media player Like reference ymbol in the variou drawing indicate like element. DETAILED DESCRIPTION 0018 FIG. 1 i an illutration of an example ocial network with interactive media player. An online Social network may be an aociation of uer. The Social network may include a plurality of node, each repreenting a com mon feature among uer, uch a, but not limited to, interet, goal, background, and/or place of reidence. For example, node may repreent hobbie, fan of port or team, college alumni, viewer or litener in a regional location, or other group of member The ocial network may include webite on dif ferent domain. The different domain may be linked via an authentication ytem. The authentication ytem may allow a uer to centrally log on to the Social network. An example of an authentication ytem i decribed in additional detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. entitled SYS TEM AND METHOD FOR CROSS-DOMAIN SOCIAL NETWORKING, filed on Dec. 22, 2006, the content of which are hereby incorporated by reference. In one imple mentation, the uer may log on to a firt webite coupled to the authentication ytem and then viit a econd webite

10 US 2007/ A1 Jul. 19, 2007 alo coupled to the authentication ytem without having to re-enter log on information. The authentication ytem may allow a uer to eamlely viit a number of webite linked to the authentication ytem a a logged on uer Uer may include regitered member of the ocial network, guet to the Social network and/or the interactive media player, performer participating in live media ditri bution, and/or adminitrator. A uer may belong to more than one node of a Social network. A uer may create a node and/or be able to join node created by other. In ome implementation, node may require invitation to join The interactive media player may exhibit any form of media and allow uer to interact with each other, with Subject of the media, and/or adminitrator. Media may include but i not limited to video, audio, text, image, or combination thereof. Media may be digital including, but not limited to, rich multimedia content uch a audio and/or video and content uch a text or formatted HTML docu ments The interactive media player and/or the webite coupled to the interactive media player may be coupled to a memory that include variou media. Memory may include Volatile or nonvolatile memory including without limitation, ROM, RAM, EEPROM, flah memory, optical memory, dik drive, and/or repoitorie. Memory may include a memory on a uer' computer or librarie (e.g., repoitorie) of media. Media may be treamed live (e.g., real-time tream) or tranferred from a media ource (e.g., a memory of a computer coupled to the interactive media player or repoitorie). Media ource acceible by interactive media player may be controlled by an adminitrator, owner of a ocial network, affiliated third party erver, and/or uer The interactive media player may be diplayed in a portion of a webite, embedded in a webite, and/or in a pop up window. The interactive media player may be preented to an audience (e.g., uer, guet uer, adminitrator) on a wide range of digital device including computer web brower, peronal computer, mobile device (uch a cell phone, Smart phone, etc.) and portable device (e.g., peronal digital aitant, etc.). In one implementation, variou degree of media diplay and control are allowed from different viewing device. For example, a web uer may be capable of poting and viewing video and text meage while a cell phone uer may be capable of poting and viewing text meage during exhibition of media. A another example, cell phone uer may view video but be retricted from poiting live-treaming video One feature of the interactive media player may include an interactive platform for the audience (e.g., uer) of exhibited media to interact with one another and/or with the Subject of the media, who may or may not be uer. A uer may be able to online text chat, online audio chat, online video chat, 3D or Virtual Reality interaction, partici pate in audience polling, and/or other extended interactivity with other uer and/or ubject of the media being exhib ited. The interactive platform may allow member of the audience to pot text, audio, and/or video meage and/or interact in real-time with other audience member and/or ubject of the media A illutrated in FIGS. 1-2, uer and/or admini trator may acce an interactive media player via one or more webite coupled to a ocial network. Uer may acce an interactive media player and/or a ocial network via one or more network protocol (e.g., TCP/IP. Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.). A uer may acce an interactive media player and/or a ocial network via the Internet One feature of the interactive media player may be the intertwining of the Social network community (e.g., uer, photo, meage notification, online chatting, etc.) with the media exhibition experience. The interactive media player allow ocial network member (e.g., uer regitered with the Social network) and guet uer to view media from the network operator, adminitrator, affiliated media part ner, and/or from other uer. The media may be tored on a memory coupled to the webite (e.g., a memory coupled to the domain hot and/or a third party erver) or treamed (e.g., from a live taping, from a concurrent broadcat on televiion, via a webcam/microphone or other uer' com puter device, etc.) The interactive media player may allow interaction between uer in the ame ocial network, or node of the ocial network, between uer on the ame webite, between uer participating in the ame media exhibition (e.g., view ing/litening to the ame video), between uer and Subject of the exhibition (e.g., between uer and member of the band performing a the media exhibition), between uer and adminitrator, between uer and other component of the ytem. For example, the interactive media player may allow interaction between the uer and ubject of the media being exhibited (e.g., band member, actor, etc.). In FIG. 1, Uer A and Uer B may be able to view the ame or different media exhibition and be able to interact with each other. In one implementation, Uer A and Uer B may only be able to interact with each other if they view the ame media exhibition. A an example, Uer C may acce a webite that retrict interaction to logged on uer, and thu, Uer A may not be able to interact with Uer C Over a ocial network, uer may interact via chat, webcam conferencing, VOIP, moue geture, , intant meaging, or any other appropriate communication technique. Uer may interact with individual or egment of the community Such a a ingle channel participant, an entire channel audience, and/or a collection of friend to the uer or the whole network. Thee interaction may occur on an open channel, a private channel, or a moderated (or adminitered) channel. There are a variety of other way that the interactive media player may be ued by a Social network, community of uer, or participant FIG. 2 i another illutration of a ocial network. One or more uer may acce a webite of the Social network that include an interactive media player. Uer may be member of a ocial network and/or a node of a ocial network and/or uer that are not member of the Social network (e.g., guet uer). A uer may elect (e.g., from a menu, channel, title, tation, etc.) and/or requet media to be exhibited on the interactive media player on the webite. Uer may vote on which media hould be exhib ited and/or in which order different media hould be di played. The interactive media player and/or the webite may include a graphical interface coupled to the ytem that allow uer to vote A illutrated in FIG. 3, the exhibited media may be elected by an adminitrator. Social network may

11 US 2007/ A1 Jul. 19, 2007 include one or more adminitrator. An adminitrator may have acce to and/or control over uer permiion and web content aociated with a webite and/or an interactive media player. For example, the adminitrator may control which Social network node() that uer may acce and/or interact with other uer on the Social network ytem and/or interactive media player. An adminitrator may control which uer may interact with each other on a webite. The adminitrator may control the content of the webite and/or the interactive media player on the webite (e.g., what i included in a logged on uer' view of the webite) An adminitrator or operator may control content diplayed on interactive media player (e.g., time and/or audience). There are a variety of Source of media content ranging from picture or picture lidehow, audio tream, webcam tream, VOIP video, HTML, preentation lide, tored media, etc. Thee ource may include librarie or uer, and may be tored or real-time tream. In an open channel etup, each uer may be their own adminitrator of their own channel in the network. In tructured network, individual node may each have an adminitrator() and a global network operator may have adminitrative right acro the network One feature of the interactive media player may include allowing the adminitrator to manage uer permi ion, the webite, webpage(), interactive media player(), and/or pecific media exhibition of media. For example, if a video clip i rated R by a motion picture rating ytem or an audio clip ha explicit language, an adminitrator may modify uer permiion to the interactive media player and/or the webite to inhibit uer under a certain age from acceing the interactive media player. In one implementa tion, the blocked uer may till be able to acce the webite but without the interactive media player or without permi ion to view pecific exhibition on the interactive media player The adminitrator may be able to control and adjut the media. For example, the adminitrator may adjut play back peed; delay time for live treaming media; brightne or contrat in image or video; whether advertiement may be played before, during, and/or after media exhibition; and/or whether a uer can fat forward through advertie ment. The adminitrator may monitor uer voting and elect and/or prioritize playback of media baed on the voting FIG. 4 illutrate a flowchart of an example of a proce 400 by which a uer accee an interactive media player on a webite. A uer may acce a webite that include an interactive media player. The webite may be coupled to an authorization ytem that allow the uer to log on to the webite. In ome implementation, the uer may acce more feature of the interactive media player a a logged on uer than a a guet The uer may requet acce to a media exhibition, an interactive media player, and/or the webite (operation 410). The ytem may determine if a uer i a member of the Social network (e.g., logged on to the authentication ytem) (operation 420). In an implementation, the ytem may allow the uer to log on to the authentication ytem or regiter for memberhip in the Social network. For example, a webpage may include an embedded portion that allow or prompt a uer to log on to the authentication ytem. The webpage may include a pop-up, prompt, or a portion that promote regitration for memberhip in the Social network ing group. 0036). If the uer i not a member of the ocial network and/or logged on to the authentication ytem, then the ytem may then determine if the media exhibition that the uer i attempting to acce require memberhip in the Social network (e.g., require a uer to be logged on to the webite) (operation 430). If memberhip i required, then a uer may be preented with a prompt for authorization credential or memberhip regitration (operation 440). If the uer i logged on to a centralize authentication ytem, then the uer may view web page a a logged in uer without being requeted for authorization credential or a uer ID (e.g., addre, uername, paword, or other uer information). In an implementation, the webite may exhibit media, but a uer may not acce at leat a portion of interactive functionality of the interactive media player unle the uer i a member of the Social network (e.g., logged on to the authentication ytem). In other implemen tation, a uer may be allowed to acce interactive func tionality of a pecified media exhibition even if the uer i not logged on to the authentication ytem Another feature of the preent invention may be the inertion of targeted promotional material or advertiing prior to, during, and/or after exhibition of media. The advertiing may be targeted through analyi of the uer' ocial network profile (operation 460) and demographic information tored on connecting ytem, the authentica tion ytem, the uer' hitory of media exhibition viewed, and/or advertiing may be targeted without Social profile data (operation 470). Furthermore, targeted advertiing may be clutered with other ad within the player which are viible during the entirety of the uer' acce of the inter active media player experience In one implementation, prior to the exhibition of the choen media, the interactive media player may diplay advertiement (e.g., promotional material or give-away) (operation 480). Upon initialization of the media viewer, the interactive media player determine attribute (e.g., content, rating, Subject matter, title, length, language, keyword in the media to be diplayed, etc.) of the media to be diplayed a well a attribute (e.g., uer information Such a age, gender, memberhip in variou node of Social network, hobbie, etc.) of the viewer watching the media. The inter active media player may then analyze the data to determine the mot which promotional material to inject. For example, the interactive media player may determine that the media (e.g., a movie) mention a brand of beer and then play advertiement for the beer. A another example, the inter active media player may determine that a uer i a male between year old and play advertiement targeting the age group (e.g., port ticket, port ticket exchange, movie, etc.). The analyi may be performed by a computer ytem within the ocial network infratructure or by a partner Sytem with acce to the Social network profile and demographic In ome implementation, adverting may be exhib ited prior to exhibiting the media to uer logged on to the authentication ytem and/or guet. Advertiing may be exhibited during the media tream. For example, the exhib ited media may be paued for advertiing. The advertiing

12 US 2007/ A1 Jul. 19, 2007 may be exhibited on the ame or different portion of the media player on which the media i being exhibited (opera tion 490) and/or on the webpage proximate the interactive media player In one implementation, during the exhibition of treaming media or lengthy archived media exhibit the interactive media player may inject targeted advertiing into the media tream tailored to the current viewer. The adver tiing may be tied to the promotion which were diplayed pre-exhibition or may be independent. Furthermore, the interactive media player may diplay targeted advertiing in neighboring creen area while the media i being exhibited or while the uer i utilizing the interactive media player interactive feature The advertiing exhibited to logged on uer and/or guet may be the ame or different. The advertiing may be at leat partially baed on uer information. For example, advertiing may be targeted for each uer participating in the exhibition. For example, a uer who i a member of a hockey fan Social networking node and litening to treaming port radio may be diplayed advertiing for a televiion package that include hockey game. A uer who i a member of the bowling league Social network node may be diplayed advertiement for bowling hoe when logged into the authentication ytem. Advertiing may alo include adver tiing for joining other node of a Social network, Such a when member of a college football fan node are watching treaming video of pat game, advertiement may include invitation to join college conference fan node, invitation to join college alumni node, advertiement for the college, and/or advertiement for ticket reale node. Advertiing may not be baed on uer information, in certain implemen tation FIG. 5 i an illutration of an example of a creen hot of an interactive media player. The interactive media player may be an embedded portion of a webpage or a pop-up window. The interactive media player may include a viewing portion where media i exhibited. If media being exhibited i only an audio exhibition, then the viewing portion may diplay another image or video concurrently while the audio media i being exhibited. The interactive media player may include one or more media control to adjut volume, playback, or playback peed. One feature of the interactive media player may include a promotional pace for diplaying advertiement, ponor, the Source of the media tream, etc The interactive media player may include a uer indicator. The uer indicator may include picture, avatar, name, or other diplay of uer identity. The uer indicator may indicate which uer are logged on to the authentication ytem and oberving the ame media tream. The uer indicator may include uer that are not logged in. The interactive media player may include an interactive element, Such a, for example, live chatting or poting text, video, audio clip, etc. 0044) The interactive media player may allow interactive area of the interactive media player to be egmented baed on the media being exhibited, group of media exhibited, or other factor (interet group, media tation or channel iden tifier, and/or demographic diviion). Thu, the interactive media player may allow the Social community and linked communitie to interact with other uer on egmented channel within the media experience. The interactive media player may include button that allow uer to view different media being exhibited on the different egment of the interactive media player. For example, the interactive media player may include an interface that allow a uer to 'Switch channel' imilar to Switching channel on a televiion or radio tation. In ome implementation, when a uer Switche to a different channel, the uer preence indicator may be modified to how uer viewing the exhibited media. In other implementation, the uer preence indicator may diplay all uer logged onto the webite. The interactive media player may include Social network control and indicator uch a, meage to the uer from other uer and/or the Social network, log on tatu, and/or number or lit of other uer that are alo logged on that are member of a uer controlled lit (e.g., a lit of friend) Channel, media tation, content, and/or media being diplayed may be controlled by an adminitrator or network operator. In ome implementation, an open or free for all channel etup may be provided where uer are able to erve their own media content or tream, a they deem appropriate (e.g., in a more free network etup). A channel may be controlled by an adminitrator or a uer with adminitrator right. A network operator may have the ability to modify content on the total network. The ocial network may be repreented a a hierarchy where node are channel and media ource aociated with them and adminitrator may be aigned to control node, grouped node, and/or branche of a hierarchy. Adminitrator may be aigned acro network egment grouped other way. Since channel exit in any number of way on the network or community, adminitration of the channel may likewie be performed and/or aigned in any number of way. 0046) The interactive media player may allow uer to watch a muical performance live and interact with member of the muical group and/or other viewer. In another implementation, a uer may watch a movie and/or interact with director, producer, actor in the movie, and/or other viewer. The interactive media player may allow a uer to tranmit an image of himelf/herelf performing an activity (e.g., bowling, Swinging a golf club, dancing, inging, etc.) and interact with expert or other uer who may critique the uer' performance. In one implementation, a uer may liten to a radio tation and interact with dic jockey or other uer. A uer may watch muic video and interact with Video jockey or other uer. Allowing uer to interact with other member of the ocial network and view media concurrently, may promote the development and growth of the ocial network A director, a dic jockey, or a band may be an adminitrator for a channel either temporarily or perma nently. Channel adminitrator may launch promotion, ini tiate Survey, take requet, play interactive game with the network uer, or perform any number of interaction with the on-line community. A channel may include a normal adminitrator that control the channel and work with director, dic jockey, or band being featured on the channel and operate like a mediator or a hot of a talk how on the channel. The adminitrator may operate behind the cene or be an active participant on the channel. The adminitrator may grant channel participant additional channel manage ment and content interaction capabilitie on a hort term or a more permanent bai for a given channel.

13 US 2007/ A1 Jul. 19, In ome implementation, the action of a uer or the interaction between uer or group of uer on a channel or collection of channel may trigger change in the Social network profile (e.g., data regarding activitie of uer and/or widget, web page, and/or webite aociated with the uer) of a network uer, a network group (Such a a band), or on a network page itelf. FIG. 6 i an illutration of example interactive prompt on an interactive media player. Thee interaction affect the interactive media player. Interaction may affect profile page, other page on the network, or network widget (e.g., embedded portion of web page) that may be embedded on the network or external web page. For example, a channel 610 allow uer to vote on channel, band, and/or ong. The Social network profile (e.g., widget, web page, and/or webite) of the band 620 may include a live repreentation of how their ong i performing in the poll on the channel, if the contet i ongoing, or a Summary of contet reult, if the contet ha ended. A widget or webpage 630 on the network (e.g., a group homepage, a radio tation web page, etc.) may alo include polling information (e.g., Song, channel, or band preference) A uer who voted in the interaction media player may have a widget repreentation 640 of the contet on their Social network profile page. The widget repreentation may include meage uch a I voted for thi band and helped them win the channel contet. Web page on the ocial network may include ongoing or hitorical contet and other interactive media player affected event. The web page may include widget that how the individual contet or any other type of widget that ue, compute, or analyze the data tored in the ytem from interaction in the media player FIG. 7 i an illutration an example proce for interacting with the interactive media player. A uer may acce and interact with the interactive media player tored in a ocial networking ytem (operation 705). The interac tive media player may alo retrieve, aggregate, proce, analyze and/or diplay media by any variety of widget and page on the Social network. A the uer view content in the interactive media player, or remain active in a channel or et of channel (operation 710), the activity data (e.g., content watch, time pent on ite, time pent viewing pecific media, number of time media ed to other uer or watched, etc.) of the uer i ent to a databae erver or other logging erver of the ytem (operation 720). Additionally, the uer may be preented with an interactive prompt which correpond to the media currently being exhibited or a choice of preferred media or channel or any number of other interactive media player related quetion (operation 730). Uer repone or other input may then be ent to the databae erver or other logging erver (operation 740) In ome implementation, the data from media player activity and uer interactive prompt repone may be Summarized and analyzed (operation 750) to enhance page on the Social network or to create widget which may be embedded on the network or on external ite. Thee widget component may ue the data to create ordered lit of media or channel, to generate graph of media or channel popu larity or other tatitic, and/or to diplay the reult of an individual uer' media conumption over time and/or a pecific interactive promotional event conducted within the interactive media player. Other imilar report and informa tive graphical or textual Summarie of the data analyi may be generated. For example, a uer i preented with uer participation or a hitorical lit of view (operation 760). A another example, the uer may alo be preented with a channel popularity lit or aggregate reult of interactive participation (operation 770). In ome implementation, the interactive media player hitory and/or interactive reult may be retrieved and/or analyzed (operation 780) The data may be queried in a granular fahion (e.g., a ingle uer' media player data) or may be aggregated (e.g., by date, channel, collection of channel, ocial net working network, given node within the Social network, and/or by any other detail which the ytem may utilize) (operation 790) The widget in the decribed implementation and other imilar view of interactive media player activity and data may be requeted by Social network viitor (e.g., uing any type of computer) or may be requeted by other infor mation ytem. The Social network may et up a ervice erver which may provide detailed interactive media player data report and report may be tailored by authentication credential and other contraint. Some widget and ervice may be available to all type of computer client and ome may only be available to other erver or client authorized to acce the Social network ytem Although a uer ha been decribed a a human, a uer may be a peron, a group of people, a peron or peron interacting with one or more computer, and/or a computer ytem, a appropriate Variou implementation of the ytem and tech nique decribed here can be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry, pecially deigned ASIC (application pecific integrated circuit), computer hard ware, firmware, Software, and/or combination thereof. Thee variou implementation can include implementation in one or more computer program that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable ytem including at leat one programmable proceor, which may be pecial or general purpoe, coupled to receive data and intruction from, and to tranmit data and intruction to, a torage ytem, at leat one input device, and at leat one output device Thee computer program (alo known a pro gram, Software, Software application or code) include machine intruction for a programmable proceor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and/or object oriented programming language, and/or in aembly/ma chine language. A ued herein, the term machine-readable medium refer to any computer program product, apparatu and/or device (e.g., magnetic dic, optical dik, memory, Programmable Logic Device (PLD)) ued to provide machine intruction and/or data to a programmable proce Sor, including a machine-readable medium that receive machine intruction a a machine-readable ignal. The term machine-readable ignal refer to any ignal ued to provide machine intruction and/or data to a programmable proceor.

14 US 2007/ A1 Jul. 19, To provide for interaction with a uer, the ytem and technique decribed here can be implemented on a computer (e.g., hot or external hot) having a diplay device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crytal diplay) monitor) for diplaying information to the uer and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a moue or a trackball) by which the uer can provide input to the computer. Other kind of device can be ued to interact with a uer a well. For example, feedback provided to the uer by an output device may be any form of enory feedback (e.g., viual feedback, auditory feedback, and/or tactile feedback) and/or input from the uer may be received in any form, including acoutic, peech, or tactile input The ytem and technique decribed here can be implemented in a computing ytem that include a back end component (e.g., a a data erver), a middleware component (e.g., an application erver), a front end component (e.g., a client computer with a graphical uer interface or a Web brower through which a uer can interact with an imple mentation of the ytem and technique decribed here), or any combination of Such back end, middleware, or front end component. The component of the ytem can be inter connected by any form or medium of digital data commu nication (e.g., a communication network). Example of communication network include a local area network ( LAN ), a wide area network ( WAN ), and the Internet. 0059) The computing ytem may include client and erver. A client and a erver are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication net work. The relationhip of client and erver arie by virtue of computer program running on the repective computer and having a client-erver relationhip to each other Several implementation for the interactive media player have been decribed, and a number of other have been mentioned or uggeted. Neverthele, it will be under tood that variou modification may be made. For example, the preceding flowchart and accompanying decription illutrate exemplary procee uch a 400 and 700. Sytem (e.g., illutrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6) contemplate uing or implementing any uitable technique for performing thee and other tak. It will be undertood that thee method are for illutration purpoe only and that the decribed or imilar technique may be performed at any appropriate time, including concurrently, individually, or in combina tion. In addition, many of the tep in thee flowchart may take place imultaneouly and/or in different order than a hown. Moreover, the ytem may ue method with addi tional tep, fewer tep, and/or different tep, o long a the method remain appropriate. Accordingly, other implemen tation are within the cope of thi application It i to be undertood the invention i not limited to particular ytem or procee decribed which may, of coure, vary. It i alo to be undertood that the terminology ued herein i for the purpoe of decribing particular embodiment only, and i not intended to be limiting. A ued in thi pecification, the ingular form a, an and the include plural referent unle the content clearly indicate otherwie. Thu, for example, reference to a memory include a combination of two or more memorie and reference to a media' include mixture of different type of media. What i claimed: 1. A method for ocial networking compriing: receiving a requet from a uer for acce to a firt webite coupled to the Social network; receiving a requet from the uer for acce to a media exhibition on an interactive media player on the firt webite; preenting the media to the uer on the interactive media player, and allowing the uer to interact on the interactive media player with other uer. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the firt webite i coupled to an authentication ytem, and further compriing: automatically determining whether a uer i logged on to the authentication ytem. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the media i preented to the uer, if the uer i logged on to the authentication ytem. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the uer i allowed to interact with the other uer, if the uer i logged on to the authentication ytem. 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the media i preented to the uer, if the uer i not logged on to the authentication ytem. 6. The method of claim 2, wherein in the uer i inhibited from interacting with other uer, if the uer i not logged on to the authentication ytem. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive media player include more than one channel, wherein different media i exhibited on different channel, and wherein pre enting the media to the uer comprie preenting the media to the uer on a firt channel of the interactive media player. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the uer i allowed to interact on the interactive media player with other uer on the firt channel. 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the uer i inhibited from interacting with uer viewing different media on different channel. 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the uer i allowed to interact on the interactive media player with uer on the firt channel and with uer on at leat one other channel. 11. The method of claim 1 further compriing diplaying one or more advertiement on the interactive media player baed on at leat one of one or more attribute of the uer or one or more attribute of the media being preented on the interactive media player. 12. Software compriing computer-readable intruction to perform operation compriing: allowing a uer to acce a webite coupled to a Social network; preenting media on an interactive media player on the firt webite; allowing a uer to acce one or more interactive feature on the interactive media player. 13. The oftware of claim 12 wherein the intruction to perform operation further comprie preenting one or more meage on the interactive media player. 14. The oftware of claim 12 wherein the intruction to perform operation further comprie determining if a uer i logged on to the webite by determining if the uer if logged

15 US 2007/ A1 Jul. 19, 2007 on to an authentication ytem coupled to the firt webite, wherein the authentication ytem i coupled to at leat a firt webite on a domain and a econd webite coupled to a different domain. 15. The oftware of claim 12 wherein the intruction to perform operation further comprie receiving a requet from a uer to change media exhibited on the interactive media player, and preenting a different media on the interactive media player in repone to the requet from the USC. 16. The oftware of claim 12 wherein the intruction to perform operation further comprie diplaying one or more advertiement on the interactive media player. 17. The oftware of claim 12 wherein the intruction to perform operation further comprie diplaying one or more advertiement on the interactive media player baed on one or more attribute of the uer. 18. The oftware of claim 12 wherein the intruction to perform operation further comprie diplaying one or more advertiement on the interactive media player baed on one or more attribute of the media being preented on the interactive media player. 19. A ytem for providing an interactive media player on a ocial network compriing: a proceor; and a memory coupled to the proceor, wherein the memory tore program intruction operable to: receiving a requet from a uer for acce to a firt webite coupled to the ocial network; receiving a requet from the uer for acce to a media exhibition on an interactive media player on the firt webite; preenting the media to the uer on the interactive media player; and allowing the uer to interact on the interactive media player with other uer. 20. The ytem of claim 19 wherein the media comprie at leat one of video, text, or audio.