Systems and methods for information management using socially vetted graphs

Abstract

The present invention allows for an easy-to-use, web-based, schema-less database system that provides organizations the ability to organically model, store, and access information in an iterative and evolutionary manner. Users are encouraged to grow and explore the information domain intuitively. One embodiment is a method of collaboratively managing an entity-relationship graph, including: displaying the entity-relationship graph to a voting user; collecting data on expert status of the voting user indicating whether the voting user is an expert on a given topic; assigning a voting weight to one or more relationships in said entity-relationship graph in response to an input from the voting user and based on the voting user's expert status; and sorting the relationships in the entity-relationship graph based at least on said voting weight.

1 . A computer-implemented method of collaboratively managing an entity-relationship graph, comprising:
 displaying the entity-relationship graph to a voting user;   collecting data on expert status of the voting user indicating whether the voting user is an expert on a given topic;   assigning a voting weight to one or more relationships in said entity-relationship graph in response to an input from the voting user and based on the voting user's expert status; and   sorting the relationships in the entity-relationship graph based at least on said voting weight.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 calculating a relationship path between two entities in said entity-relationship graph.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the relationship path is displayed on said entity-relationship graph as a chain of nodes and edges. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said input from said voting user is represented by an indication of the voting user's opinion about one or more relationships. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 collapsing said entity-relationship graph by replacing two or more relationships in the entity-relationship graph with a single relationship.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said second new relationship represents a modification to said first new relationship. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 displaying to an advertiser an ordered list of viewing users that have recent activity associated with a predetermined keyword, weighted by an importance weight of the keyword to the advertiser.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 displaying to the advertiser a price to display an advertisement to each viewing user on the ordered list of viewing users, said price based on a market supply and demand for serving advertisements to said viewing users.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving an input from the voting user indicating that the voting user would like to be designated as an expert; and   receiving credentials from said voting user to substantiate the voting user's expert status.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 displaying the sorted relationships in an updated version of the entity-relationship graph to one or more additional users; and   creating a new relationship in the entity-relationship database in response to an input from said one or more additional users.   
     
     
         11 . A computer system for collaboratively managing an entity-relationship graph, comprising:
 one or more memories for storing program code; and   one or more processors, operatively connected to the one or more memories, for executing the stored program code, which when executed causes the system to perform a process comprising the steps of:   displaying the entity-relationship graph to a voting user;   collecting data on expert status of the voting user indicating whether the voting user is an expert on a given topic;   assigning a voting weight to one or more relationships in said entity-relationship graph in response to an input from the voting user and based on the voting user's expert status; and   sorting the relationships in the entity-relationship graph based at least on said voting weight.   
     
     
         12 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein the stored program code when executed further causes the system to perform the step of:
 calculating a relationship path between two entities stored in said entity-relationship graph.   
     
     
         13 . The computer system of  claim 12 , wherein the relationship path is displayed on said entity-relationship graph as a chain of nodes and edges. 
     
     
         14 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein said input from said voting user is represented by an indication of the voting user's opinion about one or more relationships. 
     
     
         15 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein the stored program code when executed further causes the system to perform the step of:
 collapsing said entity-relationship graph by replacing two or more relationships in the entity-relationship graph with a single relationship.   
     
     
         16 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein said second new relationship represents a modification to said first new relationship. 
     
     
         17 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein the stored program code when executed further causes the system to perform the step of:
 displaying to an advertiser an ordered list of viewing users that have recent activity associated with a predetermined keyword, weighted by an importance weight of the keyword to the advertiser.   
     
     
         18 . The computer system of  claim 17 , wherein the stored program code when executed further causes the system to perform the step of:
 displaying to the advertiser a price to display an advertisement to each viewing user on the ordered list of viewing users, said price based on a market supply and demand for serving advertisements to said viewing users.   
     
     
         19 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein the stored program code when executed further causes the system to perform the steps of:
 receiving an input from the voting user indicating that the voting user would like to be designated as an expert; and   receiving credentials from said voting user to substantiate the voting user's expert status.   
     
     
         20 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein the stored program code when executed further causes the system to perform the steps of:
 displaying the sorted relationships in an updated version of the entity-relationship graph to one or more additional users; and   creating a new relationship in the entity-relationship graph in response to an input from said one or more additional users.