Systems and methods for permission-based advertising in messaging systems

Abstract

The various embodiments described herein include methods, devices, and systems for advertising in messaging systems. In one aspect, a method includes: (1) receiving, via a real-time messaging system, an advertisement from a first user of a plurality of users of the real-time messaging system, the advertisement directed toward a second user of the plurality of users of the real-time messaging system; (2) determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user; and (3) in accordance with a determination that the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user, sending the advertisement to the second user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method at a server having one or more processors and memory storing instructions for execution by the one or more processors, the method comprising:
 receiving, via a real-time messaging system, an advertisement from a first user of a plurality of users of the real-time messaging system, the advertisement directed toward a second user of the plurality of users of the real-time messaging system;   determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user; and   in accordance with a determination that the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user, sending the advertisement to the second user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user comprises determining whether the second user has previously interacted with the first user via the real-time messaging system. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user comprises determining whether the advertisement corresponds to an anchor message of the second user. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein determining whether the advertisement corresponds to an anchor message of the second user comprises determining whether the advertisement meets a particular relevance measure with respect to the anchor message. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the advertisement has associated display attributes for displaying the advertisement, and wherein the associated display attributes are distinct from display attributes associated with one or more non-advertisement messages sent by the server. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user comprises determining whether the advertisement corresponds to a conversation involving the first user and the second user. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a second advertisement, via the real-time messaging system, from the first user; and   in accordance with a determination that a first set of users of the plurality of users of the real-time messaging system have anchor messages that correspond to the second advertisement, sending the second advertisement to the first set of users.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether the second user has expressed the interest in receiving messages from the first user comprises, in response to receiving the advertisement, determining whether the second user has expressed the interest in receiving messages from the first user. 
     
     
         9 . A server system, comprising:
 one or more processors; and   memory storing one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:
 receiving, via a real-time messaging system, an advertisement from a first user of a plurality of users of the real-time messaging system, the advertisement directed toward a second user of the plurality of users of the real-time messaging system; 
 determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user; and 
 in accordance with a determination that the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user, sending the advertisement to the second user. 
   
     
     
         10 . The server system of  claim 9 , wherein determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user comprises determining whether the second user has previously interacted with the first user via the real-time messaging system. 
     
     
         11 . The server system of  claim 9 , wherein determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user comprises determining whether the advertisement corresponds to an anchor message of the second user. 
     
     
         12 . The server system of  claim 11 , wherein determining whether the advertisement corresponds to an anchor message of the second user comprises determining whether the advertisement meets a particular relevance measure with respect to the anchor message. 
     
     
         13 . The server system of  claim 9 , wherein the advertisement has associated display attributes for displaying the advertisement, and wherein the associated display attributes are distinct from display attributes associated with one or more non-advertisement messages sent by the server. 
     
     
         14 . The server system of  claim 9 , wherein determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user comprises determining whether the advertisement corresponds to a conversation involving the first user and the second user. 
     
     
         15 . The server system of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more programs further include instructions for:
 receiving a second advertisement, via the real-time messaging system, from the first user; and   in accordance with a determination that a first set of users of the plurality of users of the real-time messaging system have anchor messages that correspond to the second advertisement, sending the second advertisement to the first set of users.   
     
     
         16 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors of a server system, the one or more programs including instructions for:
 receiving, via a real-time messaging system, an advertisement from a first user of a plurality of users of the real-time messaging system, the advertisement directed toward a second user of the plurality of users of the real-time messaging system;   determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user; and   in accordance with a determination that the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user, sending the advertisement to the second user.   
     
     
         17 . The storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user comprises determining whether the second user has previously interacted with the first user via the real-time messaging system. 
     
     
         18 . The storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user comprises determining whether the advertisement corresponds to an anchor message of the second user. 
     
     
         19 . The storage medium of  claim 18 , wherein determining whether the advertisement corresponds to an anchor message of the second user comprises determining whether the advertisement meets a particular relevance measure with respect to the anchor message. 
     
     
         20 . The storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein determining whether the second user has expressed an interest in receiving messages from the first user comprises determining whether the advertisement corresponds to a conversation involving the first user and the second user. 
     
     
         21 . The storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more programs further include instructions for:
 receiving a second advertisement, via the real-time messaging system, from the first user; and   in accordance with a determination that a first set of users of the plurality of users of the real-time messaging system have anchor messages that correspond to the second advertisement, sending the second advertisement to the first set of users.