Participant suggestion system

Abstract

A server system hosts a plurality of conversations, each having an identified set of participants. For a respective conversation, the server accesses the conversation in which a user is a participant. The server obtains a conversation profile for the conversation, the conversation profile based on information including content of the conversation and user-specific term weights for at least a plurality of terms in the content of the conversation. The server accesses a plurality of entity profiles that are based on content and/or structure in other conversations in which the user is a participant. The server compares at least a subset of the entity profiles to the conversation profile to identify a set of entities having entity profiles that best match the conversation profile, generates a suggestion for the user including a suggested entity from the identified set of entities; and sends the suggestion to the client system for display to the user.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 : A method comprising:
 maintaining a plurality of conversations that each has an identified set of participants, wherein the plurality of conversations are instant messaging conversations;   for each respective participant in each of the plurality of conversations, maintaining a respective participant-specific index of terms associated with one or more of the plurality of conversations in which the respective participant is an identified participant; and   responsive to receiving a search request from a first participant in a first conversation of the plurality of conversations:
 using the respective participant-specific index of terms corresponding to the first participant to identify one or more search results, wherein the one or more search results include one or more of (a) at least one conversation of the plurality of conversations that matches the search request, or (b) content included in the at least one conversation that matches the search request, wherein the first participant is a participant in the at least one conversation; and 
 providing a display of the one or more search results. 
   
     
     
         22 : The method of  claim 21 ,
 wherein the one or more search results includes the content included in the at least one conversation that matches the search request, and   wherein the content included in the at least one conversation comprises one or more attachments to the at least one conversation.   
     
     
         23 : The method of  claim 22 , wherein the one or more attachments comprise one or more of a picture, a video file, a document, an archive, an audio file, a presentation, an animation, or a link. 
     
     
         24 : The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 for each respective participant in each of the plurality of conversations, updating the respective participant-specific index of terms based on new content that is added to the one or more of the plurality of conversations in which the respective participant is an identified participant.   
     
     
         25 : The method of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one conversation includes the first conversation. 
     
     
         26 : The method of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one conversation includes a second conversation different from the first conversation. 
     
     
         27 : The method of  claim 26 , wherein providing the display of the one or more search results comprises formatting all or a portion of the second conversation for display to the first participant. 
     
     
         28 : The method of  claim 26 , wherein providing the display of the one or more search results comprises providing a display of content included in the second conversation that matches the search request. 
     
     
         29 : The method of  claim 26 , further comprising:
 prior to receiving the search request:
 receiving a message from a second participant of the second conversation; and 
 updating, based on the message, respective participant-specific indexes for each identified participant of the second conversation, including the participant-specific index of terms for the first participant. 
   
     
     
         30 : The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 maintaining, for the first participant, a list of the plurality of conversations in which the first participant is an identified participant;   updating a status of each conversation in the list when a state of the respective conversation changes; and   providing a display of the respective updated status of each conversation in the list when the state of the respective conversation changes.   
     
     
         31 : The method of  claim 21 , wherein the respective identified set of participants of the first conversation include one or more subscriber participants and one or more non-subscriber participants. 
     
     
         32 : The method of  claim 31 , wherein the one or more non-subscriber participants include one or more of an email client or a web log client. 
     
     
         33 : A computer system, comprising:
 one or more processors;   a memory configured to store instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to:
 maintain a plurality of conversations that each has an identified set of participants, wherein the plurality of conversations are instant messaging conversations; 
 for each respective participant in each of the plurality of conversations, maintain a respective participant-specific index of terms associated with one or more of the plurality of conversations in which the respective participant is an identified participant; and 
 responsive to receiving a search request from a first participant in a first conversation of the plurality of conversations:
 use the respective participant-specific index of terms corresponding to the first participant to identify one or more search results, wherein the one or more search results include one or more of (a) at least one conversation of the plurality of conversations that matches the search request, or (b) content included in the at least one conversation that matches the search request, wherein the first participant is a participant in the at least one conversation; and 
 provide a display of the one or more search results. 
 
   
     
     
         34 : The computer system of  claim 33 ,
 wherein the one or more search results includes the content included in the at least one conversation that matches the search request, and   wherein the content included in the at least one conversation comprises one or more attachments to the at least one conversation.   
     
     
         35 : The computer system of  claim 34 , wherein the one or more attachments comprise one or more of a picture, a video file, a document, an archive, an audio file, a presentation, an animation, or a link. 
     
     
         36 : The computer system of  claim 33 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to:
 for each respective participant in each of the plurality of conversations, update the respective participant-specific index of terms based on new content that is added to the one or more of the plurality of conversations in which the respective participant is an identified participant.   
     
     
         37 : The computer system of  claim 33 , wherein the respective identified set of participants of the first conversation include one or more subscriber participants and one or more non-subscriber participants. 
     
     
         38 : The computer system of  claim 37 , wherein the one or more non-subscriber participants include one or more of an email client or a web log client. 
     
     
         39 : A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a computer system to:
 maintain a plurality of conversations that each has an identified set of participants, wherein the plurality of conversations are instant messaging conversations;   for each respective participant in each of the plurality of conversations, maintain a respective participant-specific index of terms associated with one or more of the plurality of conversations in which the respective participant is an identified participant; and   responsive to receiving a search request from a first participant in a first conversation of the plurality of conversations:
 use the respective participant-specific index of terms corresponding to the first participant to identify one or more search results, wherein the one or more search results include one or more of (a) at least one conversation of the plurality of conversations that matches the search request, or (b) content included in the at least one conversation that matches the search request, wherein the first participant is a participant in the at least one conversation; and 
 provide a display of the one or more search results.