Endorsing local search results

Abstract

Methods and systems for improving user search experience with a search engine by providing a way for associated users to create and share personalized lists of local search results and/or advertisements through endorsements of such local search results and/or ads. Local search endorsements can be used to personalize the search engine's ranking of local search results by offering a way for users to re-rank the results for themselves and for those who trust them.

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
 receiving a first search query from a first member of a member network;   obtaining a first response to the first search query, wherein the first response identifies a plurality of electronic articles that were each rated by at least a respective one member of the member network;   for each electronic article of the plurality of electronic articles,
 obtaining a respective rating provided by each of one or more members of the member network, 
 for each rating, applying an adjustment to generate an updated rating, wherein the adjustment is based on a credibility factor associated with the member who provided the rating or a degree of separation between the first member and the member who provided the rating, and 
 combining the one or more updated ratings to generate a combined member-based rating and using the combined member-based rating to generate a ranking score for the electronic article; and 
   using the ranking scores of the plurality of electronic articles to generate a ranking of the electronic articles; and   providing, for display to the first member, in a response to the first search query, search results representing highest ranking electronic articles in the ranking of the electronic articles.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the adjustment is based on the credibility factor associated with the member who provided the rating.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the adjustment is also based on the degree of separation between the first member and the member who provided the rating.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the adjustment is based on the degree of separation between the first member and the member who provided the rating.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the degree of separation between the first member and the member who provided the rating is a lowest count of eligible associations separating the first member and the member who provided the rating, wherein an association is eligible if a type of the association is an eligible association type.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein a friendship association type is an eligible association type. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein a business association type is not an eligible association type. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein an implicit association based on geographic proximity is an eligible association type. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein an implicit association based on having at least a threshold number of common characteristics is an eligible association type. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining one or more groups of eligible associations that each separate the first member and the member who provided the rating, wherein:
 an association is eligible if a type of the association is an eligible association type, 
 each group of eligible associations includes one or more associations, and 
 each association of the one or more associations in each group has a weight; 
   for each group of the one or more groups of eligible associations, aggregating the weight of each eligible association in the group to generate a cumulative weight for the group; and   determining the cumulative weight for a group in the one or more groups of eligible associations having a lowest cumulative weight as the degree of separation between the first member and the member who provided the rating.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the weight for each eligible association is determined based on the type of the eligible association. 
     
     
         12 . A system comprising one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
 receiving a first search query from a first member of a member network;   obtaining a first response to the first search query, wherein the first response identifies a plurality of electronic articles that were each rated by at least a respective one member of the member network;   for each electronic article of the plurality of electronic articles,
 obtaining a respective rating provided by each of one or more members of the member network, 
 for each rating, applying an adjustment to generate an updated rating, wherein the adjustment is based on a credibility factor associated with the member who provided the rating or a degree of separation between the first member and the member who provided the rating, and 
 combining the one or more updated ratings to generate a combined member-based rating and using the combined member-based rating to generate a ranking score for the electronic article; and 
   using the ranking scores of the plurality of electronic articles to generate a ranking of the electronic articles; and   providing, for display to the first member, in a response to the first search query, search results representing highest ranking electronic articles in the ranking of the electronic articles.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the adjustment is based on the credibility factor associated with the member who provided the rating.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the adjustment is also based on the degree of separation between the first member and the member who provided the rating.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the adjustment is based on the degree of separation between the first member and the member who provided the rating.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the degree of separation between the first member and the member who provided the rating is a lowest count of eligible associations separating the first member and the member who provided the rating, wherein an association is eligible if a type of the association is an eligible association type.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein an implicit association based on geographic proximity is an eligible association type. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein an implicit association based on having at least a threshold number of common characteristics is an eligible association type. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 determining one or more groups of eligible associations that each separate the first member and the member who provided the rating, wherein:
 an association is eligible if a type of the association is an eligible association type, 
 each group of eligible associations includes one or more associations, and 
 each association of the one or more associations in each group has a weight; 
   for each group of the one or more groups of eligible associations, aggregating the weight of each eligible association in the group to generate a cumulative weight for the group; and   determining the cumulative weight for a group in the one or more groups of eligible associations having a lowest cumulative weight as the degree of separation between the first member and the member who provided the rating.   
     
     
         20 . A computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
 receiving a first search query from a first member of a member network;
 obtaining a first response to the first search query, wherein the first response identifies a plurality of electronic articles that were each rated by at least a respective one member of the member network; 
   for each electronic article of the plurality of electronic articles,
   obtaining a respective rating provided by each of one or more members of the member network,   for each rating, applying an adjustment to generate an updated rating, wherein the adjustment is based on a credibility factor associated with the member who provided the rating or a degree of separation between the first member and the member who provided the rating, and   combining the one or more updated ratings to generate a combined member-based rating and using the combined member-based rating to generate a ranking score for the electronic article; and   
 using the ranking scores of the plurality of electronic articles to generate a ranking of the electronic articles; and 
 providing, for display to the first member, in a response to the first search query, search results representing highest ranking electronic articles in the ranking of the electronic articles.