Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, in which contextual bids for an auction are provided for advertisement requests for presentation of an advertisement in an identified context. Each contextual bid is based on an effectiveness measure associated with a corresponding advertisement and the identified context. Each corresponding advertisement can be served in a plurality of contexts, and the corresponding advertisement has a corresponding plurality of effectiveness measures, each effectiveness measure determined from evaluation results received from evaluations conducted in the plurality of contexts.

An online social network is provided. A sentiment is determined for each of a plurality of users of an online social network (OSN) in relation to a first product. A category is determined for each of the plurality of users based, at least in part, on the sentiment of each of the plurality of users, respectively. A group including a first user and a second user of the plurality of users is generated based, at least in part, on the category of each of the first user and the second user and a relationship within the OSN between the first user and the second user. An advertisement is presented to the first user. An indication is presented to the first user that the advertisement is also presented to the second user.

Presented herein is an interactive platform for judging an activity by a participant in an event. The platform includes a client application program downloadable to a mobile device. The program may include a database storing a mobile device identifier (ID), a user ID, user information, and location data of the device. The application may further be configured to display one or more events of the activity as well as an input for receiving a score of the activity from the user. The platform may additionally include a server system connected with the client application programs via a communication network. The server system may be configured for receiving the mobile device ID, the user ID, the user information, and the location data for the client program, and may further be configured to receive the scores from the users, and to adjust the scores according to determined bias of the associated user.

A system and a method for automatically collecting content, the method comprising the steps of: defining a plurality of content sites, creating a collection of virtual agents data including user characteristic data and user behavioral data, presenting the collection of virtual agents to the plurality of content sites; receiving content from the visited internet site; and storing the received content or presenting it to a user.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for enhancing computer interaction challenge-response tests (e.g., Completely Automatic Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart, or CAPTCHA). Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for introducing advertising in such challenge-response tests, such that users are presented with opportunities to learn about or reinforce brands. In a typical embodiment, when a user attempts to access content (e.g., web content), the user will be presented with a CAPTCHA test. The CAPTCHA test typically includes an advertisement (e.g., logo, label, etc.) and an associated question for the user to answer. Along these lines, the advertisement is generally selected based on the user's demographics (e.g., interests, gender, age, etc.). If the user successfully responds to the question and/or responds within a certain amount of time, a reward can be determined (e.g., access to the content, preferred placement in a queue for computing resources, etc.). In one embodiment, a cumulative points total can be maintained for the user based on cumulative responses to CAPTCHA tests. In this embodiment, the CAPTCHA tests presented to the user can have increasing levels of difficulty with corresponding rewards.

Systems and methods for providing transit access using display-integrated barriers. One embodiment includes a gateline having a first display-integrated barrier configured to display a first visual message and to be moved to allow a holder of a portable electronic device to enter the transit system. The gateline may include a receiving antenna configured to receive a wireless electromagnetic signal transmitted by a portable electronic device. A transit server may transmit an inquiry signal regarding an aspect of the first visual message to the portable electronic device, receive a response signal, and analyze the response signal to determine that the response signal correctly verifies the aspect of the first visual message. The transit server may effect a transit data augmentation amount to an account associated with the portable electronic device.

Systems and methods for providing transit access using display-integrated barriers. One embodiment includes a gateline having a first display-integrated barrier configured to display a first visual message and to be moved to allow a holder of a portable electronic device to enter the transit system. The gateline may include a receiving antenna configured to receive a wireless electromagnetic signal transmitted by a portable electronic device. A transit server may transmit an inquiry signal regarding an aspect of the first visual message to the portable electronic device, receive a response signal, and analyze the response signal to determine that the response signal correctly verifies the aspect of the first visual message. The transit server may effect a transit data augmentation amount to an account associated with the portable electronic device.

Embodiments of system are disclosed in which selection strategies for a direct marketing campaign that identify consumers from a credit bureau or other consumer database can be planned, tested, and/or refined on a stable subset of the credit database. In some embodiments, once refined, consumer selection criteria may be used to execute the direct marketing campaign on the full consumer/credit database, which is preferably updated approximately twice weekly. In one preferred embodiment, the data for the test database represents a random sampling of approximately 10% of the full database and the sampling is regenerated approximately weekly in order to provide a stable set of data on which campaign developers may test their campaign. For each consumer in the sampling, the environment may allow a client to access and use both attributes calculated by the credit bureau and proprietary attributes and data owned by the client. The system allows for a plurality of clients to use the system substantially simultaneously while protecting the privacy and integrity of the client's proprietary data and results.

A method for enhanced digital content presentation is provided that includes assigning, to each member of members of a social network of a user, a respective knowledge score, the knowledge score being representative of accuracy in the member predicting positive impressions of the user. The members of the social network are surveyed for an indication of which one or more options for digital content are expected to have a positive impression on the user. Based on the surveying, selected digital content based on the one or more options that are expected to have a positive impression on the user, as indicated by the surveying, is selected. The selected digital content is presented to the user. An indication of whether the selected digital content had a positive impression on the user is received from the user.

Systems and methods for frequency management, including: an online media service configured to receive a request for a media item, the request comprising a recipient identifier of a recipient, and identify a set of candidate media items ranked based at least partially on relevance to the recipient; and a frequency management service configured to: (i) identify a quantity of impressions associated with a first candidate media item of the set of candidate media items and the recipient identifier over a preceding duration of time, (ii) identify a maximum frequency threshold, (iii) determine, based on the quantity of impressions, that the maximum frequency threshold is exceeded, (iv) exclude the first candidate media item from a result set based on the frequency threshold being exceeded, and (v) provide the result set comprising an identifier of a second candidate media item in response to the request.