Targeting items to a user of a social networking system based on a predicted event for the user

摘要

A social networking system predicts a life event (e.g., birthday, change in marital status, relationship status, etc.) for a target user based on information associated with the user. The social networking system identifies gift suggestions to provide to one or more friends of the user based on the predicted event. A gift suggestion may include an invitation to purchase or send an item, voucher, or other gift to the target user, wherein the gift may be determined based on information about the target user's interests obtained by the social networking system. The social networking system sends a gift suggestion to one or more friends of the target user, where the gift suggestion identifies the predicted life event and provides the gift suggestion to the target user's friend. The advertisement may require action by multiple of the target user's friends before the gift is sent to the target user.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
predicting a life event for a target user of a social networking system based on communications between the target user and other users of the social networking system, the predicting of the life event comprising:
training a machine learning model using historical data related to communications over a computer network involving a plurality of users of the social networking system and confirmations about the life event for one or more of the plurality of users,computing, using the trained machine learning model, a probability score representing whether the target user will undergo the life event, andcomparing the computed probability score with a threshold score representing a threshold probability of occurrence of the life event; associating the predicted life event with a profile of the target user in the social networking system; selecting a gift suggestion for the target user, the gift suggestion comprising an advertisement and the gift suggestion selected if the target user matches targeting criteria provided by the advertisement; identifying a viewing user who is connected to the target user in the social networking system; and sending the gift suggestion along with a notification about the predicted life event to at least one of the user's friends.