Identifying Service Providers for Electronically Received Service Requests and Using Stored Account Data To Connect The Requester With Providers

摘要

A system and method for facilitating the locating and hiring of service providers is provided. In an embodiment, a social networking server provides an interface for users of social networking accounts to create service request. When the social networking server computer receives a service request for a particular type of service provider, the social networking server computer identifies service providers of the particular type and sends the service request to the service providers. In response to receiving an indication that a particular service provider is available to fulfill a service request, the social networking server computer sends a message to the service requester that identifies the particular service provider and indicates that the service provider is available to fulfill the service request. In response to receiving an indication from the service requester that the service requester wishes to hire the service provider, the social networking server computer sends a message to the service provider indicating that the service provider has been hired to fulfill the service request.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
storing, at a social networking server computer, account information for a plurality of social networking accounts comprising geographic data and user identification data; receiving, through a graphical user interface executing on a first computing device associated with a first social networking account of the plurality of social networking accounts, input requesting one or more services from a particular type of service provider in a particular geographic region; identifying one or more second social networking accounts of the plurality of social networking accounts, based, at least in part, on account information for the one or more second social networking accounts that indicates that the one or more second social networking accounts are associated with the particular type of service provider for the particular geographic region; sending, over a network to one or more second computing devices associated with the one or more second social networking accounts, a service request corresponding to the received input from the first computing device; receiving, from a particular computing device of the one or more second computing devices, a response to the service request indicating an availability to fulfill the service request; sending, to the first computing device, an identification of a particular social networking account associated with the one or more second computing devices and the response to the service request indicating the availability to fulfill the service request; receiving, through the graphical user interface executing on the first computing device, input selecting a hire option for the particular social networking account; sending, to the particular computing device, a message indicating that the particular social networking account associated with the second computing device has been selected to fulfill the service request.