Method and apparatus for promotion of users in rules-based virtual worlds

摘要

The present invention relates generally to the field of computer and network software, and more particularly it relates to a method and apparatus for promoting and rewarding users within a rules-based virtual world system in accordance with personalized/customized/user-generated content and/or virtual spaces. According to some aspects, the invention allows users to customize virtual content and activities in a manner that drives traffic to their own virtual spaces or those of other users or partners within the system. According to other aspects, the invention provides mechanisms to reward users whose customized content and activities drive a certain level of traffic to partner sites and/or their own virtual spaces. According to further aspects, the invention enables users to promote their customized virtual spaces and/or customized content and activities outside their own circle of friends, and to users of the system as a whole.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
hosting, by a server system, a virtual world comprising a plurality of different personalized virtual worlds whose content is respectively controlled by a plurality of different users exclusive of the other users; identifying virtual world content that can be made accessible in a computer network; allowing a user to customize the virtual world content, wherein allowing the user to customize the virtual world content includes allowing the user to customize how two or more of the user and other users can interact with each other in the user's personalized virtual world using content displayed in the user's personalized virtual world and their respective clients; promoting the user's personalized virtual world to other users in the virtual world; monitoring the amount of network traffic associated with the customized virtual world content in the user's personalized virtual world, wherein the user and the other users have clients that are configured to communicate with the server system in the computer network, and wherein the clients are user applications that are in addition to a standard web browser, such that the users must have the user applications installed in addition to the standard web browser, the user application and the standard web browser both being installed on a respective common computing device for each respective user, the common computing device being separate from the server system, and wherein the step of allowing the user to customize the virtual world content includes allowing the user to create a virtual tour of different websites using a string of a plurality of different URLs respectively associated with the different websites on the virtual tour; and allowing the user and the other users to simultaneously take the virtual tour together using browser sharing techniques.