HK1188011B - Content sharing interface for sharing content in social networks - Google Patents

Description

Content sharing interface for sharing content in social networks

Cross-reference to related applications

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 61/408,732, filed November 1, 2010; and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 61/408,811, filed November 1, 2010, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

This specification generally relates to systems and methods for sharing digital content using computer-implemented social networking services.

Background Art

Computers and mobile devices (such as cell phones and personal digital assistants) have become increasingly interconnected due to the widespread availability of wired and wireless connections to communication networks (such as the Internet). Even in the earliest days of the ARPANET, users still took advantage of such interconnections to communicate with each other through early forms of email. As email grew in availability and popularity, email "lists" became a popular tool for broadcasting messages to a predefined group of recipients.

In the 1980s, Internet-based "newsgroups" emerged, in which users could read and respond to discussion threads segmented around a wide variety of predefined categories. Newsgroups are generally readable and updateable by anyone with the equipment to access them, as access to newsgroups is generally not restricted on a per-newsgroup or per-user basis. World Wide Web-based discussion groups (also known as clubs) have also provided a way for groups of people to associate around topics. Through the use of web server programming, the idea of discussion groups and discussion threads has been expanded to provide users with the ability to subscribe to secure discussion forums that are, in some cases, hosted by other users.

Another variation of Internet-based communication forums is web-based "social networking" applications, in which multiple users can discover each other's accounts and voluntarily become "friends" or "followers" of each other's posted messages. Users typically post short messages about their status, mood, activities, etc., and their friends and followers can read and optionally reply to those messages. In this way, friends can keep up with each other's activities as a tool for maintaining their social ties.

Some social networks offer tools for sharing information to and from the social network. For example, some social networking sites offer buttons that can be integrated into third-party web pages. When a user presses the button, information is transmitted back to the social networking site indicating who pressed the button and which web page the button is located on. In this example, the user's social networking partners can be notified of the user's activity on the third-party web page.

Summary of the Invention

Generally, the innovative aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be embodied in a method comprising the following acts: displaying, on a webpage of a plurality of webpages, a graphical representation of a content sharing interface of a first social networking service, the content sharing interface including a content input area that can receive user input; receiving a first user input into the content input area; in response to the first user input, expanding the content sharing interface in the webpage to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface, the expanded content input area displaying a graphical representation of digital content to be distributed; receiving a second user input into the distribution interface, the second user input indicating one or more contacts to whom the digital content is to be distributed; in response to receiving the second user input, displaying one or more icons in the distribution interface, each of the one or more icons being a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; receiving a third user input into the content sharing interface, the third user input including a user instruction to distribute the digital content; and in response to the third user input, transmitting a post dataset to the server computing system, the post dataset including digital content data and distribution data. Other implementations of these aspects include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs encoded on computer storage devices configured to perform the acts of the method.

These and other implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features. For example, one of the one or more icons corresponds to a social circle of the user in a social networking service, the social circle defining a subset of the one or more contacts; one of the one or more icons corresponds to a second social networking service in which the user participates; the second social networking service includes a microblog social networking service; the second social networking service includes a blogging service; the one or more icons correspond to at least one contact who received the digital content via email; the action further includes displaying webpage digital content in the webpage, wherein the content sharing interface displays a summary of the webpage digital content in the expanded content input area; providing the summary in response to a request for a source of the digital content, the request generated in response to the first user input; the action further includes displaying one or more digital content selection icons in the expanded content selection area; the action further includes receiving a fourth user input, the fourth user input indicating a selection of an icon of the one or more digital content selection icons, and in response to receiving the fourth user input, displaying a digital content selection interface through which a user can select additional digital content for distribution; The one or more digital content selection icons include a digital image selection icon, a digital video selection icon, a link selection icon, and a map selection icon; the one or more digital content selection icons are displayed in the content sharing interface before receiving the first user input; the web page includes a map service web page and the digital content includes a map; the post data set further includes map data, the map data includes scroll data and zoom data corresponding to a map view of the map, and the scroll data and the zoom data can be used by the map service web page to replicate the map view; the action further includes receiving the post data set, generating an access control list (ACL) based on the distribution data, the distribution data corresponding to the one or more contacts, and distributing the digital content based on the ACL; the first user input includes a click in the content input area; the web page includes a web page of the social networking service; each of the multiple web pages includes a web page of an Internet-based social networking service; the web page includes a web page of a website outside the domain of the social networking service; and providing the content sharing interface in a toolbar of the web page.

The innovative aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be embodied in a method comprising the following acts: receiving user input indicating the distribution of digital content, the distribution indicating one or more contacts to whom the digital content is distributed, processing the distribution based on one or more policies, each of the one or more policies providing restrictions on the distribution of the digital content; based on the processing, determining that the distribution violates at least one of the one or more policies; and responsive to the determination, transmitting notification data to display a notification to a user that the distribution violates the at least one policy. Other implementations of these aspects include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs encoded on computer storage devices configured to perform the acts of the method.

These and other implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features. For example, the action further includes transmitting icon data to display an icon to the user as a graphical representation of the distribution, wherein the notification includes attributes of the icon; the attributes include a color of the icon; the notification includes an indication that the distribution includes one or more non-domain contacts; each of the one or more non-domain contacts includes a contact of the user outside the domain of the social networking service; the user input includes an email address; the email address corresponds to a domain outside the domain of the social networking service; the action further includes receiving user input corresponding to the notification, and in response to receiving the user input corresponding to the notification, transmitting dialog data to display a dialog box to the user; the dialog box includes text indicating that the distribution includes one or more non-domain contacts; each of the one or more non-domain contacts includes a contact of the user outside the domain of the social networking service contact; the user input corresponding to the notification includes a hover action on the notification; the action further includes receiving user input indicating a command for distributing the digital content based on the distribution, and in response to receiving the user input indicating the command for distribution, transmitting confirmation dialog data to display a confirmation dialog to the user; the confirmation dialog notifies the user that the distribution of the content data will result in the digital content being distributed to one or more domains outside the domain of the social networking service; the action further includes receiving user input provided to the confirmation dialog, the user input indicating a second command for distributing the digital content based on the distribution, and in response to receiving the user input, distributing the digital content based on the distribution; the policy includes an age policy; and the age policy includes prohibiting the distribution of the digital content to one or more contacts of the distribution who are determined to be underage.

Innovative aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be embodied in a method comprising the following acts: presenting, in a webpage, a graphical representation of a content sharing interface of a first social networking service, the graphical representation comprising at least one button icon responsive to user input; receiving first user input to the button icon; responsive to the first user input, expanding the content sharing interface in the webpage to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface, the expanded content input area displaying a graphical representation of digital content to be distributed; receiving second user input to the distribution interface, the second user input indicating one or more contacts to whom the digital content is to be distributed; responsive to receiving the second user input, displaying one or more icons in the distribution interface, each of the one or more icons being a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; receiving third user input to the content sharing interface, the third user input comprising a user instruction to distribute the digital content; and responsive to the third user input, transmitting a post dataset to the server computing system, the post dataset comprising digital content data and distribution data. Other implementations of these aspects include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs encoded on computer storage devices configured to perform the acts of the method.

These and other implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features. For example, the icons of the one or more icons correspond to a social circle of the user in a social networking service, the social circle defining a subset of the one or more contacts; the icons of the one or more icons correspond to a second social networking service in which the user participates; the second social networking service includes a microblog social networking service; the second social networking service includes a blog service; the icons of the one or more icons correspond to at least one contact who receives the digital content via email; the action further includes displaying webpage digital content in the webpage, wherein the content sharing interface displays a summary of the webpage digital content in the expanded content input area; the action further includes displaying one or more digital content selection icons in the expanded content selection area; the action further includes receiving a fourth user input, the fourth user input indicating selection of the icons of the one or more digital content selection icons, and in response to receiving the fourth user input, displaying a digital content selection interface through which a user can select additional digital content for distribution; the one or more digital content selection icons include a digital image selection icon, a digital video selection icon, a link selection icon, and a map selection icon; the one or more digital content selection icons are displayed in response to receiving the fourth user input. a user input previously displayed in the content sharing interface; the action further includes receiving a fourth user input, the fourth user input indicating a hover action on the button icon, and in response to receiving the fourth user input, displaying a dialog box, the dialog box displaying data corresponding to contacts with whom the digital content has been shared; the first user input includes a user selection of the button icon; the web page includes a search results page and the button icon is associated with the search results displayed in the web page; the web page includes a map service web page and the digital content includes a map; the post dataset further includes map data, the map data including scroll data and zoom data corresponding to a map view of the map, the scroll data and the zoom data being usable by the map service web page to replicate the map view; the action further includes receiving the post dataset, generating an access control list (ACL) based on the distribution data, the distribution data corresponding to the one or more contacts, and distributing the digital content based on the ACL; the web page includes a web page of the social networking service; each of the plurality of web pages includes a web page of the social networking service; and the web page includes a web page of a website external to the domain of the social networking service.

Innovative aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure may be embodied in a method comprising the following acts: presenting a graphical representation of a content sharing interface of a social networking service on a display; receiving a first user input into the content sharing interface; in response to the first user input, expanding the content sharing interface to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface, the expanded content input area displaying a graphical representation of digital content to be distributed; receiving a second user input into the distribution interface, the second user input indicating one or more contacts to whom the digital content is to be distributed; in response to receiving the second user input, displaying one or more icons in the distribution interface, each of the one or more icons being a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; receiving a third user input into the content sharing interface, the third user input including a user instruction to distribute the digital content; and in response to the third user input, transmitting a post dataset to the server computing system, the post dataset including digital content data and distribution data. Other implementations of these aspects include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs encoded on computer storage devices configured to perform the acts of the method.

These and other implementations may each optionally include one or more of the following features. For example, the icons of the one or more icons correspond to the social circle of the user in the social networking service, the social circle defining a subset of the one or more contacts; the icons of the one or more icons correspond to a second social networking service in which the user participates; the second social networking service includes a microblog social networking service; the second social networking service includes a blog service; the icons of the one or more icons correspond to at least one contact who receives the digital content via email; the action further includes displaying webpage digital content in the webpage, wherein the content sharing interface displays a summary of the webpage digital content in the expanded content input area; the action further includes displaying one or more digital content selection icons in the expanded content selection area; the action further includes The invention includes receiving a fourth user input indicating a selection of an icon of the one or more digital content selection icons, and in response to receiving the fourth user input, displaying a digital content selection interface through which a user can select additional digital content for distribution; the one or more digital content selection icons include a digital image selection icon, a digital video selection icon, a link selection icon, and a map selection icon; the one or more digital content selection icons are displayed in the content sharing interface before receiving the first user input; the graphical representation of the content sharing interface is displayed on the desktop display of the client computing device; the graphical representation of the content sharing interface is displayed as a toolbar in a web browser application executed on the client computing device.

The details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other potential features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 depicts an example system in which implementations of the present disclosure may be performed.

2A-2D depict example content sharing interfaces according to implementations of the present disclosure.

3A and 3B illustrate another example content sharing interface according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

4A-4D depict another example content sharing interface according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

5A and 5B depict implementations of the example content sharing interface of FIGs. 4A-4D.

6A and 6B depict screenshots of example stream pages for a user of a social networking service including an example content sharing interface.

7 depicts a screenshot of an example web page including an example content sharing interface.

8 depicts a screenshot of an example map page including an example content sharing interface.

9 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for sharing content.

10A-11 depict example outputs of an access control list (ACL) service in enforcing domain policy.

12 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for enforcing a policy.

Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally, implementations of the present disclosure relate to content sharing interfaces that can be used to define digital content distribution. As used herein, a sharing user can include a user of a computing device that shares digital content with other users via a network (e.g., the Internet). As used herein, a receiving user can include a user that receives digital content shared by a sharing user. In one or more contexts, a receiving user can be associated with a sharing user. In some implementations, a receiving user and a sharing user can be contacts of each other in a social networking service. In some implementations, a receiving user can be a user that is a contact of the sharing user in an email service.

As described in greater detail herein, content sharing interfaces are provided in association with various forms of digital content (e.g., uniform resource indicators (URIs), hypertext links, maps, images, videos, files, social network posts, online articles, blogs). Users can interact with the content sharing interface to indicate that they desire to post content associated with the interface or comments about the content to contacts within the social networking service and/or contacts outside the social networking service.

1 is a diagram of an example network architecture 100. The network architecture 100 includes a plurality of client devices 102-110 communicatively connected to a server system 112 by a network 114. The server system 112 includes one or more processing devices 116 and one or more data repositories 118. The processing devices 116 execute computer instructions (e.g., social network computer program code) stored in the data repositories 118 to perform the functions of, for example, a social network server.

A plurality of users 120a-120e of client devices 102-110 each access the server system 112 to participate in a social networking service. For example, the client devices 102-110 may execute a web browser application that can be used to access the social networking service. In another example, the client devices 102-110 may execute a software application specific to a social network (e.g., a social networking "app" running on a smartphone).

Users 120a-120e can participate in the social networking services provided by server system 112 by posting information such as textual comments (e.g., updates, notifications, replies), digital images, videos, search results, links to other digital content (e.g., uniform resource locators (URLs) of digital videos and/or digital images), and/or other appropriate electronic content. In some implementations, systems and/or services external to the social network or server system 112 can post information on behalf of users. For example, user 120a can post a review of a movie to a movie review website, and the website can cross-post the review to the social network on behalf of user 120a, if appropriate permission is given. In another example, a software application executing on a mobile device can use global positioning system (GPS) capabilities to determine the user's location and automatically update the social network with the user's location (e.g., "at home," "at work," "in Brownsdale, Minnesota").

Users 120a-120e interacting with client devices 102-110 may also use the social network provided by the service system 112 to define social circles for organizing and categorizing relationships with other users. Such relationships may be defined using social circles. In some embodiments, a social networking service enables users to group contacts into one or more social circles, which may be based on a categorization of the user's relationships with other users. These relationships may be implicit or explicit. For example, in the context of a social networking service, a user may assign contacts to one or more social circles to better control the distribution and visibility of social networking posts and/or other digital content. In some implementations, a social circle is provided as a dataset defining a set of contacts associated with a user of a computer-implemented social networking service. Generally, a social circle can be described from the perspective of an individual who is central to a particular collection of socially connected people, or from the collective perspective of the collection of socially connected people. A social circle may have narrowly defined boundaries, all members of the social circle may be known to one another, and membership may require permission. For example, a user of a social networking service may define a social circle, and the social circle, as a dataset defining a set of contacts, may reflect the user's real-life social circle.

Users of social networking services may desire to share information with their social networking partners. However, users may also desire to control the distribution of such information among their social networking partners. For example, some users may be concerned about their privacy when posting information. Such users may desire to keep posts about their personal activities confined to their personal social circles. For example, a user may post pictures of their softball team to their "Friends" and "Softball Team" social circles, but not to their "Coworkers" social circle. Other users may desire to focus their posted information so that it reaches only a substantially selected subset of their contacts. For example, a user may desire to post family announcements substantially only to their "Family" social circle, or may desire to post political comments substantially only to their "Politics" social circle.

In some implementations, client devices 102-110 can be computing devices that can be used to communicate with an electronic social network, such as a laptop or desktop computer, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a portable media player, a tablet computer, or other suitable computing device. In some implementations, server system 112 can include a single computing device, such as a computer server. In some implementations, server system 112 can represent more than one computing device working together to perform the actions of a server computer (e.g., cloud computing). In some implementations, network 114 can be a public communication network (e.g., the Internet, a cellular data network, a dial-up modem over a telephone network) or a private communication network (e.g., a private LAN, a leased line).

2A-2D depict an example content sharing interface 200 according to implementations of the present disclosure. As described in greater detail herein, the content sharing interface 200 can be presented to users of the social networking service within the social networking service (e.g., the content sharing interface 200 is displayed on a webpage of a website of the social networking service) and/or presented to users of the social networking service outside the social networking service (e.g., the content sharing interface 200 is displayed on a webpage of a website not directly associated with the social networking service).

The content sharing interface 200 enables a user to publish digital content for distribution to a defined set of recipients. In some implementations, a post can be generated by a user and can include the following post dataset. The post dataset can include data associated with the digital content and identified recipients. In some implementations, the post dataset can include digital content, timestamp data (e.g., a timestamp indicating when the post was generated), distribution data (e.g., a contact, one or more social circles, etc.), and identification (ID) data (e.g., an ID assigned to the post dataset after the post was generated). In some implementations, the distribution data is processed to provide an access control list (ACL) that specifies the distribution of the digital content (e.g., granting contacts within or outside the social networking system access to the digital content).

In some implementations, the distribution center can be provided as a backend service (e.g., provided by server system 112 of FIG. 1 ). In some implementations, the ACL service can be provided as one or more computer program applications that can be executed by one or more server systems. The ACL service can generate an ACL and can determine the endpoints to which the post dataset is distributed based on the ACL. In some implementations, the contacts that are granted access to or receive digital content are determined based on the ACL. The ID of the post dataset can be written to each user/view index in the ACL service. When extracting posts for distribution to a particular user, the user/view index is accessed and the IDs of the various posts that the user is granted to view are determined. The post dataset is retrieved from a data repository (e.g., data repository 118 of FIG. 1 ) and transmitted for display on a client computing device associated with the particular user.

In implementations of the present disclosure, distributions for digital content can be defined based on one or more social circles. As used herein, a distribution can include a list of one or more contacts to whom the digital content will be distributed using a social networking service. In some examples, a distribution includes a sub-distribution (e.g., identifying a social circle for distributing the digital content). In some examples, a distribution includes multiple sub-distributions. In some implementations, a sub-distribution can include contacts who are not members of a particular social circle and/or are not users of the underlying social networking service.

The content sharing interface 200 includes a distribution interface 202 associated with digital content provided in a content area 204. In various embodiments, the digital content can be a uniform resource indicator (URI), a web page, a web page segment, a media playback interface, a hyperlink, a social network post (e.g., text), an online map, a location on an online map, a digital image, a digital video, a search result, and/or any other suitable item or information that can be presented in an electronic user interface (UI).

The distribution interface 202 includes a contact input area 206. As described in more detail below, a user can enter or select an identifier to input into the contact input area 206. The identifier identifies other users, categories of users, and/or social circles to define the distribution of digital content (e.g., via a social networking service). In some implementations, the identifier can include a contact identifier, a social circle identifier, an email address, or any other suitable identifier that can be used to define one or more people with whom content can be shared. The identifier provided in the contact input area 206 is used to generate an ACL that defines the distribution of the digital content provided in the content area 204.

Referring now to FIG2 B, an example identifier icon 208 is provided in the distribution interface 202. The identifier icon 208 is a visual representation of one or more users with whom the digital content will be shared. In the example of FIG2 B, the user temporarily indicates that the digital content in the content area 204 will be shared with members of the "friends" social circle. Until the post is submitted (discussed in more detail below), the identifier icon provides temporary distribution to the digital content. For example, continuing the example of FIG2 B, the user can activate (e.g., click) delete control 210 to remove the identifier icon 208 from the contact input area 206.

Referring now to Figures 2C and 2D , menu 213 may be presented in response to user input. In some implementations, a user may select (e.g., click) contact input area 206 and menu 213 may be displayed in response to the selection. In some implementations, a user may enter text into contact input area 206 and menu 213 may be displayed in response to the input. In some implementations, a user may select (e.g., click) add control 214 and menu 213 and menu 213 may be displayed in response to the selection. In the example illustrated in Figure 2C , menu 213 includes multiple areas. Menu area 220 displays a collection of social circles 222 from which a user can select. Social circles may include social circles defined by a user using a social networking service. In some implementations, the collection of social circles 222 may include a subset of the social circles that the user most frequently follows and/or a subset of the social circles that the user most frequently hangs out in. User control 224 may be selected to display additional social circles managed by the user. By selecting (eg, clicking) a social circle from the listed social circles, a corresponding identifier icon 208 may be displayed in the contact input area 206 .

Menu area 230 presents a collection of non-circle-specified contact groups to which the user can select to distribute content. For example, by selecting "My Circles," the user can choose to share digital content with any member of the user's social circle. By selecting "Extended Circles," the user can choose to share digital content with any member of the user's extended network (e.g., friends of friends, other users who share a common social circle with the user). By selecting "Anyone," the user can choose to share digital content with anyone on the Internet (e.g., the public). By making a selection (e.g., clicking) from menu area 230, a corresponding identifier icon 208 can be displayed in contact input area 206. In some examples, menu area 230 may include one or more domains with which the user can share digital content. In the example, "Domain" is provided as the domain. Example domains may include domains of Internet-based service providers (e.g., Google). One or more domains may be defined in the distribution interface, and digital content may be shared with all users interacting with the specified domain.

The menu area 240 presents a collection of the user's most recently used distribution lists. In some implementations, the menu area 240 may not be displayed. For example, a new user may have never used the content sharing interface 200 before and therefore have no previously used distribution lists to select from. As the user uses the content sharing interface 200, the number of items displayed in the menu area 240 may expand to a predetermined number of recently used distribution lists.

2D , the selections available in menu 213 can be adapted based on the text entered into contact input area 206. In the illustrated example, the user has begun entering free-form text 250 in the form of the letter "f" (i.e., as free-form text 250) into contact input area 206. In response to this input, menu area 260 is adapted to suggest several targets that can correspond to the letter "f" entered by the user, such as a "family" social circle 262 and a "Francisco Franco" contact 264. In some implementations, users of another social networking service can be followed. For example, a "Friendworks (Rob McDavies)" contact 266 can be presented for following users of another social networking service.

In some implementations, a user can indicate that digital content is distributed to a contact via email. In some examples, digital content can be shared via email instead of or in addition to being shared via a social networking service. In some implementations, a user can interact with an identifier icon (e.g., identifier icon 208) provided in a distribution interface (e.g., distribution interface 202) to provide user input indicating that the associated digital content is shared via email. In some examples, user interaction can include hovering over an identifier icon (e.g., using a pointer), and in response to the hovering action, a menu associated with the particular identifier icon can be displayed. The menu can include menu selections indicating that the contact associated with or represented by the particular icon identifier receives the digital content via email.

Once the user defines and is satisfied with the distribution, the user can submit the post. In some implementations, a share button 212 is provided. The user can activate (e.g., click) the share button 212 to submit the post. Submission of the post can cause the following operations, as described above, to be performed, generating a post dataset and distributing digital content to the identified user.

3A and 3B depict another example content sharing interface 300 according to an implementation of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG3A , the content sharing interface 300 includes a content entry area 305. In some implementations, the content entry area 305 may be the content area 204 of FIG2A to FIG2D . In some implementations, a user may select the content entry area 305 to input and/or select digital content for distribution. For example, a pointer 310 may be used to interact (e.g., click) with the content entry area 305 and initiate interaction with the content sharing interface 300. For example, a user may click on the content entry area 305 to initiate text entry as part of interacting with the content entry area 305.

In some implementations, a user may select icons 315, 320, 325, and 330 to initiate input and/or selection of digital content to be distributed. For example, in the illustrated implementation, a user may select icon 315 to initiate a process for selecting a digital image to be distributed (e.g., stored in a computer-readable memory). For example, a user may click icon 315, and in response to the click, a user interface may be presented in which the user can upload a digital image file, select a previously uploaded digital image file, and/or provide a URL corresponding to a digital image found elsewhere on the Internet. In some implementations, once a digital image file is identified, a thumbnail of the digital image and/or information about the image (e.g., address, file name, description, title, size, data used) may appear in content entry area 305.

In the illustrated implementation, for example, a user can select icon 320 to select a digital video to be distributed (e.g., stored in a computer-readable memory). For example, the user can click icon 320, and in response to the click, a user interface can be presented in which the user can upload a digital video file, select a previously uploaded digital video file, and/or provide a URL corresponding to a digital video file found elsewhere on the Internet. In some implementations, once a digital video file is identified, a thumbnail of the digital video and/or information about the digital video (e.g., address, file name, description, title, size, data used) can appear in content entry area 305. In some implementations, the shared content can be accompanied by information other than a URL or other identifier. For example, a user can click icon 320 to share an identified video as shared content. The shared content can include not only an identifier for the video content, but also a playback start point and duration. In this example, the user can share a segment of the identified video with a contact of their interest.

In the illustrated implementation, for example, a user can select icon 325 to provide a hyperlink for distribution (e.g., to a URL). For example, a user can click icon 325, and in response, a user interface can be presented in which the user can type or paste the uniform resource locator (URL) of a web page that the user desires to share. In some implementations, once the URL is identified, a thumbnail preview of the identified page and/or information about the page (e.g., the URL, website, page title, a thumbnail of a photo selected from the identified page) can be displayed in content entry area 305.

In the illustrated implementation, for example, a user can select icon 330 to select a map location for distribution. For example, a user can click icon 325, and in response, a user interface can be presented in which the user can identify a geographic location (e.g., physical address, latitude and longitude) and/or a place (e.g., a business, landmark, facility, city) that the user desires to share. In some implementations, once a location is identified, a thumbnail map identifying the location and/or information about the location (e.g., URL, physical address, place name, thumbnail of a photo identifying the location) can be displayed in the content entry area 305.

In some implementations, when icon 330 is activated, a user interface may be presented to provide the user with a collection of suggested locations. For example, by activating icon 330, a process may be initiated in which the user's current location may be determined, and the location information may be used to search for and identify a list of nearby locations that the user may desire to share. In some implementations, by activating icon 330, a process may be initiated in which a user-provided content item or content may be analyzed to identify one or more locations that may be associated with the content. For example, a user may enter text including "Mount Rushmore Honeymoon" and then click icon 330. In response, a process may be initiated that analyzes the entered text and suggests "Mount Rushmore National Memorial" and/or "Rushmore Honeymoon Lodge" as suggested locations that may be included as part of the digital content to be distributed.

3B , the content sharing interface 300 can be expanded to include a distribution interface 340 and a share button 342. In some implementations, the distribution interface 340 and the share button can be displayed in response to user activity (e.g., a click) with the content entry area 305, including activity with one or more of the icons 315-330. In some implementations, the content entry area 305 is further expanded to provide additional space for entering digital content. The distribution interface 340 and the share button 342 and their functionality correspond to the distribution interface 202 and the share button 212 of FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D , as discussed in detail above.

In some implementations, a plurality of digital content can be input into the content entry area 305 for distribution. For example, a user can click icon 315 to add a digital image, click icon 330 to add a location (e.g., where the image was taken), and type a text description into the content entry area 305. In response to submitting a post (e.g., by clicking a share button), the operations described above are performed to generate a post dataset and distribute the digital content to the identified user. In this example, the digital content of the post dataset may include a digital image, a location, and text.

Figures 4A to 4D depict another example content sharing interface 400 according to an implementation of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 4A, content sharing interface 400 includes content item 405 and share button 410. In some implementations, content item 405 can be digital content displayed on a display. Example content items can include one or more search results, published articles, blogs, posts on social networking services, digital images, digital videos, audio files, and/or any other appropriate digital content. For the purposes of discussion, content item 405 can include an article published to a website webpage. In this example, share button 410 can be displayed on a webpage adjacent to or near content item 405. In this way, share button 410 is at least visually associated with content item 405. In some implementations, HTML, JavaScript, and/or any appropriate programming code can be used to generate and display share button 410 on a webpage, and/or provide metadata identifying the content item 405 as being associated with share button 410.

With reference now to Figure 4 B, pointer 415 can be provided for enabling the user to select the various components displayed on the display. In the example of Figure 4 B, pointer 415 is illustrated as hovering over share button 410 (e.g., the movement of pointer 415 pauses the time predetermined by the share button). In response to this user action, display area 420 can be presented. Display area 420 displays information about the sharing state associated with content item 405. In the illustrated example, display area 420 indicates content item 405 previously shared by user 422a and user 422b. In some implementations, user 422a and user 422b identified in display area 420 correspond to the contacts of the user in the social networking service, can be the contacts of the user in the email service and/or can be the user with some connections to the user (e.g., the friend of a friend in the social networking service).

4C , a user can select (e.g., click) share button 410 to share content item 405 with other users. In response to user selection of share button 410, display area 420 expands to display content area 426, distribution interface 428, and share button 430. Content area 426, distribution interface 428, and share button 430 and their functionality correspond to content area 204, distribution interface 202, and share button 212 of FIG. 2A through FIG. 2D , as discussed in detail above. Content area 426 may include a content entry area 432 and a content summary area 434.

As described in greater detail herein, content entry area 432 can be used to enter digital content, and content summary area 434 can display a summary of content item 405 to be shared. In the illustrated example, content item 405 comprises a published article (e.g., "The 10 Best Books of 2010"). Content summary area 434 is pre-populated with a summary 436 of content item 405. In the illustrated example, summary 436 includes a thumbnail image 435, the title of the article (e.g., "The 10 Best Books of 2010"), and a brief description 440 of the article. Content entry area 426 provides an interface with which a user can interact to add textual comments about content item 405. For example, when sharing an article titled "The 10 Best Books of 2010," a user can add a comment such as "I've read five of these. How many have you read?"

In some implementations, the brief description 440 of the article can be a pre-stored summary of the article and/or the first few words or sentences of the article. In some examples, the user activates (e.g., clicks) the share button 410 to initiate a call to the source document (e.g., a web page document) that includes the article. In some implementations, a summary of the pre-stored article is provided in response to the request. In some implementations, an ad hoc summary is generated and the summary is returned and displayed as a brief description 440. In some examples, the ad hoc summary can be generated using a script that crawls the source document and extracts data (e.g., text, images) from the source document and generates a summary based on this. In some examples, in response to a request (e.g., a request automatically generated and transmitted in response to a user's action on the share button 410), the ad hoc summary can be generated by one or more server systems (e.g., a website including a web page) that host the source document.

As described above with respect to distribution interface 202 of FIG. 2 , a user can use distribution interface 428 to define the distribution of content item 405. With respect to FIG. 4D , an example identifier icon 450 is provided in distribution interface 428. In the illustrated example, identifier icon 450 corresponds to the user's "Friends" social circle and indicates that there are 13 contacts in the user's "Friends" social circle with whom content item 45 will be shared. In some implementations, a notification type indicator 455 may be provided to display information indicating how the content item will be shared with a subgroup of the user's contacts. In the illustrated example, there are 13 contacts in the "Friends" social circle, three of whom receive sharing notifications via email. In some implementations, a change control 460 may be provided and may be associated with notification type indicator 455. In some implementations, change control 460 can be activated to display a notification change user interface (not shown). For example, the notification change user interface may include options such as sending an email to people who are not yet members of the user's social networking service; not notifying other users via email; or specifying contacts to whom the email should be sent. In some implementations, the summary can be edited by the user before being shared. For example, the user may enter and/or edit text to the summary and/or may add other digital content as discussed herein.

Figures 5A and 5B depict implementations of the example content sharing interface 400 of Figures 4A to 4D. Figure 5A illustrates an example of content sharing interface 400 that is presented to a user after a user uses share button 410 to share content item 405. Compared to the appearance of share button 410 before the user shared content item 405, the appearance of share button 410 after content item 405 is shared is significantly changed. For example, share button 410 may initially display a first color scheme before sharing and a second color scheme after sharing. In some implementations, a user can share information about content item 405 by clicking share button 410 without taking any further action. For example, clicking share button 410 without entering a comment or associating any other contacts with the shared information can be used to indicate that the user likes, approves, or agrees with content item 405.

Referring now to FIG5B , the user hovers pointer 415 over share button 410. In response to this action, display area 520 is displayed. Display area 520 displays information regarding the sharing status of content item 405. In the illustrated example, display area 520 indicates that content item 405 has also been shared by user 522 ("Jane Doe"). A comment area 525 is also provided for the user to enter a comment about content item 405. This comment may also be a comment that the user provided when initially sharing the content item.

As described in more detail herein, the content sharing interface can be implemented across various contexts. As some examples, the content sharing interface can be provided in a social networking service (e.g., a web page of a social networking website), in a search results page, in a map service (e.g., on a web page of a map website), embedded in a web page, and associated with specific content in a web page (e.g., an article published on a news service website). In some implementations, the content sharing interface can be provided as a surf-along window in a web browser executed on a client computing device. In such implementations, for example, the content sharing interface can always exist when a user switches between various web pages, and the content displayed in the web browser can be shared using the content sharing interface. Although the content sharing interface is illustrated and discussed in various example contexts, it is expected that the content sharing interface can be used in other contexts that are not explicitly discussed herein.

6A depicts a screenshot of an example stream page 600 provided in the context of an example social networking service. For example, stream page 600 may be provided as a web page within a website of the social networking service and may display digital content that has been shared with users associated with stream page 600. In the illustrated example, the users include "Rob McDavies" and stream page 600 displays digital content that other users have shared with the user and/or that the user has shared with other users.

Among other features provided by the stream page 600, the stream page includes a content sharing interface 610. Although the content sharing interface 610 is displayed on the stream page 600 in the illustrated example, it should be understood that the content sharing interface 610 can be displayed on a specific web page or all web pages of the social networking service. In this way, the content sharing interface 610 is available to users on any web page, and users do not need to go to a specific web page to share digital content. Users can activate (e.g., click) the content sharing interface 610 to share digital content.

6B depicts another screenshot of the example stream page 600. In the illustrated example, the user has clicked on the content sharing interface 610 and the content sharing interface 610 has expanded to include a content input area 612, a distribution interface 614, and a share button 616. The content input area 612, distribution interface 614, and share button 616 and their functionality correspond to the content input area 305, distribution interface 340, and share button 342 of FIGS. 3A and 3B , discussed in detail above.

In the illustrated example, example identifier icon 620 and example identifier icon 622 are provided in the distribution interface 614. As described above, identifier icon 620 and identifier icon 622 provide as the visual representation of one or more users that digital content will be shared with it separately. In the example of Fig. 6 B, the digital content in the user's temporary indication content input area 612 will be shared with the member of " good friend " social circle and the member of " family " social circle. Until post is submitted, identifier icon 620 and identifier icon 622 provide temporary distribution to digital content. For example, the user can activate (for example, click) the delete control 624 and the delete control 626 of corresponding identifier icon 620 and identifier icon 622 to remove identifier icon 620 and identifier icon 622 from distribution interface 614.

In the example of Figure 6B, the distribution of digital content provided in the content input area 612 can be defined by the contacts and/or social circles identified in the distribution interface 614. In the example, the distribution is defined by the Friends social circle (graphically represented by the Friends circle icon 620) and the Family social circle (graphically represented by the Family circle icon 622). In this example, the distribution includes all contacts in the contacts who are members of the Friends social circle and all contacts in the contacts who are members of the Family social circle. The Friends social circle and the Family social circle can each be considered as sub-distributions that define an overall distribution.

In some implementations, an email sharing control 630 may be provided. When activated (e.g., clicked), the email sharing control 630 provides the user with a way to control whether content is shared with people who are not currently using the social networking service. For example, the email sharing control 682 may function as a toggle control, where a user may click once to indicate that email should be used, while another click may indicate that email should not be used. An email count indicator 684 displays the number of people who can receive the shared content via email during a temporary distribution.

In some implementations, the auto-complete component provides an auto-complete function to enable a user to type the name and/or portion of the name of a social circle and/or individual contact to specify the social circles and/or individual contacts to which the post content will be distributed. In some implementations, the auto-complete function can be based on contact ranking. For example, the contacts and/or social circles can include an associated ranking score. Contacts with higher ranking scores are ranked higher than contacts with lower ranking scores. In some examples, the auto-complete function can identify one or more contacts and/or one or more social circles based on text input into a distribution interface of a content sharing interface discussed in further detail below. The one or more contacts and/or one or more social circles can be listed in a ranking order based on the ranking score.

For example, a text input may include the letter "f," and the auto-complete function may identify contacts "Farley" and "Frank" as contacts of the user to whom digital content may be sent. Contact "Farley" may have a lower rank score than contact "Frank." The user may be presented with contacts to select from for selection in a ranked order based on the rank score. Thus, and continuing with this example, contact "Frank" may be listed higher than contact "Farley" in the contact list displayed to the user. In this way, while contact "Frank" could be listed first alphabetically, it is instead listed first based on the rank score. As another example, a text input may include the letter "f," and the auto-complete function may identify the social circles "Family" and "Friends" as user-defined social circles to which digital content may be distributed. The social circle "Family" may have a lower rank score than the social circle "Friends." The social circles may be displayed to the user for selection in a ranked order based on the rank score. Thus, and continuing with this example, the social circle "Friends" may be listed higher on the list of people to be kicked out displayed to the user than the social circle "Family." In this way, while the social circle "Family" could be listed first on an alphabetical basis, the social circle "Friends" is instead listed first based on the ranking score.

In some implementations, the ranking score can be based on the popularity of contacts and/or social circles. For example, contacts with whom a user frequently shares digital content can have a higher ranking score than contacts with whom the user rarely shares digital content. Continuing with the example provided above, contact "Frank" can receive digital content from the user more frequently than contact "Farley." As another example, social circles that are more frequently used to define digital content distribution can have a higher ranking score than social circles that are less frequently used to define digital content distribution. Continuing with the example provided above, the social circle "Friends" can be used more frequently by the user to define digital content distribution than the social circle "Family" (i.e., the user distributes content to the Friends social circle more frequently than to the Family social circle).

In some implementations, the ranking score can be based on the social proximity of the user to the corresponding contacts. For example, the ranking score of a contact that is a direct contact of the user can be higher than the ranking score of a contact that is an indirect contact of the user. Continuing with the example provided above, the contact "Frank" can be a direct contact of the user (e.g., a friend), while the contact "Farley" is an indirect contact of the user (e.g., a friend of a friend).

In some implementations, the ranking score may be based on the frequency of email interactions between the user and each corresponding contact. For example, the user may use an email service to directly email each contact and a ranking score may be generated for each contact based on the email interactions. In some examples, the ranking score may be determined based on the number of emails sent from the user to a particular contact. In some examples, the ranking score may be determined based on the number of emails sent from the user to a particular contact within a particular time period. In this way, the frequency of email contact (i.e., the number of emails per time period) is taken into account in the ranking score. In some examples, the ranking score may be determined based on the number of emails sent from the user to a particular contact and the number of emails sent from the particular contact to the user. In some implementations, the email service may provide each ranking score to the social networking service.

Continuing with the example provided above, a contact "Frank" may frequently communicate with the user via email, while a contact "Farley" may communicate with the user less frequently via email. A ranking score corresponding to Frank and a ranking score corresponding to Farley may be provided from the email service to the underlying social networking service. Thus, a text input to a content sharing interface may include the letter "f," and the auto-complete function may identify the contacts "Frank" and "Farley" as contacts of the user to whom digital content may be distributed. The contacts may be displayed to the user for selection in a ranked order based on the ranking scores. Thus, and continuing with this example, the contact "Frank" may be listed higher in the contact list displayed to the user than the contact "Farley."

In some examples, characters can be provided to a server as the user enters them, and the server can process the characters and any previously provided characters to provide output for presentation to the user. For example, the auto-correction functionality discussed herein can include transmitting character data to a server as the user enters character data into a content sharing interface. In response, the server can generate output including one or more contact names and/or social graphs corresponding to the entered character data for presentation back to the user in a list of contact names and/or social circles, from which the user can select specific contacts and/or social circles.

As discussed above, a user can provide user input to the text area of the content sharing interface. In some implementations, the user input can include one or more trigger characters, each trigger character extending the distribution of the digital content provided by the user (i.e., the resulting ACL). For example, a trigger character can indicate that the characters immediately following the trigger character define the contacts to which the digital content of a particular post should be distributed. In some implementations, this is a contact in addition to the contacts and/or social circles identified in the associated distribution interface. In some examples, the trigger character can include an "@" character and/or a "+" character. The contact name immediately follows the trigger character. The trigger character and the contact name of the particular contact indicate within the text of the particular post that the post is to be distributed to the particular contact in addition to any other contacts and/or social circles entered using the associated distribution interface.

In one example, a user may enter the text "@Frank" (or "+Frank") in a text area (e.g., content input area 305 of content sharing interface 300) as part of a text post. For example, as part of a text post, the user may enter the text "@Frank and I went to Joe's Inn to watch the finals" in the text area of the content sharing interface. The user may indicate that the text post is to be distributed to a social circle (e.g., a friends social circle) using a distribution interface associated with the content sharing interface (e.g., distribution interface 340 of content sharing interface 300). In response to the user sending (by clicking a post button) the text post for distribution using the social networking service, an ACL is generated for the text post as discussed herein and includes the user's contacts—who are members of the social circle—and the contact Frank (who may or may not be a contact of the social circle). Thus, even though the contact Frank may be identified as part of a distribution defined using the distribution interface, the presence of the text "@Frank" in the text area still causes the text post to be distributed to the contact Frank.

In some implementations, a text post that includes a trigger character can be distributed to a contact and delivered even when the trigger character is absent. Continuing with the above example, a user can enter the text "@Frank and I went to Joe's Inn to watch the finals." Upon submitting the text post, the post is distributed to the contact Frank and any contacts and/or social circles defined using the distribution interface. When the post is distributed to the contact Frank and/or any other contacts, the post can be displayed as "Frank and I went to Joe's Inn to watch the finals" without the "@" trigger character.

In some implementations, the contact name following the trigger character can be converted into a hypertext and a link to the contact's profile within the social networking service can be provided. Continuing with the above example, a user can enter the text "@Frank and I went to Joe's Inn to watch the finals." Upon submitting the text post, the post is distributed to the contact Frank and any contacts and/or social circles defined using the distribution interface. Upon distributing the post to the contact Frank and/or any other contacts, the post can be displayed as " Frank and I went to Joe's Inn to watch the finals" without the "@" trigger character and with the text "Frank" having a hyperlink associated with it. An action on the hyperlink (e.g., clicking) can cause Frank's profile within the social networking service to be displayed to the user performing the action, subject to any privacy settings established by Frank.

In some implementations, the auto-complete functionality discussed herein can be used to provide a text continuation following a trigger character within a text region. Continuing with the above example, a user can initially type "@F" and, in response, can be presented with a list of contact names from which to select to complete the contact name entry. As also discussed herein, the contact names provided in the list of contact names can be ranked in order based on their corresponding ranking scores.

In some examples, the server may analyze the submitted text and identify that a trigger character is present within the text. In response, the server may analyze the text immediately following the trigger character to identify contacts of the user who submitted the text and may add the contact to the ACL for distributing the post. In some examples, the character may be provided to the server as the user enters the character, and the server may process the character and any previously provided characters to provide an output for presentation to the user. For example, the auto-complete functionality discussed herein may include transmitting character data to the server when the user enters character data into the content sharing interface. In response, the server may generate an output including one or more contact names and/or social circles corresponding to the input character data for presentation back to the user in a list of contact names and/or social circles, from which the user may select a specific contact and/or social circle. In some implementations, the presence of a trigger character within a text area may trigger an auto-complete functionality for selecting a contact name and/or social circle to immediately follow the trigger character.

FIG7 depicts a screenshot of an example web page 700 including an example content sharing interface. In the illustrated example, web page 700 is provided as a search results web page. Web page 700 includes a collection of search results 710-730. In some implementations, each search result of search results 710-730 can be provided as a content item such as content item 405 of FIG4A to FIG4D.

Share button 740, share button 750, and share button 760 can be embedded in the search results page, and each share button 740, 750, and 760 can be associated with a corresponding search result 710, 720, and 730. In some implementations, HTML, JavaScript, and/or any appropriate programming code can be used to generate and display the share buttons 740, 750, and 760 in the search results page, and/or provide metadata identifying the corresponding search results 710, 720, and 730 associated with the share buttons 740, 750, and 760. As described in more detail with reference to Figures 4A to 5B, a user viewing the search results page can activate the share buttons 740, 750, and 760 to share the corresponding search results 710, 720, and 730 as content items. For example, a user can click on the share button 760 to open the display area 420 (as described above with reference to Figure 4C) and distribute the search results 730 for sharing.

The example web page 700 also includes a so-called "sandbar" 780, which is displayed along the top edge of the web page 700. In the illustrated example, the sandbar 780 provides a hyperlink text link to call other functions. Although hypertext links are provided in this example, other types of links (e.g., icons, thumbnails) may also be provided. A "share" link 782 is provided and can be activated (e.g., clicked) to call a content sharing interface. In some implementations, in response to activation of the share link 782, the content sharing interface 420 of Figure 4D may be displayed. The content sharing interface enables a user to share all search results (as digital content) with other users. For example, a summary of the search results and/or the URL of the search results page can be shared with users defined in the distribution. Although the sandbar 780 is displayed in the example web page 700, the sandbar can be a feature displayed on each of several or all web pages viewed by the user.

8 depicts a screenshot of an example map page 800 including an example content sharing interface 805 and a displayed map space 810. In some implementations, the content sharing interface 805 can be provided as a share button 410 and the map space can correspond to the content item 405 of FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D discussed in detail above. The map space 810 can include a portion of a map selected by a map server and can be displayed by a user interface (such as a web browser or map application). In some implementations, the map space 810 can be defined by a display area 815 and a zoom level 820. The display area 815 can include a portion of the user display allocated for presenting the map space 810. In other implementations, the map space 810 can be further defined by a center point. The center point can be a location of interest (e.g., a city center, a destination, a store location) or any other point in the map space 810 that serves as a reference point.

The display area 815 can vary based on a number of factors. Example factors include display device limitations, user preferences, and publisher preferences. In the example shown, the display area 815 is defined by the size and resolution of the display device. For example, a desktop computer with a 21-inch display and a 1282×768 resolution can display more maps than a web-enabled handheld device with a 3-inch display and a 240×240 resolution. Therefore, when the display area 815 and resolution of each user device are different, the display area 815 selected for presentation to different user devices can be different.

Thus, user preferences can affect the display area 815 available for presenting the map space. The user device may have user preference settings that define the display area 815 and the resolution. For example, a user device displaying a web page on a 21-inch display device may have a restricted display area 815 if the application window containing the display area 815 is resized to occupy less than the entire display. Similarly, if the user device is displaying multiple windows in the 21-inch display or the window displaying the web page is not maximized, the display area 815 may be restricted. The user device may also be configured by the user to operate at a lower resolution than the maximum available resolution, thereby displaying less information.

In addition, the display area 815 can be changed according to publisher preferences. For example, a publisher can design a web page to incorporate a map space according to design specifications that enable a variety of information (e.g., content, advertisements, links) to be displayed on a single page. Thus, the portion of each web page allocated for displaying the map space 810 can be changed according to the display area defined in the design specifications and allocated by the publisher. For example, a publisher that publishes a web page dedicated to displaying a map can allocate most of the web page as the display area 815 (as shown in Figure 8), while utilizing a small portion of the display for other information (such as hyperlinks to other web pages). An example of a publisher that allocates a large portion of a web page to display a map is a map service. In contrast, a publisher that publishes general content web pages may be more inclined to allocate a much smaller portion of the web page as the display area 815, since the map space 810 is only a portion of the information that the publisher presents.

A user can activate a share button 805 to share a particular map shown in display area 815. In some implementations, by clicking on the share button 805, the user can share a URL 825 that links to a mapping service and provides instructions to display the map. However, in some implementations, the URL 825 may not accurately convey the center point of the map space 810 currently displayed in the display area 815 and/or at the selected zoom level 820. For example, the map displayed in the display area may be the result of one or more pan and/or zoom operations initiated by the user. Therefore, in some implementations, activation of the share button 805 can cause the identification of the map area 810 (e.g., URL 825) and metadata describing the display area 815 and zoom level 820 (as content) to be shared with other users. For example, the resulting post dataset can include the URL and metadata. When a receiving user, for example, clicks on the shared URL, a mapping service can be invoked and the metadata can be provided to the mapping service (e.g., via one or more application program interfaces (APIs)) to display the map to the receiving user, as the sharing user viewed the map when the map was originally shared (e.g., through the same pan and zoom operations).

According to implementations of the present disclosure, a server-side computing device (e.g., server system 112 of FIG. 1 ) may be configured to provide one or more documents to one or more client-side computing devices (e.g., client devices 102-110). In some implementations, the document may include instructions that can be processed by a browser application executed on the client-side computing device to display a web page in a browser window. The instructions may include instructions for displaying a content sharing interface in the web page and receiving user input through the content sharing interface. In some implementations, the instructions may include instructions for associating digital content provided in the web page with the content sharing interface.

According to implementations of the present disclosure, a server-side computing device (e.g., server system 112 of FIG. 1 ) may be configured to provide instructions to one or more client-side computing devices (e.g., client devices 102-110). In some implementations, the instructions may be processed by a browser application executed on the client-side computing device to display a content sharing interface in one or more web pages displayed by the browser and receive user input through the content sharing interface. In some implementations, the instructions may include instructions for associating digital content provided in each of the one or more web pages with the content sharing interface.

According to implementations of the present disclosure, a client-side computing device (e.g., client devices 102-110) may execute a content sharing application to display a content sharing interface on a display of the client-side computing device. The content sharing application may correspond to a network of contacts associated with a user of the client-side computing device. In some implementations, the network of contacts may include contacts via an email service and/or contacts via a social networking service. In some examples, the content sharing application may provide a content sharing interface displayed on a desktop screen of the client computing device. Thus, a user of the client computing device may share digital content with contacts directly from the desktop screen without having to visit a social networking service website.

In some implementations, a content sharing application can be provided as an add-on application to other applications that can be executed using a computing device. In some examples, a productivity application (e.g., a word processing application, a spreadsheet application, a presentation application, an email application) can be executed to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) through which a user can perform tasks (e.g., create and/or edit documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and/or emails). The content sharing application can be executed to provide a content sharing interface in the GUI of the productivity application. In this way, a user can share digital content with contacts while working in a productivity application without switching applications and/or accessing a social networking service website. It should be understood that the productivity application is provided for example purposes, and the content sharing application can be provided as an add-on application to any other suitable type of application (e.g., entertainment, games).

FIG9 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 900 for sharing content. Example process 900 can be implemented using one or more program applications executed on one or more computing devices. In some implementations, one or more server systems (e.g., server system 112 of FIG1 ) and one or more client computing devices (e.g., client devices 102-110 of FIG1 ) can perform the operations of example process 900.

A document is served (i.e., transmitted) to a client computing device (902). For example, the server system 112 serves a document to the client computing device 108. The document contains instructions for a browser application to perform client-side operations. For example, the client computing device 108 may execute a browser application that processes the instructions.

Digital content is displayed (904). For example, the digital content can be displayed in a window of a browser application. A graphical representation of a content sharing interface is displayed (906). For example, the digital content can be displayed in a window of a browser application. User input is received into the content sharing interface (908). For example, user 120d can provide input to the content sharing interface using computing device 108. The user input indicates one or more contacts to whom the digital content is to be distributed. In response to receiving the user input, one or more icons are displayed in the content sharing interface. For example, the user input can be processed to identify one or more contacts of the user. The one or more contacts can be contacts of the user in an email service and/or contacts in a social networking service. Each of the one or more icons serves as a graphical representation of one or more contacts.

Receive user input to a content sharing interface (912). The user input includes a user instruction to distribute digital content. For example, the user input may be generated in response to a user clicking a share button of the content sharing interface. In response to the user input, post data is transmitted to a server computing system (914). A post data set includes digital content data and distribution data. Receive a post data set (916). For example, the server system receives the post data set. Generate an access control list (ACL) based on the distribution data (918). The distribution data corresponds to one or more contacts. For example, the server system generates an ACL based on the distribution data. Distribute the digital content based on the ACL (920). For example, the server system may provide a distribution center that determines the destinations to which the digital content is distributed.

In some implementations, example process 900 may include additional actions. In some examples, after receiving user input indicating one or more contacts to whom the digital content is to be distributed, the ACL service may check the one or more contacts, contact groups, and/or domains to which the digital content is to be distributed against one or more policies as described below with respect to FIG. 10A through FIG. 12 .

In some implementations, the ACL service, as described above, can implement one or more digital content distribution policies. Example distribution policies may include age policies and/or domain policies. For illustrative purposes, an example domain policy will be discussed herein. In some examples, a domain policy may include enabling a user to distribute digital content to contacts who are not in a particular domain, or prohibiting a user from distributing digital content to contacts who are not in a particular domain. Example domains may include the domain of a provider of a computer-implemented social networking service. In some examples, an age policy may include prohibiting the distribution of digital content to one or more contacts determined to be underage.

Figures 10A through 11 depict example outputs of an access control list (ACL) service in implementing a domain policy. Figures 10A and 10B correspond to a domain policy that enables a user to distribute digital content to contacts who are not in a particular domain. However, under the policy, the user is warned that the digital content will be distributed to contacts outside the particular domain. In some examples, for purposes of illustration, the first domain may include a social networking service domain established by a provider of the social networking service, and the second domain may include an email service domain established by a provider of the email service.

Referring to Figures 10A and 10B , as described in detail herein, a user of a social networking service can provide input to a distribution interface 1000 to define the distribution of digital content. One or more contacts and/or one or more social circles can be determined based on the user input. As described in detail herein, the determined contacts and/or social circles can be graphically represented in the distribution interface 1000. In the example of Figure 10A , an "Anyone" icon 1002 graphically represents a first distribution, a "Football Club" icon 1004 graphically represents a second distribution, and a "Friends" icon 1006 represents a third distribution. In the example, the first distribution includes any user with internet access, indicating that the associated digital content will be visible to anyone via the internet. The second distribution corresponds to a "Football Club" social circle established by the user in the social networking service and may include one or more contacts as contacts in the social networking service (i.e., the first domain) and one or more contacts as contacts in a non-social networking service. In some examples, the non-social networking service contacts may be contacts in an email service (i.e., the second domain). The third distribution corresponds to a "Friends" social circle established by the user in the social networking service and may include one or more contacts as contacts in the social networking service (i.e., the first domain).

In some implementations, the ACL service may receive data indicating a first distribution defined in distribution interface 1000. The ACL service may process the first distribution to determine whether the digital content is visible outside the first domain. Continuing with the above example, the first distribution includes any user with internet access. Therefore, if distribution is performed based on the first distribution, the ACL service determines that the digital content is visible outside the first domain. In response, the ACL service provides notification data, which may be processed to generate a notification to the user that the digital content is visible outside the first domain. In some examples, the initial notification may be provided based on the appearance of the corresponding icon 1002. In the example of FIG10A , the color of icon 1002 may be provided as red, for example, to visually indicate that the digital content is visible outside the first domain. In some examples, a speech bubble 1008 may be displayed to indicate with text that the digital content is visible outside the first domain. For example, a user may manipulate a cursor to hover over icon 1002 in the display. In response to the hovering action, speech bubble 1008 may be displayed.

In some implementations, the ACL service may receive data indicating a second distribution defined in distribution interface 1000. The ACL service may process the second distribution to determine whether the digital content is visible outside the first domain. Continuing with the above example, the second distribution includes contacts in the social networking service (i.e., the first domain) and non-social networking service contacts. Therefore, if the distribution is based on the second distribution, the ACL service determines that the digital content is visible outside the first domain. In response, the ACL service provides notification data that can be processed to generate a notification to the user that the digital content is visible outside the first domain. In the example of FIG10A , the color of icon 1004 may be provided as red, for example, to visually indicate that the digital content is visible outside the first domain.

In some implementations, the ACL service may receive data indicating a third distribution defined in distribution interface 1000. The ACL service may process the third distribution to determine whether the digital content is visible outside the first domain. Continuing with the above example, the third distribution includes contacts in the social networking service (i.e., the first domain). Therefore, if the distribution is based on the third distribution, the ACL service determines that the digital content is not visible outside the first domain. In response, the ACL service provides notification data that can be processed to generate a notification to the user that the digital content is not visible outside the first domain due to the third distribution. In the example of FIG10A , the color of icon 1006 may be provided as green, for example, to visually indicate that the digital content is only visible in the first domain due to the third distribution.

In some implementations, a publish button 1010 can be provided. The user can activate (e.g., click) the publish button 1010 to submit the digital content for distribution. In response to the user activating the publish button 1010 and indicating that the digital content can be distributed to a distribution outside the first domain, a confirmation dialog can be displayed to the user.

10B , an example confirmation dialog 1020 is provided. This example confirmation dialog 1020 notifies the user that the digital content will be distributed outside the first domain and displays icons 1002 and 1004 that can generate digital content distribution outside the first domain. Confirmation dialog 1020 can include a check box 1022, a publish button 1024, and a cancel button 1026. Check box 1022 can be activated by the user to indicate that although the digital content will be distributed outside the first domain, the user desires to distribute the digital content. In the example, check box 1022 is not activated. Therefore, publish button 1024 is not actionable (e.g., gray). If the user activates check box 1022, publish button 1024 becomes actionable and the user can activate (e.g., click) the publish button to cause the digital content to be distributed.

FIG11 corresponds to a domain policy that prohibits users from distributing digital content to contacts who are not contacts in a particular domain. As described in detail herein, a user of a social networking service can provide input to a distribution interface 1100 to define the distribution of digital content. One or more contacts and/or one or more social circles can be determined based on the user input. As described in detail herein, the determined contacts and/or social circles can be graphically represented in the distribution interface 1100. In the example of FIG11 , a “Friends” icon 1102 represents a distribution. In the described example, the distribution corresponds to a social circle of friends established by the user in the social networking service and can include one or more contacts who are contacts in the social networking service (i.e., the first domain).

User input to the distribution interface 1100 can correspond to a distribution to one or more contacts outside the first domain. For example, a user can enter an email address corresponding to a second domain. In the example, an example email address can be provided as "iohndoe@notdomain.com", which can be provided by an email service in the second domain. The ACL service can receive the user input and can process the user input to determine that the email address does not correspond to the first domain. Therefore, an icon corresponding to the email address is not displayed in the distribution interface 1100. Instead, the ACL service can provide notification data to display to the user a notification that the distribution is outside the first domain. In the example, the notification includes a speech bubble 1104 indicating that distribution to the email address johndoe@notdomain.com is prohibited.

In some implementations, the domain policy may include a hybrid domain policy that enables a user to distribute digital content to one or more domains outside the domain of the social networking service, while also prohibiting the distribution of digital content to one or more other domains also outside the domain of the social networking service.

It should be understood that the domain policies discussed herein are example domain policies. Thus, the ACL service can implement any appropriate domain policy that can be established by a domain administrator.

FIG12 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 1200 for implementing one or more policies. Example process 1200 can be implemented using one or more program applications executed on one or more computing devices. In some implementations, one or more server systems (e.g., server system 112 of FIG1 ) and/or one or more client computing devices (e.g., client devices 102-110 of FIG1 ) can perform the operations of example process 1200.

User input is provided (1202). For example, the user input can be provided to a graphical user interface (e.g., a distribution interface) provided on a client-side computing device. User input is received (1204). For example, the user input can be received by one or more server-side computing devices. The user input can define a distribution of one or more contacts to whom the digital content is to be distributed. The distribution is processed based on one or more policies (1206), each of the one or more policies providing restrictions on the distribution of the digital content.

Based on the processing, a determination is made as to whether the distribution violates at least one of the one or more policies (1208). If it is determined that the distribution does not violate at least one of the one or more policies, the example process 1200 ends. If it is determined that the distribution violates at least one of the one or more policies, notification data is transmitted (12010). A notification is displayed (1212). For example, a client-side computing device may receive the notification data and may display a notification based thereon. The example process 1200 ends.

A number of implementations have been described. However, it will be appreciated that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, various forms of the processes shown above may be used while reordering, adding, or removing steps. Thus, other implementations are within the scope of the appended claims.

The implementation of the present disclosure and all of the functional operations provided herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in a combination of one or more thereof. The implementation of the present invention can be implemented as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer-readable medium for execution by or control of the operations of a data processing apparatus. A computer-readable medium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter that implements a machine-readable propagated signal, or a combination of one or more thereof. The term "data processing apparatus" encompasses all devices, equipment, and machines for processing data, including, for example, a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers. In addition to hardware, an apparatus may also include code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, such as code constituting processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of one or more thereof.

A computer program (also referred to as a program, software, software application, script, or code) can be written in any programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), a single file dedicated to the program in question, or multiple collaborative files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, subroutines, or code portions). A computer program can be deployed to execute on one computer or on multiple computers located in one location or distributed across multiple locations and interconnected by a communication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this disclosure can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for executing computer programs include, for example, both general-purpose and special-purpose microprocessors and any one or more processors of any type of digital computer. Typically, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random-access memory, or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Typically, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, such mass storage devices for storing data, such as magnetic, optical, or optical disks. However, a computer need not have such devices. Furthermore, a computer may be embedded in another device, such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio player, or a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, to name a few. Computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory, media, and storage devices, including, for example, semiconductor memory devices such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks or removable disks; optical magnetic disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide interaction with a user, implementations of the present invention may be implemented on a computer having a display device, such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user, and a keyboard and pointing device, such as a mouse or trackball, that the user can use to provide input to the computer. Other types of devices may also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, the feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any form, including sound, voice, or tactile input.

Implementations of the present disclosure may be implemented in a computing system that includes a back-end component, such as a data server, or a middleware component, such as an application server, or a front-end component, such as a client computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with implementations of the present invention, or any combination of one or more of such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system may be interconnected by any digital data communication form or medium, such as a communication network. Examples of communication networks include local area networks ("LANs") and wide area networks ("WANs"), such as the Internet.

A computing system may include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The client and server relationship arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

Although the present disclosure contains many details, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the disclosure or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to a particular implementation of the disclosure. Certain features described in the present disclosure in the context of a separate implementation may also be provided in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be provided in multiple implementations, either individually or in any appropriate subcombination. Additionally, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, in some cases one or more features from that combination may be removed from the claimed combination, and the claimed combination may involve subcombinations or variations of subcombinations.

Similarly, although operations are depicted in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all of the illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In some circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Additionally, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems may generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

In each instance where an HTML file is mentioned, other file types or formats may be substituted. For example, an HTML file may be replaced with XML, JSON, plain text, or other types of files. Additionally, when a table or hash table is mentioned, other data structures (such as a spreadsheet, a relational database, or a structured file) may be used.

Thus, a specific implementation of the present disclosure has been described. Other implementations are within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired results.

Claims (61)

1. A system comprising: Server computing devices; and A computer-readable medium coupled to the server computing device and storing instructions thereon, which, when executed by the server computing device, cause the server computing device to perform server-side operations for distributing digital content for display across a network, the server-side operations including: One or more web page documents are supplied to a user-operated client computing device, each document containing instructions for a browser application to perform client-side operations, said client-side operations including: A graphical representation of the content sharing interface of the first social networking service is displayed in a webpage containing multiple web pages. The content sharing interface includes a content input area that can receive user input. The first user input is received into the content input area; In response to the first user input: The content sharing interface in the webpage is extended to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface; A summary identifying the digital content; The expanded content input area is populated using the summary of the digital content; The second user input is received to the distribution interface, and the second user input instructs one or more contacts to whom the digital content is distributed; In response to receiving the second user input, at least one of the one or more contacts who will receive the email distribution of the digital content is identified, and in response, a change control interface is provided within the extended content sharing interface; The third user input is received to the change control interface, the third user input indicating i) one or more changes to the email distribution of the digital content and ii) one or more edits to the summary of the digital content; The distribution interface displays one or more icons, each of which is a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; A fourth user input is received to the content sharing interface, the fourth user input including user instructions for distributing the digital content; and In response to the fourth user input, a post dataset, including digital content data and distribution data, is transmitted to the server computing device. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the icon of the one or more icons corresponds to the social circle of the user in the social networking service, and the social circle defines a subset of the one or more contacts. 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the icon of one or more icons corresponds to the second social networking service in which the user participates. 4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the second social networking service includes microblog social networking service. 5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the second social networking service includes a blog service. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the icon of the one or more icons corresponds to at least one contact who received the digital content via email. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the client-side operation further includes displaying digital content of the webpage in the webpage, wherein the content sharing interface displays a summary of the digital content of the webpage in the extended content input area. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the digest is provided in response to a request for a source of the digital content, the request being generated in response to the first user input. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the client-side operation further includes displaying one or more digital content selection icons in the extended content selection area. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the client-side operation further comprises: Receive fifth user input, the fifth user input indicating the selection of the icon for the one or more digital content selection icons; and In response to receiving the fifth user input, a digital content selection interface is displayed, allowing the user to choose additional digital content for distribution. 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more digital content selection icons include digital image selection icons, digital video selection icons, link selection icons, and map selection icons. 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more digital content selection icons are displayed in the content sharing interface before the first user input is received. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the webpage includes a map service webpage and the digital content includes a map. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the post dataset further includes map data, the map data including scrolling data and zooming data corresponding to a map view of the map, the scrolling data and the zooming data being available from the map service webpage for copying the map view. 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the server-side operation further comprises: Receive the post dataset; An access control list is generated based on the distribution data, which corresponds to the one or more contacts; and The digital content is distributed based on the access control list. 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the first user input includes a click in the content input area. 17. The system of claim 1, wherein the webpage includes the webpage of the social networking service. 18. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of web pages includes a web page of an Internet-based social networking service. 19. The system of claim 1, wherein the webpage includes webpages from websites outside the domain of the social networking service. 20. The system of claim 1, wherein the content sharing interface is provided in the toolbar of the webpage. 21. A computer-implemented device, comprising: A means for displaying a graphical representation of a content-sharing interface of a first social networking service in a webpage containing multiple webpages, the content-sharing interface including a content input area for receiving user input; A means for receiving first user input into the content input area; A means for performing the following operations in response to the first user input: The content sharing interface in the webpage is extended to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface; A summary of the digital content; The expanded content input area is populated using the summary of the digital content; A means for receiving second user input to the distribution interface, the second user input instructing one or more contacts to which the digital content is distributed; For responding to receiving the second user input, identifying at least one of the one or more contacts who will receive the email distribution of the digital content, and in response, providing means for changing the control interface within the extended content sharing interface; A means for receiving third user input to the change control interface, the third user input indicating i) one or more changes to the email distribution of the digital content and ii) one or more edits to the summary of the digital content; A means for displaying one or more icons in the distribution interface, each of the one or more icons being a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; A means for receiving a fourth user input to the content sharing interface, the fourth user input including user instructions for distributing the digital content; and A means for transmitting a post dataset to the server computing device in response to the fourth user input, the post dataset including digital content data and distribution data. 22. A computer-implemented method, comprising: A graphical representation of the content sharing interface of the first social networking service is displayed in a webpage containing multiple web pages. The content sharing interface includes a content input area that can receive user input. The first user input is received into the content input area; In response to the first user input: The content sharing interface in the webpage is extended to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface; A summary of the digital content; The expanded content input area is populated using the summary of the digital content; The second user input is received to the distribution interface, and the second user input instructs one or more contacts to whom the digital content is distributed; In response to receiving the second user input, at least one of the one or more contacts who will receive the email distribution of the digital content is identified, and in response, a change control interface is provided within the extended content sharing interface; The third user input is received to the change control interface, the third user input indicating i) one or more changes to the email distribution of the digital content and ii) one or more edits to the summary of the digital content; The distribution interface displays one or more icons, each of which is a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; A fourth user input is received to the content sharing interface, the fourth user input including user instructions for distributing the digital content; and In response to the fourth user input, a post dataset, including digital content data and distribution data, is transmitted to the server computing device. 23. A system comprising: Server computing devices; and A computer-readable medium coupled to the server computing device and storing instructions thereon, which, when executed by the server computing device, cause the server computing device to perform server-side operations for distributing digital content for display across a network, the server-side operations including: One or more web page documents are supplied to a user-operated client computing device, each document containing instructions for a browser application to perform client-side operations, said client-side operations including: A graphical representation of the content sharing interface of the first social networking service is displayed in a webpage containing multiple web pages. The content sharing interface includes a content input area that can receive user input and does not have a distribution interface. The first user input is received into the content input area; In response to receiving the first user input, the content sharing interface in the webpage is automatically expanded to provide an expanded content sharing interface, the expanded content sharing interface including an expanded content input area and the distribution interface; The second user input is received into an expanded content input area, the second user input including digital content to be distributed; In response to the second user input, i) a summary of the digital content to be distributed is identified and ii) the extended content input area is populated with the summary of the digital content to be distributed; The third user input is received to the distribution interface, and the third user input instructs one or more contacts to which the digital content is distributed; In response to the third user input, at least one of the one or more contacts is identified as the recipient of the email distribution of the digital content, and in response, a change control interface is provided within the extended content sharing interface. A fourth user input is received to the change control interface, the fourth user input indicating i) one or more changes to the email distribution of the digital content and ii) one or more edits to the summary of the digital content; The distribution interface displays one or more icons, each of which is a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; The fifth user input is received to the content sharing interface, the fifth user input including user instructions for distributing the digital content; and In response to the fifth user input, a post dataset, including digital content data and distribution data, is transmitted to the server computing device. 24. A system comprising: Server computing devices; and A computer-readable medium coupled to the server computing device and storing instructions thereon, which, when executed by the server computing device, cause the server computing device to perform server-side operations for distributing digital content for display across a network, the server-side operations including: At least one web page document is supplied to a user-operated client computing device. The web page document contains instructions for a browser application to perform client-side operations, including: The webpage presents a graphical representation of the content sharing interface of the first social networking service, the graphical representation including at least one button icon in response to user input; The first user input is received by the button icon; In response to the first user input: The content sharing interface in the webpage is extended to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface; A summary identifying the digital content; The expanded content input area is populated using the summary of the digital content; The second user input is received to the distribution interface, and the second user input instructs one or more contacts to whom the digital content is distributed; In response to receiving the second user input, at least one of the one or more contacts who will receive the email distribution of the digital content is identified, and in response, a change control interface is provided within the extended content sharing interface; The third user input is received to the change control interface, the third user input indicating i) one or more changes to the email distribution of the digital content and ii) one or more edits to the summary of the digital content; The distribution interface displays one or more icons, each of which is a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; A fourth user input is received to the content sharing interface, the fourth user input including user instructions for distributing the digital content; and In response to the fourth user input, a post dataset, including digital content data and distribution data, is transmitted to the server computing device. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the icons of the one or more icons correspond to the social circle of the user in a social networking service, the social circle defining a subset of the one or more contacts. 26. The system of claim 24, wherein the icon of one or more icons corresponds to the second social networking service in which the user participates. 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the second social networking service includes microblog social networking service. 28. The system of claim 26, wherein the second social networking service includes a blog service. 29. The system of claim 24, wherein the icon of one or more icons corresponds to at least one contact who has received the digital content via email. 30. The system of claim 24, wherein the client-side operation further includes displaying digital content of the webpage in the webpage, wherein the content sharing interface displays a summary of the digital content of the webpage in the extended content input area. 31. The system of claim 24, wherein the client-side operation further includes displaying one or more digital content selection icons in the extended content selection area. 32. The system of claim 31, wherein the client-side operation further comprises: Receive fifth user input, the fifth user input indicating the selection of the icon for the one or more digital content selection icons; and In response to receiving the fifth user input, a digital content selection interface is displayed, allowing the user to choose additional digital content for distribution. 33. The system of claim 31, wherein the one or more digital content selection icons include digital image selection icons, digital video selection icons, link selection icons, and map selection icons. 34. The system of claim 31, wherein the one or more digital content selection icons are displayed in the content sharing interface prior to receiving the first user input. 35. The system of claim 24, wherein the client-side operation further comprises: Receive a fifth user input, the fifth user input indicating a hover action on the button icon; and In response to receiving the fifth user input, a dialog box is displayed, showing data corresponding to a contact who has already shared the digital content. 36. The system of claim 35, wherein the first user input includes the user selection of the button icon. 37. The system of claim 24, wherein the webpage includes a search results page and the button icon is associated with the search results displayed on the webpage. 38. The system of claim 24, wherein the webpage includes a map service webpage and the digital content includes a map. 39. The system of claim 38, wherein the post dataset further includes map data, the map data including scrolling data and zooming data corresponding to a map view of the map, the scrolling data and the zooming data being available from the map service webpage for copying the map view. 40. The system of claim 24, wherein the server-side operation further comprises: Receive the post dataset; An access control list is generated based on the distribution data, which corresponds to the one or more contacts; and The digital content is distributed based on the access control list. 41. The system of claim 24, wherein the webpage includes the webpage of the social networking service. 42. The system of claim 24, wherein each of the plurality of web pages includes a web page of the social networking service. 43. The system of claim 24, wherein the webpage includes webpages from websites outside the domain of the social networking service. 44. A computer-implemented device, comprising: A means for presenting a graphical representation of a content-sharing interface of a first social networking service in a webpage, the graphical representation including at least one button icon in response to user input; A means for receiving first user input to the button icon; A means for performing the following operations in response to the first user input: The content sharing interface in the webpage is extended to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface; A summary of the digital content; The expanded content input area is populated using the summary of the digital content; A means for receiving second user input to the distribution interface, the second user input instructing one or more contacts to which the digital content is distributed; For responding to receiving the second user input, identifying at least one of the one or more contacts who will receive the email distribution of the digital content, and in response, providing means for changing the control interface within the extended content sharing interface; A means for receiving third user input to the change control interface, the third user input indicating i) one or more changes to the email distribution of the digital content and ii) one or more edits to the summary of the digital content; A means for displaying one or more icons in the distribution interface, each of the one or more icons being a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; A means for receiving a fourth user input to the content sharing interface, the fourth user input including user instructions for distributing the digital content; and A means for transmitting a post dataset, including digital content data and distribution data, to a server computing system in response to the fourth user input. 45. A computer-implemented method, comprising: The webpage presents a graphical representation of the content sharing interface of the first social networking service, the graphical representation including at least one button icon in response to user input; The first user input is received by the button icon; In response to the first user input: The content sharing interface in the webpage is extended to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface; A summary of the digital content; The expanded content input area is populated using the summary of the digital content; The second user input is received to the distribution interface, and the second user input instructs one or more contacts to whom the digital content is distributed; In response to receiving the second user input, at least one of the one or more contacts who will receive the email distribution of the digital content is identified, and in response, a change control interface is provided within the extended content sharing interface; The third user input is received to the change control interface, the third user input indicating i) one or more changes to the email distribution of the digital content and ii) one or more edits to the summary of the digital content; The distribution interface displays one or more icons, each of which is a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; A fourth user input is received to the content sharing interface, the fourth user input including user instructions for distributing the digital content; and In response to the fourth user input, a post dataset, including digital content data and distribution data, is transmitted to the server computing system. 46. A system comprising: Server computing devices; and A computer-readable medium coupled to the server computing device and storing instructions thereon, which, when executed by the server computing device, cause the server computing device to perform server-side operations for distributing digital content for display across a network, the server-side operations including: At least one web page document is supplied to a user-operated client computing device, the document containing instructions for a browser application to perform client-side operations, the client-side operations including: Display the numerical content of the webpage; The webpage displays a graphical representation of the content sharing interface of the social networking service, the graphical representation including at least one button icon in response to user input; The first user input is received to the button icon, and the first user input indicates that the user expects to distribute digital content associated with the web page digital content; In response to receiving the first user input: The content sharing interface is extended in the webpage to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface; A summary identifying the digital content; The expanded content input area is populated using the summary of the digital content; The distribution interface receives second user input, which indicates one or more social circles, each social circle including one or more contacts to which the digital content is distributed; In response to receiving the second user input, at least one of the one or more contacts who will receive the email distribution of the digital content is identified, and in response, a change control interface is provided within the extended content sharing interface; The third user input is received to the change control interface, the third user input indicating i) one or more changes to the email distribution of the digital content and ii) one or more edits to the summary of the digital content; The distribution interface displays one or more icons, each of which is a graphical representation of the one or more social circles; A fourth user input is received to the content sharing interface, the fourth user input including user instructions for distributing the digital content; and In response to the fourth user input, a post dataset, including digital content data and distribution data, is transmitted to the server computing device. 47. A system comprising: A server computing device operable to supply a computer program to one or more client computing devices on a network, the computer program including instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by the client computing device, cause the client computing device to perform operations for distributing digital content for display across the network, the operations including: A graphical representation of the content-sharing interface of social networking services is displayed on the monitor; The first user input is received to the content sharing interface; In response to the first user input: The content sharing interface is extended to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface; A summary identifying the digital content; The expanded content input area is populated using the summary of the digital content; The second user input is received to the distribution interface, and the second user input instructs one or more contacts to which the digital content is distributed; In response to receiving the second user input, at least one of the one or more contacts who will receive the email distribution of the digital content is identified, and in response, a change control interface is provided within the extended content sharing interface; The third user input is received to the change control interface, the third user input indicating i) one or more changes to the email distribution of the digital content and ii) one or more edits to the summary of the digital content; The distribution interface displays one or more icons, each of which is a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; A fourth user input is received to the content sharing interface, the fourth user input including user instructions for distributing the digital content; and In response to the fourth user input, a post dataset, including digital content data and distribution data, is transmitted to the server computing device. 48. The system of claim 47, wherein the icons of the one or more icons correspond to the social circle of the user in a social networking service, the social circle defining a subset of the one or more contacts. 49. The system of claim 47, wherein the icon of one or more icons corresponds to the second social networking service in which the user participates. 50. The system of claim 49, wherein the second social networking service includes microblog social networking service. 51. The system of claim 49, wherein the second social networking service includes a blog service. 52. The system of claim 47, wherein the icon of one or more icons corresponds to at least one contact who receives the digital content via email. 53. The system of claim 47, wherein the operation further includes displaying digital content of the webpage in the webpage, wherein the content sharing interface displays a summary of the digital content of the webpage in the extended content input area. 54. The system of claim 47, wherein the operation further comprises displaying one or more digital content selection icons in the extended content selection area. 55. The system of claim 54, wherein the operation further comprises: Receive fifth user input, the fifth user input indicating the selection of the icon for the one or more digital content selection icons; and In response to receiving the fifth user input, a digital content selection interface is displayed, allowing the user to choose additional digital content for distribution. 56. The system of claim 54, wherein the one or more digital content selection icons include digital image selection icons, digital video selection icons, link selection icons, and map selection icons. 57. The system of claim 54, wherein the one or more digital content selection icons are displayed in the content sharing interface prior to receiving the first user input. 58. The system of claim 47, wherein the graphical representation of the content sharing interface is displayed on the desktop display of the client computing device. 59. The system of claim 47, wherein the graphical representation of the content sharing interface is displayed as a toolbar in a web browser application running on the client computing device. 60. A computer-implemented device, comprising: A device for displaying a graphical representation of a content-sharing interface for a social networking service on a display screen; A means for receiving first user input to the content sharing interface; A means for performing the following operations in response to the first user input: The content sharing interface is extended to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface; A summary of the digital content; The expanded content input area is populated using the summary of the digital content; A means for receiving second user input to the distribution interface, the second user input instructing one or more contacts to which the digital content is distributed; For responding to receiving the second user input, identifying at least one of the one or more contacts who will receive the email distribution of the digital content, and in response, providing means for changing the control interface within the extended content sharing interface; A means for receiving third user input to the change control interface, the third user input indicating i) one or more changes to the email distribution of the digital content and ii) one or more edits to the summary of the digital content; A means for displaying one or more icons in the distribution interface, each of the one or more icons being a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; A means for receiving a fourth user input to the content sharing interface, the fourth user input including user instructions for distributing the digital content; and A means for transmitting a post dataset to the server computing device in response to the fourth user input, the post dataset including digital content data and distribution data. 61. A computer-implemented method, comprising: A graphical representation of the content-sharing interface of social networking services is displayed on the monitor; The first user input is received to the content sharing interface; In response to the first user input: The content sharing interface is extended to include an expanded content input area and a distribution interface; A summary of the digital content; The expanded content input area is populated using the summary of the digital content; The second user input is received to the distribution interface, and the second user input instructs one or more contacts to whom the digital content is distributed; In response to receiving the second user input, at least one of the one or more contacts who will receive the email distribution of the digital content is identified, and in response, a change control interface is provided within the extended content sharing interface; The third user input is received to the change control interface, the third user input indicating i) one or more changes to the email distribution of the digital content and ii) one or more edits to the summary of the digital content; The distribution interface displays one or more icons, each of which is a graphical representation of the one or more contacts; A fourth user input is received to the content sharing interface, the fourth user input including user instructions for distributing the digital content; and In response to the fourth user input, a post dataset, including digital content data and distribution data, is transmitted to the server computing device.