BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to online communities and computer simulations, and more specifically to users joining groups that participate in multi-user computer simulations, online communities, and other multi-user online activities.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

An online community is a virtual community that exists online, such as on the Internet. Online communities are typically formed through online interaction and involve people with some common interest or focus interacting online via discussion boards, chat rooms, message boards, bulletin boards, Weblogs, virtual worlds, and other collaborative and information-sharing media. Online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other primarily in real life.

Computer games, such as video games, have become a popular source of entertainment. Computer games are a type of computer simulation and are typically implemented in computer game software applications and are often run on game consoles, entertainment systems, desktop, laptop, and notebook computers, portable devices, tablet and pad-like devices, etc. An online game is a type of computer game or simulation played over a computer network, typically the Internet.

A multi-user computer simulation, such as a multi-user computer game, allows more than one user to participate in the simulation. Such multi-user computer simulations are often conducted online so that users in geographically diverse locations can participate. For example, online multi-user computer games allow players (also referred to herein as users) who are physically remote from each other, often in different parts of the world, to participate in the same game. Many multi-user computer simulations involve different teams, clans, or other types of groups of users, interacting or competing against each other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment provides a computer readable storage medium storing one or more computer readable programs adapted to cause a processor based system to execute steps comprising: detecting a first group seeking members; detecting one or more users seeking to join a group; retrieving group parameters corresponding to the first group, wherein the group parameters comprise group characteristic data and group requirements; retrieving user parameters corresponding to each of the one or more users; for each user of the one or more users, comparing the group parameters corresponding to the first group against the user parameters corresponding to the user; determining a score for each of the one or more users based on the comparing; and recommending one or more selected users of the one or more users to the first group at least in part based on the score.

Another embodiment provides an apparatus comprising: a processor configured to perform the steps comprising: detecting a first group seeking members; detecting one or more users seeking to join a group; retrieving group parameters corresponding to the first group, wherein the group parameters comprise group characteristic data and group requirements; retrieving user parameters corresponding to each of the one or more users; for each user of the one or more users, comparing the group parameters corresponding to the first group against the user parameters corresponding to the user; determining a score for each of the one or more users based on the comparing; and recommending one or more selected users of the one or more users to the first group at least in part based on the score.

Another embodiment provides a method comprising: detecting a first group seeking members; detecting one or more users seeking to join a group; retrieving group parameters corresponding to the first group, wherein the group parameters comprise group characteristic data and group requirements; retrieving user parameters corresponding to each of the one or more users; for each user of the one or more users, comparing the group parameters corresponding to the first group against the user parameters corresponding to the user; determining a score for each of the one or more users based on the comparing; and recommending one or more selected users of the one or more users to the first group at least in part based on the score.

A better understanding of the features and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth an illustrative embodiment in which principles of embodiments of the invention are utilized.

