Automated Aging of Contacts and Classifying Relationships

1. A computer implemented method comprising: identifying one or more interactions between a first user and a second user within a social networking system; calculating, for each of the identified interactions, an interaction score based on a group score and a time penalty, the group score based on a number of users involved in the interaction and the time penalty based on a time between a current time and a time of a last interaction between the first user and the second user; determining, based on one or more of the interaction scores, a relationship ranking that corresponds to a measure of affinity of the first user towards the second user; and sending to a client for display an indicator representing the relationship ranking.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein an identified interaction comprises a message including a user identifier for the first user and a user identifier for the second user.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the identified interaction indicates that the first user is with the second user.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the identified interaction includes one or more images or videos.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: assigning an expiration parameter to the second user, wherein the expiration parameter indicates when the second user should be disassociated from the first user, the assignment of the expiration parameter being based on a frequency of interaction between the first user and the second user; and modifying the expiration parameter for the second user based on the identified one or more interactions between the first user and the second user.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising determining that the expiration parameter has expired and disassociating the second user from the first user.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein modifying the expiration parameter comprises extending when the expiration parameter expires.

8. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing computer program instructions for: identifying one or more interactions between a first user and a second user within a social networking system; calculating, for each of the identified interactions, an interaction score based on a group score and a time penalty, the group score based on a number of users involved in the interaction and the time penalty based on a time between a current time and a time of a last interaction between the first user and the second user; determining, based on one or more of the interaction scores, a relationship ranking that corresponds to a measure of affinity of the first user towards the second user; and sending to a client for display an indicator representing the relationship ranking.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein an identified interaction comprises a message including a user identifier for the first user and a user identifier for the second user.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the identified interaction indicates that the first user is with the second user.

11. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the identified interaction includes one or more images or videos.

12. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the computer program instructions are further for: assigning an expiration parameter to the second user, wherein the expiration parameter indicates when the second user should be disassociated from the first user, the assignment of the expiration parameter being based on a frequency of interaction between the first user and the second user; and modifying the expiration parameter for the second user based on the identified one or more interactions between the first user and the second user.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the computer program instructions are further for determining that the expiration parameter has expired and disassociating the second user from the first user.

14. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein modifying the expiration parameter comprises extending when the expiration parameter expires.

15. A system comprising: one or more computer processors; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing computer program instructions executed by the one or more computer processors for: identifying one or more interactions between a first user and a second user within a social networking system; calculating, for each of the identified interactions, an interaction score based on a group score and a time penalty, the group score based on a number of users involved in the interaction and the time penalty based on a time between a current time and a time of a last interaction between the first user and the second user; determining, based on one or more of the interaction scores, a relationship ranking that corresponds to a measure of affinity of the first user towards the second user; and sending to a client for display an indicator representing the relationship ranking.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein an identified interaction comprises a message including a user identifier for the first user and a user identifier for the second user.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the identified interaction indicates that the first user is with the second user.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the identified interaction includes one or more images or videos.

19. The system of claim 15 , further comprising: assigning an expiration parameter to the second user, wherein the expiration parameter indicates when the second user should be disassociated from the first user, the assignment of the expiration parameter being based on a frequency of interaction between the first user and the second user; and modifying the expiration parameter for the second user based on the identified one or more interactions between the first user and the second user.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the computer program instructions are further executed for determining that the expiration parameter has expired and disassociating the second user from the first user.