Importance

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Abstract

Systems, computer-readable media, and methods for utilizing information pertaining to one or more individuals or entities with which a user has at least one social networking relationship are provided. A search engine is configured to receive a query, to identify matching electronic documents, to rank the electronic documents, and to transmit the matching electronic documents and/or advertisements to the user in response to receiving a query. Upon receiving the query from a user, the search engine obtains a social network identifier of the user and utilizes information about the user's social networking relationships to augment the query with nonretrieval modifiers. The search engine processes the nonretrieval modifiers matching the electronic documents included in search results and ranks the results but does not use the nonretrieval modifiers to identify or retrieve results matching the query. The ranked electronic documents are included in the results and displayed in rank order to the user.

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First Claim