IDENTIFYING INFLUENTIAL USERS OF A SOCIAL NETWORKING SERVICE

A system includes a memory storing a dataset representing a community of users of a social networking service, the social networking service providing a platform enabling a user within the community to communicate with at least one of a plurality of other users within the community. The system includes a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to determine a ranking of the service users in the dataset based on an initial influence score for at least one of the users. The processor is also configured to determine a contribution to a first user within the community by at least one second user of the plurality of other users within the community, and calculate an influence score for the first user. The ranking is revised based at least in part on the calculated influence score, and information is rendered to a target user based on the revised ranking.