Patent ID: 7143135
Filing Date: 2006-11-28
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. In a computer mediated persistent conversation system having one or more computers with which each of multiple users author and post messages in one or more conversations, the system including a computer-readable medium that stores computer software instructions for operating the system, the instructions comprising: obtaining selected information from the one or more conversations; storing the selected information and forming from it aggregated conversation data that includes aggregations according to time, conversation, and authoring user; tagging the messages when they are posted by authoring users, wherein tagging a message comprises inserting a tag into the message, wherein the tag identifies the message as being of one or more selected message types comprising a Question message type indicating that a message is a question and an Answer message type indicating that a message is an answer to a Question message type, whereby the tagged messages allow said users to decide whether a conversation is likely to provide useful information; and providing the aggregated conversation data and message type tags to users of the computer mediated persistent conversation system.