Patent ID: 9218591
Filing Date: 2015-12-22
Classification: G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for establishing a social network, the method comprising: maintaining a list comprising a plurality of participants, wherein each participant in the plurality of participants corresponds to one or more individuals, wherein the list also includes information associated with at least one of each participant or the one or more individuals that correspond to each participant; presenting a user with a plurality of categories from which the user may make a selection of a category from the plurality of categories; receiving the selection of the category by the user; in conjunction with the selection of the category, receiving an electronic communication from the user for an unidentified respondent, wherein the electronic communication contains an inquiry of the user; after receiving the selection of the category by the user, selecting one or more participants from the list to receive the electronic communication, wherein selecting is based at least in part on the selection of the category or the information associated with at least one of each participant or the one or more individuals that correspond to each participant; sending the inquiry to the selected one or more participants; receiving a response to the inquiry from the selected one or more participants, the response from each of the one or more participants including biographical information about that participant; publishing at least a portion of the response from each of the selected one or more participants for other users to view, wherein publishing is performed without identifying the user but includes providing biographical information about the participant who provided the response; tracking feedback for each of the selected one or more participants based at least in part on the published portion of the response, including determining a rating from the user for at least one of the selected one or more participants.