Patent ID: 8667136

Claim:
A method of updating a data record stored in a data store with information supplied by at least one of a plurality of users of a communication network, said data record comprising a first type of information and a second type of information; each of said users having an associated communication identifier, said method comprising: obtaining a request from a claiming user to claim the data record, the request including a communication identifier which identifies the claiming user, wherein the claiming user is one of the plurality of users who is asserting editorial privilege on the data record and the communication identifier of the claiming user is not associated with the data record on which the editorial privilege being asserted; responsive to the request, upon successful authentication of the claiming user, determining if the data record is unclaimed and if the data record is unclaimed, storing the communication identifier in association with the data record to effectuate the claim by the claiming user to the data record, such that claiming user has control over information contained in the data record; based upon the claim by the claiming user, preventing modification of the first type of information by users other than the claiming user and enabling modification of the second type of information by all of said users; selectively providing access to the data record according to the claim by the claiming user including: receiving information to update the data record provided by a user together with a communication identifier associated with the user providing the information; and comparing the communication identifier corresponding to the claim to the data record to the communication identifier associated with the user providing the information including: if the information is the first type of information, updating the data record with the information when the identifier associated with the user providing the information is the same as the identifier stored in association with the data record; and if the information is the second type of information, updating the data record with the information even if the user providing the information is not the claiming user.