Patent ID: 8364624

Claim:
A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving at a server and from a terminal device associated with a sender a data item for transmission to a terminal device associated with a recipient; associating the data item with one or more metadata tags that characterize the data item, identify a sender of the data item, and identify an intended recipient of the data item; deriving, at the server, an initial weight factor for the data item using a set of first rules provided by the sender of the data item and respective values of the one or more metadata tags; adjusting, at the server, the initial weight factor of the data item to obtain an adjusted weight factor using a set of second rules provided by the intended recipient of the data item and the respective values of the one or more metadata tags; and providing the data item, at least one of the one or more metadata tags and the adjusted weight factor to a receiving device associated with the intended recipient of the data item, where the data item is rendered according to an order based at least in part on the adjusted weight factor and in accordance with the at least one metadata tag.