Patent ID: 7881969

Claim:
A trust-based system embodied on one or more computer-readable storage media having computer executable instructions embodied thereon for interacting with a listing service, the trust-based system comprising: a trust component that determines at least one trust level for a first user of a listing service based on: at least one association of the first user of the listing service with one or more communities of users, each particular community of users possessing a distinct trust level associated with that particular community, wherein distinct trust levels are determined based on ratings assigned to each user of the listing service based on interactions within the listing service, and an association of the first user of the listing service with a second user of the listing service; a matching component that selectively only exposes the first user of the listing service to one or more classified listings of the second user of the listing service responsive to the trust level of the first user of the listing service in association with the second user of the listing service meeting a threshold level of trust set by the second user of the listing service; and a rating system that rates the first user of the listing service based at least in part on feedback received from other users of the listing service, wherein at least one trust level of the first user of the listing service is boosted or diminished according to the feedback received from the other users of the listing service, and wherein the first user of the listing service and a third user of the listing service are associated with one another by virtue of an extended circle, wherein the trust component further determines at least one trust level for the first user of the listing service in association with the third user of the listing service, and wherein the trust level determined for the first user of the listing service in association with the third user of the listing service is lower than the trust level assigned to the first user of the listing service in association with a fourth user of the listing service, the fourth user of the listing service being associated with at least one of the one or more communities of users.