Patent ID: 7917381

Claim:
A computer implemented method for providing a compensation system for selected paths in a hierarchical network, comprising: (a) receiving a task and a compensation method from an original poster by a server; (b) generating by a server an original posting for the task; (c) sending an address of the original posting by the server to one or more next level contacts of the original poster, wherein the address of the original posting uniquely identifies the original posting as being from the original poster; (d) for each given next level contact unwilling or unable to achieve the task, generating by the server a derived posting based on the posting sent to the given next level contact, wherein an address of the derived posting uniquely identifies the derived posting as being from the original poster, the given next level contact, and each intervening contact between the original poster and the given next level contact; (e) for each given next level contact unwilling or unable to achieve the task, sending the address of the derived posting by the server to one or more next level contacts of the given next level contact; (f) repeating by the server the generating (d) and sending (e) for each given next level contact unwilling or unable to achieve the task until an Nth level contact achieves the task; (g) determining by the server an achieving path from the address of the posting sent to the Nth level contact, wherein the achieving path comprises the original poster, the Nth level contact, and each intervening contact between the original poster and the Nth level contact who was unwilling or unable to achieve the task; and (h) compensating by the server each contact in the achieving contact path according to the compensation method, wherein contacts not in the achieving task are not compensated according to the compensation method.