Patent ID: 8880521

Claim:
A computer implemented method for searching and establishing a social-network path, the method comprising: receiving a search term from a first person being a search initiator; conducting a first search for the received search term with an internet or intranet search engine; receiving results of the first search; based on the received search results of the first search, conducting a second search of a social network to identify a node in a social network that represents a second person associated with a document listed among the received of the first search; identifying an existing social-network path in the social network from a node in the social network that represents the search initiator to the identified node; displaying the identified social-network path-combination with a link that leads directly to the document; and wherein each link of the social network is identified with a communication context, and wherein said method further includes: receiving with the search term a communication context associated with the search term; and limiting the second search to portions of the social network connected to the node by links identified with the communication context.