Patent ID: 7987492

Claim:
A method of sharing a streaming video to a plurality of computers on a network, the method comprising the steps of: (a) receiving, by a server via a first web page, a video file sent by a first user on a first computer of a plurality of computers communicating via a network; (b) executing, by the server responsive to identifying that the video file has been received, an automated function automatically performing: (b1) converting, via a format conversion module of the server, the video file into a streaming video file comprising a streaming video format; (b2) storing, by a storage module of the server, the streaming video file to a storage device; (b3) generating, via an identification module of the server, an identification tag identifying the stored streaming video file and comprising a video frame image selected from the streaming video file, the video frame image representing a subject matter of the streaming video file; and (b4) embedding, by the server, the identification tag comprising the video frame image into a second web page accessible to a plurality of users on the plurality of computers; (c) receiving, by a sharing module of the server via the identification tag, one or more requests to stream the streaming video file to one or more users on the one or more computers of the plurality of computers; and (d) transmitting, by the sharing module via the second web page, the streaming video file in the streaming video format to the one or more users on the one or more computers, the plurality of users comprising an affinity group associated with the identification tag.