Patent ID: 8108239

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, using a computing device, input from each placement provider of a plurality of placement providers regarding a recommender, the input indicating the respective placement provider trusts the recommender; receiving, using the computing device, input from each candidate of a plurality of candidates, the input indicating the recommender recommends the respective candidate; calculating, using the computing device, a first trust score for the recommender in accordance with a number of the plurality of placement providers having a trust relationship with the recommender, such that the first trust score for the recommender is weighted according to a heuristic ranking of a number and importance of placements offered by each placement provider of the plurality of placement providers; calculating, using the computing device, a respective second trust score for each candidate of the plurality of candidates with respect to one provider of the plurality of providers in accordance with the first trust score for the recommender, a trust relationship between said one provider of the plurality of providers and the recommender, and a respective trust relationship between the respective candidate and the recommender; and making available, using the computing device, to said provider an ordered list of each candidate of the plurality of candidates in accordance with each respective candidates' respective second trust score.