Patent ID: 7778973

Claim:
A system for sharing files over a computer network via a hosting site, the system comprising: a central processing unit (CPU); a memory; a data storage space associated with the hosting site and accessible by one or more users via the computer network, said data storage space comprising albums created by said one or more users for storage of related files, said albums comprising at least one different level of sharing associated with each of said one or more users, said different level of sharing being in part assigned by said one or more users creating said albums; accounts associated with each of said one or more users, one or more accounts of the user accounts allowing said each of said users to access said albums wherein said users who created said albums are allowed to access to said different level of sharing, wherein said different level of sharing is time sensitive and is expired after a specified interval has elapsed; an album creator for creating an album; an album contributor for viewing and adding contents of said album; an album viewer for viewing contents of said album; a file viewer for viewing contents of said files; and an album manager for allowing said one or more users to associate different levels of sharing of said album and to modify the contents of said album, where said different levels of sharing comprise said album viewer who is associated with viewed contents is only authorized to view said album, said album contributor who is associated with contributed contents is only authorized to view said album and add files, said album manager who is associated with managed contents is only authorized to manage said album by associating users as contributors to said album, and said album creator who is associated with created contents is only authorized to delete said album and change said different levels of sharing associated with users.