Patent ID: 8230015

Claim:
A message posting system comprising: a server unit that provides a message board for each of a plurality of topics in which unspecified users can participate; and a plurality of terminal devices connected to the server unit, a user of each terminal device being participatable in a topic provided by the server unit to post a message on a corresponding message board, the server unit including: participating user management means that manages a plurality of users who participate in a predetermined topic in the plurality of topics; first message board management means that provides a plurality of users participating in the predetermined topic with a first message board for the predetermined topic, and manages messages posted from the terminal devices of the users participating in the predetermined topic by using the first message board; grouping means that groups a plurality of users in the managed users participating in the predetermined topic according to a predetermined rule; group user management means that manages the grouped users; second message board management means that provides the plurality of grouped users with a second message board for a particular topic different from the predetermined topic, and manages messages posted from the terminal devices of the grouped users as users participating in the particular topic by using the second message board; posted message management control means that receives a message transmitted from each of the plurality of terminal devices, and allows the first message board management means or the second message board management means to manage the received message as a posted message according to a topic related to the received message; and message board information transmission means that transmits information according to contents of the first message board managed by the first message board management means or information according to contents of the second message board managed by the second message board management means to the terminal devices of those users who participate in a topic corresponding to each message board, each of the plurality of terminal devices including: posting message input means that inputs a message to be posted on a topic in which the user of the local terminal device participates; posted message transmission means that transmits the input message to the server unit in association with the topic on which the message is to be posted and the user who has posted the message; and message board display means that displays, on a display device, a message board containing messages posted by individual users on the topic in which the user of the local terminal device participates.