Patent ID: 7461090

Claim:
A system embodied on one or more computer-readable storage media and operating within a computerized environment for selecting and arranging multiple, individual media items as output, the system comprising: selection components for selecting multiple, individual media items for output based on user-specified rules, the selection components comprising: a query component for selecting a first set of individual media items from at least one source based on at least one first user-specified characteristic and a second set of individual media items from at least one source based on at least one second user-specified characteristic, wherein the first set of individual media items is associated with a first type of metadata and the second set of individual media items is associated with a second type of metadata, and weighting tools for causing the first set of individual media items to be selected with a first user-specified frequency and the second set of individual media items to be selected with a second user-specified frequency, wherein the first set of individual media items and the second set of individual media items provide a plurality of individual media items for output; and at least one output sorting component for arranging the plurality of individual media items together for output, including determining a sort order for the plurality of individual media items, wherein the at least one output sorting component comprises at least one of: an identifying data component for determining a sort order based on metadata; a random component for designating a random sort order; and a directional component for specifying one of a descending and ascending sort order.