Patent ID: 8626561

Claim:
A computer implemented method for conducting an online information brokering service, the method comprising acts of: permitting, by a computer system, a creation of a plurality of respective observations generated by a plurality of users, the plurality of users including at least content generating users and information consumer users; presenting, by a computer system, at least one of the plurality of respective observations to a plurality of other users; and accepting, by the computer system from at least one of the plurality of other users, a respective opinion of the at least one other user regarding the at least one of the plurality of respective observations; and controlling, by the computer system, access to at least one of the plurality respective observation and any associated respective opinions, wherein the act of controlling includes: restricting access by at least one information consumer to at least one of the plurality of respective observations generated by the plurality of users and any of the associated respective opinions; and permitting access to the at least one information consumer to at least one of the plurality of respective observations generated by the plurality of users and any of the respective opinions regarding the at least one of the plurality of respective observations, the act of permitting access being responsive to receiving payment from the at least one information consumer for access.