Patent ID: 7818394

Claim:
A method for a computer server that includes a processor and a memory operating in an electronic environment, comprises: receiving search criteria from a first user at a remote client; receiving a user identifier associated with the first user, wherein a social map is associated with the first user and the social map includes a plurality of different social distances between a plurality of users in a computer network; performing a search in response to the search criteria to determine a plurality of search results including a first search result, a second search result, and a third search result, wherein the first search result is initially prioritized ahead of the second search result; determining a first rating from a second user associated with the first search result; determining a first social distance from the second user to the first user within a social network, wherein a first profile is provided for the first user and includes the first social distance between the first user and a second user, and wherein a second profile is provided for the first user and includes a second social distance between the first user and the second user, the first social distance and the second social distance being different, wherein the first social distance is reduced between the first and second users as a result of a weighting factor determined by a frequency of communications between the first and second users, a responsiveness by the first user in answering communications from the second user, a user satisfaction characteristic, and by a manual adjustment made directly to the weighting factor by the first user; determining a second rating from a third user associated with the second search result; determining the second social distance from the third user to the first user within the social network; providing the first search result to the remote client including the first rating and the first social distance; providing the second search result to the remote client including the second rating and the second social distance; providing the third search result to the remote client, wherein the third search result is not associated with a user within the social network, and wherein the first search result and the second search result are highlighted at the remote client due to their underlying social distances; and prioritizing the second search result ahead of the first search result in response to the first social distance and the second social distance, wherein providing the second search result comprises providing the second search result to the remote client prioritized ahead of the first search result.