Patent ID: 7567977

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for establishing a social network, the computer-implemented method being performed by a social networking service using one or more processors, the method comprising maintaining a list comprising a plurality of participants, wherein each participant in the plurality of participants corresponds to one or more individuals, wherein the list also includes information associated with at least one of each participant or the one or more individuals that correspond to each participant; presenting a user with a plurality of categories from which the user may make a selection of a category from the plurality of categories; receiving the selection of the category by the user; in conjunction with the selection of the category, receiving an electronic communication from the user for an unidentified respondent, wherein the electronic communication contains an inquiry of the user, and wherein the electronic communication does not identify the user; after receiving the selection of the category by the user, programmatically selecting, based at least in part on the selection of the category on the information associated with at least one of each participant or the one or more individuals that correspond to each participant, one or more participants from the list to receive the electronic communication; sending a second electronic communication that contains the inquiry to the one or more participants without identifying the one or more participants to the user; detecting a communication from a referred party, other than the one or more participants, as being (i) a recipient of a forwarded communication that corresponds to the second electronic communication sent to one of the participants, and (ii) a reply to the inquiry of the electronic communication from the user, wherein the referred party is selected by at least one of the one or more participants and not programmatically selected by the social networking service to receive the electronic communication, so that the forwarded inquiry originates from the one or more participants and corresponds to the inquiry of the user; presenting information about the referred party to the user without revealing the referred party's identity, wherein the presented information includes profile information about the referred party; and enabling the user to select what further information, if any, the referred party is to receive regarding at least one of the user or the inquiry.