Patent ID: 8468194

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of providing expertise based referrals, the method comprising: receiving, from a first messaging client associated with a first user, a voucher specifying a second user associated with a second messaging client seeking expertise and a third user associated with a third messaging client as a potential subject matter expert, wherein the voucher is a programmatic object representing a right of an individual to query another about a particular subject or topic; assigning a role of potential maven to the first user and a role of potential subject matter expert to the third user; responsive to execution of the voucher, establishing an instant messaging session between the second messaging client and the third messaging client; receiving an input from the second messaging client indicating whether a question posed by the second user is resolved; and when the question is resolved, assigning a role of maven to the first user and a role of subject matter expert to the third user, and storing, as part of a referral transaction, a transcript of the instant messaging session between the second messaging client and the third messaging client, a reference to the first user with the assigned role, and a reference to the third user with the assigned role.