Patent Document ID: 8635098
Application ID: 13651661
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: associating, by a processor, one or more individual feedback ratings with a plurality of users in an electronic community, the plurality of users including a particular user, one or more first descendants referred by the particular user to the electronic community, and one or more second descendants referred by the one or more first descendants to the electronic community, and wherein the one or more individual feedback ratings associated with each of the plurality of users are established based on votes from other users of the plurality of users of the electronic community; deriving, by the processor, a community rating associated with the particular user by aggregating the individual feedback ratings respectively associated with the particular user, the one or more first descendants, and the one or more second descendants, wherein deriving includes weighting the feedback ratings of the one or more first descendants and one or more second descendants based on a degree of separation from the particular user; and storing the community rating associated with the particular user in a storage device, wherein a relationship tree representing relationships among the plurality of users of the electronic community is maintained, wherein the relationships include sponsorship relationships among the plurality of users, the one or more first descendants, and the one or more second descendants, wherein the sponsorship relationships are stored in a data structure for the particular user, wherein the data structure contains a pointer to at least one of the plurality of users, and wherein deriving is performed utilizing the pointer in the data structure.