Online content tabulating system and method

Abstract

A tabulating system and method analyzes content posted and/or queried by an online community. The content can be searched based on a search filter executed at defined intervals, and the system can also reach through to locate and extract content from other remote systems. Community postings and queries can be tabulated to determine “hot topics” of interest to the community, to enhance the appeal and stickiness of a website. Furthermore, subscribers can also formulate and define their own custom searches to be run on their behalf to identify the existence of particular content on the website.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of identifying popular subject matter content within a first community of online members of an electronic content provider, the method comprising:
 (a) receiving member content from the first community of online members, including subject matter queries and/or text postings provided by the first community of online members, directed to content categorized in one or more subject matter areas on a website operated by the electronic content provider; 
 (b) processing said subject matter queries and/or text postings for the entire first community of online members, to determine a first popularity ranking of first content topics of interest for the first community of online members; 
 (c) generating a first list identifying said first content topics and their associated first popularity ranking as determined at step (b); 
 (d) processing said subject matter queries and/or text postings for the first community of online members, including by tabulating keywords in text therein, to identify second topics for the first community of online members which are changing in popularity, and to determine a second popularity ranking of such second content topics of interest, wherein processing said subject matter queries and/or said text postings includes tabulating keywords within said subject matter queries and/or said text postings; 
 (e) generating a second list identifying said second content topics and their associated second popularity ranking as determined at step (d); and
 wherein said first list measures popularity of content during a first time period, and said second list measures a change in popularity of content over such period. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further including a step (d): repeating steps (a) through (c) for a second separate community of online members comprising:
 (f) receiving member content from a second community of online members, including subject matter queries and/or text postings provided by the second community of online members, directed to content categorized in one or more subject matter areas on a website operated by an electronic content provider; 
 (g) processing said subject matter queries and/or text postings for the entire second community of online members to determine a first popularity ranking of first content topics of interest for the second community of online members; and 
 (h) generating a list identifying said first content topics of interest for the second community of online members and the first popularity rankings associated with the first content topics of interest for the second community of online members. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein further comprising processing said search subject matter queries and/or text postings are also processed by an inference engine to deduce and determine additional words keywords and topics which are also tabulated wherein processing said subject matter queries and/or text postings by the interference engine includes tabulating the additional keywords and topics to determine said popularity rankings. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein steps further comprising performing (a) through (e) are performed across all members of the community of online members. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said subject matter queries correspond to searches made by a member of the first community for an entire set of member postings classified under a particular subject. 
     
     
       6. A method of tabulating preference information for an online community of members of an online service provider system, the method comprising the steps of:
 (a) monitoring queries made by members for locating content on the online content service provider system; 
 (b) analyzing said queries to identify community interest in a first set of topics for which content is searchable on the online service provider system within the online community of members; 
 (c) determining a first ranking said of a first set of topics based on an overall total number of members expressing interest in said first set of topics through queries to such first set of topics during a first time period; 
 (d) tabulating text words in said queries to identify community interest in second topics that are different from said first topics during said first time period; 
 wherein said tabulating includes counting a useage usage of said text words in said queries; 
 (e) generating a numerical ranking of said text words as used in said queries; 
 (f) determining a second ranking said of second topics for the online community of members; wherein said second ranking of said second topics is based generating a on the numerical ranking of said text words as used in said queries and wherein said second ranking measures a change in popularity of topics over said first time period; and  
 (g) presenting at least a list of said first ranking of said first set of topics to the online community of members. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein further comprising updating dynamically said first ranking of said first set of topics and said second ranking of said new second topics is updated dynamically in response to monitoring of query traffic of the online community of members. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 6 , wherein step (f) further considers a member status when generating said numerical ranking, including a subscription level of a member generating the numerical ranking of said text words as used in said queries is based at least in part on a subscription level of a member who enters a query. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 6 , wherein said queries are directed to a list of message items on a particular subject on said online content system. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 6 , wherein further comprising locating and extracting content from a separate online service provider system based on said list of said first rankings of said first set of topics is used by a search routine to locate and extract content from a separate content provider relating to said list of topics and wherein the extracted content relates to the first set of topics. 
     
     
       11. A method of identifying content which is of interest to a community of online members of an electronic content provider, the method comprising:
 (a) processing a first set of search queries and/or postings from the community of online members concerning one or more subject matter areas; 
 (b) processing a second set of search queries and/or postings from another community of online members concerning said one or more subject matter areas, wherein said second set of search queries and/or postings are stored in an electronic file on an online computing system that is different from that an online computing system used by the community of online members, and wherein said processing is performed by of said second set of search queries includes examining said electronic file and without directly monitoring search/query activities of all online members of said another community; 
 (c) processing said first and second sets of search queries and/or postings for both communities of online members, including by tabulating instances of words contained in text therein of the queries, to determine: 1) a popularity ranking of topics of interest for the community of online members; 2), a popularity ranking of topics of interest for said another community of online members; and 3) a popularity ranking of topics of interest as reflected by combined files from both communities of online members; 
 (d) generating a visible list for the community of online members identifying topics and their popularity ranking as determined at step (b); and  
 (e) updating said visible list by repeating step (b) at regular internals to identify new topics of interest in both said communities of online members. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11  wherein said community of online members can select an entry identifying a topic on said visible list to view, further comprising presenting additional information concerning such a topic, including message postings associated with said topic, wherein the topic is selected from the visible list by a member of the community of online members. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11 , wherein said another community of online members includes a plurality of message board system sites. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 11 , wherein said first set of search queries and/or postings from the community of online members includes both message traffic associated with community based content and message traffic associated with member customized content. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 11 , wherein said one or more subject matter areas pertain to multimedia data files, including audio, video and image files. 
     
     
       16. A method of tabulating selected content for display to subscribers of a first Internet website, the method comprising:
 (a) extracting selected content directly from one or more second Internet websites that are separate from said first Internet website, said selected content including data items having text content authored by one or members of a community of subscribers of the one or more second Internet websites and which is extracted without directly monitoring search/query activities of online members of said another community; 
 (b) reviewing said text content retrieved by said content locating routine to identify keywords in said text content; 
 (c) generating a tabulation of said data items, wherein said tabulation includes counting a count of instances of one or more keywords in said data items; and  
 (d) communicating said tabulation to one or more subscribers of the first Internet website; wherein an overall popularity of topics associated with said one or more keywords can be measured for said community of subscribers of the one or more second Internet websites and presented to said one or more subscribers of the first Internet website. 
 
     
     
       17. A method of tabulating selected content at a first Internet website based on member interactions with one or more second Internet websites that are separate from the first Internet website, the method comprising:
 (a) defining a data filter to be used by a content locating routine operating on the a first content server associated with the first Internet website for identifying the selected content stored on the one or more second Internet websites, said data filter specifying one or more keywords; 
 (b) defining a schedule to be used for executing said content locating routine; 
 (c) reviewing member content retrieved by said content locating routine with said data filter to locate data items containing said one or more keywords, said member content being generated by a community of members of interacting with the one or more second Internet websites; 
 (d) generating a tabulation of said member content based on results of said data filter, wherein said tabulation includes counting a count of instances of said one or more keywords in said set of data items, and generating said tabulation does not include directly monitor monitoring online activities of all community members of the one or more second Internet websites; and  
 (e) communicating said tabulation to one or more subscribers of the first Internet website; wherein such that statistical information for said one or more keywords can be measured for said community of members of the one or more second Internet websites and presented to said one or more subscribers of the first Internet website. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the data filter specifies that such selected content is to be extracted from specific subscriber communities of the one or more second Internet websites. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 17  wherein said statistical information includes a following within the community of members for a company name or a product name. 
     
     
       20. A method of identifying content which is popular within a community of online members of an electronic content provider, the method comprising:
 (a) receiving member content from the community of online members concerning one or more content subject matter areas, said member content including subject matter queries and/or text postings provided by the community of online members;
 wherein said text postings are tagged with a context identifier indicating a context in which a member provided said text posting, including a content subject matter area being accessed by the member when said text posting was made; 
 
 (b) processing said subject matter queries and/or text postings for the entire community of online members, including by wherein said processing includes tabulating instances of words contained in text therein and any context identifier, to determine a popularity ranking of content topics of interest for the community of online members; 
 (c) generating a list identifying content topics and their popularity ranking as determined at step (c); and  
 (d) presenting said list to one or more of the online members. 
 
     
     
       21. A method of identifying search preferences of a community of online members of an electronic content provider, the method comprising:
 (a) receiving content preference data from the community of online members, including search queries and/or postings concerning one or more subject matter areas, as well as individual personalized content preferences from each member which are identified by such member; 
 (b) generating a profile for each member based on said content preference data, said profile identifying a set of first customized search parameters used by such member of the community of online members to conduct said search queries and/or postings;
 wherein said profile is continually updated(c) updating said profile by tracking said set of first customized search parameters as they are used by each member during separate interactive sessions with the electronic content provider; 
 
 (c)(d) tabulating said set of first customized search parameters to determine a prevalence of use for said set of first customized search parameters across the community of online members; and  
 (d)(e) generating a list identifying a frequency of use for said set of first customized search parameters within the community of online members as determined at step (c). 
 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 21  wherein said profile further includes an indication of an individual member's frequency of use associated with each parameter within said set of first customized search parameters. 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 21  further including the steps of:
 (ef) processing said content preference data for the entire community of online members, including by wherein the processing includes tabulating instances of words contained in text therein, to determine a ranking of topics of interest for the entire community of online members; 
 (hg) generating a list identifying topics and their popularity ranking as determined at step (c) and displaying such list to the entire community of online members. 
 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 23 , wherein step (e) is wherein processing said content preference data for the entire community of online members comprises repeated by continually repeatedly monitoring member query and posting traffic at the electronic content provider. 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 21  wherein said profile is used to, further comprising indirectly derive deriving demographic information concerning said member based on said profile. 
     
     
       26. A method of identifying profile data for a community of online members of an electronic content provider, the method comprising:
 (a) monitoring and storing queries and text postings made by the community of online members concerning one or more subject matter areas; 
 (b) monitoring and storing context information associated with said queries and text postings, including a particular subject matter identifier for content being reviewed by a member while performing a query and/or posting to said one or more subject matter areas; 
 (c) monitoring and storing content information indicating particular content viewed by a member, as well as individual personalized content preferences from each member which are identified by such member; 
 (d) generating a profile for a member, said profile being based on said queries, said text postings, said context information and said content information; 
 (e) tabulating said profile and other member profiles to identify a community wide prevalence for said profile and said other member profiles. 
 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 26  wherein, further comprising analyzing said text postings are analyzed to determine and identify new topics of interest within the community of online members. 
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 26  wherein said profile is used to derive, further comprising deriving demographic information concerning said member based on said profile. 
     
     
       29. The method of  claim 26  wherein said subject matter area identifier is provided, further comprising providing automatically said subject matter area identifier for a query and/or posting based on a context being used by a member within an interface when such search query and/or posting is made. 
     
     
       30. A method of identifying advertising materials which are most likely to be of interest to a community of online members of an electronic content provider, the method comprising:
 (a) receiving search queries and/or postings from the community of online members concerning one or more subject matter areas; 
 (b) creating a profile for each member of the community of online members on an individual member basis, including one or more specific subject matter areas and text words associated with each such member, by processing said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members;
 wherein said profile also includes context information associated with said search queries and/or postings, including an identification of a category of content being reviewed by the user during said search queries and/or postings; 
 
 (c) determining a community-wide current following of one or more topics within the community of online members by processing said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members, including by wherein the determining includes tabulating instances of words contained in text therein of said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members; 
 (d) determining demographics data for the community of online members, wherein at least a portion of said demographics data for each member is identified indirectly from monitoring an online behavior of such member including content query and reviewing activities; and  
 (e) selecting and presenting advertising material online to the community of online members based on said demographics data, said profiles, and the results of step (c) said community-wide current following of one or more topics within the community of online members. 
 
     
     
       31. The method of  claim 30  wherein said demographics data is determined without collecting explicit demographics information from the member concerning income or age. 
     
     
       32. The method of  claim 30 , wherein demographics data for a member is determined by examining said profile and combinations of subject matter and class information used by the member for queries, and comparing said combinations against selections made by other members to identify a potential demographic group. 
     
     
       33. The method of  claim 30  wherein said one or more topics include a company name. 
     
     
       34. The method of  claim 30  wherein said one or more topics include a product brand name. 
     
     
       35. A method of identifying advertising materials which are most likely to be of interest to a community of online members of an electronic content provider, the method comprising:
 (a) receiving search queries and/or postings from the community of online members concerning one or more subject matter areas; 
 (b) collecting demographics information for the community of online members wherein at least a portion of said demographics data for each member is identified indirectly from monitoring an online behavior of such member including content query and reviewing activities; 
 (c) determining a current following of one or more particular company names and/or product brand names across the entire community of online members by processing said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members, including by wherein the determining includes tabulating instances of words contained in text therein of said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members; and  
 (d) customizing and delivering advertising material for the community of online members based on said demographics information and the results of step (c) said current following of one or more particular company names and/or product brand names. 
 
     
     
       36. The method of  claim 35 , wherein said advertising material is also based on considering content that is being reviewed by a member during an interactive session. 
     
     
       37. A method of providing advertising materials to a member of a community of online members associated with an electronic content provider, the method comprising:
 (a) receiving search queries and/or postings from the community of online members concerning one or more subject matter areas;   (b) creating a profile for each member of the community of online members on an individual member basis, including one or more specific subject matter areas and text words associated with each such member, based on said search queries and/or postings for a plurality of online members of the community; wherein said profile also includes a category of content reviewed during said search queries and/or postings;   (c) determining a community-wide current following of one or more topics within the community of online members by processing search queries and/or postings from a plurality of members of the community, wherein the determining includes tabulating instances of words contained in text of said search queries and/or postings;   (d) determining demographics data for the community of online members, wherein at least a portion of said demographics data for each member is determined indirectly by monitoring an online behavior of such member including content query and reviewing activities of the member; and   (e) selecting and presenting advertising material online to the community of online members based on said demographics data, said profiles, and said community-wide current following of one or more topics within the community of online members.   
     
     
       38. The method of claim 37 wherein said demographics data is determined without collecting explicit demographics information from the member concerning income or age. 
     
     
       39. The method of claim 37, wherein determining demographics data for a member includes examining said profile and combinations of subject matter and class information used by the member for queries, and comparing said combinations against selections made by other members to identify a potential demographic group. 
     
     
       40. The method of claim 37 wherein said one or more topics include a company name. 
     
     
       41. The method of claim 37 wherein said one or more topics include a product brand name. 
     
     
       42. A method for identifying popular subject matter content within a first community of online members of an electronic content provider, comprising:
 (a) receiving member content from the first community of online members, including subject matter queries and/or text postings provided by the first community of online members, directed to content categorized in one or more subject matter areas on a website operated by the electronic content provider;   (b) processing said subject matter queries and/or text postings for the entire first community of online members to determine a first popularity ranking of first content topics of interest for the first community of online members;   (b) generating a first list identifying said first content topics and their associated first popularity ranking;   (c) processing said subject matter queries and/or text postings for the first community of online members to identify second topics for the first community of online members which are changing in popularity and to determine a second popularity ranking of such second content topics of interest, wherein processing said subject matter queries and/or said text postings includes tabulating keywords within said subject matter queries and/or said text postings; and   (d) generating a second list identifying said second content topics and their associated second popularity ranking;   wherein said first list measures popularity of content during a first time period, and said second list measures a change in popularity of content over such period.   
     
     
       43. The method of claim 42, further comprising:
 receiving member content from a second community of online members, including subject matter queries and/or text postings provided by the second community of online members, directed to content categorized in one or more subject matter areas on a website operated by an electronic content provider;   processing said subject matter queries and/or text postings for the entire second community of online members to determine a first popularity ranking of first content topics of interest for the second community of online members; and   generating a list identifying said first content topics of interest for the second community of online members and the first popularity rankings associated with the first content topics of interest for the second community of online members.   
     
     
       44. The method of claim 42, further comprising processing said subject matter queries and/or text postings with an inference engine to deduce and determine additional keywords and wherein the processing said subject matter queries and/or text postings by the interference engine includes tabulating the additional keywords and topics to determine said popularity rankings. 
     
     
       45. The method of claim 42, wherein said subject matter queries correspond to searches made by a member of the first community for an entire set of member postings classified under a particular subject. 
     
     
       46. A method for identifying content of interest to a community of online members of an electronic content provider, comprising:
 (a) processing a first set of search queries and/or postings from the community of online members concerning one or more subject matter areas;   (b) processing a second set of search queries and/or postings from another community of online members concerning said one or more subject matter areas, wherein said second set of search queries and/or postings are stored in an electronic file on an online computing system that is different from an online computing system used by the community of online members, and wherein said processing of said second set of search queries includes examining said electronic file without directly monitoring search/query activities of all online members of said another community;   (c) processing said first and second sets of search queries and/or postings for both communities of online members, including by tabulating instances of words contained in text of the queries, to determine:
 1) a popularity ranking of topics of interest for the community of online members; 
 2) a popularity ranking of topics of interest for said another community of online members; and 
 3) a popularity ranking of topics of interest as reflected by combined files from both communities of online members; generate a visible list for the community of online members identifying topics and their popularity ranking; and 
   (d) updating said visible list to identify new topics of interest in both said communities of online members.   
     
     
       47. The method of claim 46, further comprising presenting additional information concerning a topic, including message postings associated with said topic, wherein the topic is selected from the visible list by a member of the community of online members. 
     
     
       48. The method of claim 46, wherein said another community of online members includes a plurality of message board system sites. 
     
     
       49. The method of claim 46, wherein said first set of search queries and/or postings from the community of online members includes both message traffic associated with community based content and message traffic associated with member customized content. 
     
     
       50. The method of claim 46, wherein said one or more subject matter areas pertain to multimedia data files, including audio, video and image files. 
     
     
       51. A method for identifying search preferences of a community of online members of an electronic content provider, comprising:
 (a) receiving content preference data from the community of online members, including search queries and/or postings concerning one or more subject matter areas, as well as individual personalized content preferences from each member which are identified by such member;   (b) generating a profile for each member based on said content preference data, said profile identifying a set of first customized search parameters used by such member of the community of online members to conduct said search queries and/or postings;   (c) updating said profile by tracking said set of first customized search parameters as they are used by each member during separate interactive sessions with the electronic content provider;   (d) tabulating said set of first customized search parameters to determine a prevalence of use for said set of first customized search parameters across the community of online members; and   (e) generating a list identifying a frequency of use for said set of first customized search parameters within the community of online members.   
     
     
       52. The method of claim 51 wherein said profile further includes an indication of an individual member's frequency of use associated with each parameter within said set of first customized search parameters. 
     
     
       53. The method of claim 51, further comprising computer-executable instructions for causing the data processing apparatus to:
 (f) processing said content preference data for the entire community of online members, wherein the processing includes tabulating instances of words contained in text therein, to determine a ranking of topics of interest for the entire community of online members;   (g) generating a list identifying topics and their popularity ranking and displaying such list to the entire community of online members.   
     
     
       54. The method of claim 53, wherein processing said content preference data for the entire community of online members comprises repeatedly monitoring member query and posting traffic at the electronic content provider. 
     
     
       55. The method of claim 53, further comprising computer-executable instructions for causing the data processing apparatus to indirectly derive demographic information concerning said member based on said profile. 
     
     
       56. A method for identifying advertising materials which are likely to be of interest to a community of online members of an electronic content provider, comprising:
 (a) receiving search queries and/or postings from the community of online members concerning one or more subject matter areas;   (b) creating a profile for each member of the community of online members on an individual member basis, including one or more specific subject matter areas and text words associated with each such member, by processing said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members:
 wherein said profile also includes context information associated with said search queries and/or postings, including an identification of a category of content being reviewed by the user during said search queries and/or postings; 
   (c) determining a community-wide current following of one or more topics within the community of online members by processing said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members, wherein the determining includes tabulating instances of words contained in text of said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members;   (d) determining demographics data for the community of online members, wherein at least a portion of said demographics data for each member is identified indirectly from monitoring an online behavior of such member including content query and reviewing activities; and   (e) selecting and presenting advertising material online to the community of online members based on said demographics data, said profiles, and said community-wide current following of one or more topics within the community of online members.   
     
     
       57. The method of claim 56 wherein said demographics data is determined without collecting explicit demographics information from the member concerning income or age. 
     
     
       58. The method of claim 56, wherein demographics data for a member is determined by examining said profile and combinations of subject matter and class information used by the member for queries, and comparing said combinations against selections made by other members to identify a potential demographic group. 
     
     
       59. The method of claim 56 wherein said one or more topics include a company name. 
     
     
       60. The method of claim 56 wherein said one or more topics include a product brand name. 
     
     
       61. A method for identifying advertising materials which are likely to be of interest to a community of online members of an electronic content provider, comprising:
 (a) receiving search queries and/or postings from the community of online members concerning one or more subject matter areas;   (b) collecting demographics information for the community of online members wherein at least a portion of said demographics data for each member is identified indirectly from monitoring an online behavior of such member including content query and reviewing activities;   (c) determining a current following of one or more particular company names and/or product brand names across the entire community of online members by processing said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members, wherein the determining includes tabulating instances of words contained in text of said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members; and   (d) customizing and delivering advertising material for the community of online members based on said demographics information and said current following of one or more particular company names and/or product brand names across the entire community of online members.   
     
     
       62. The method of claim 61, wherein said advertising material is also based on considering content that is being reviewed by a member during an interactive session. 
     
     
       63. A system for identifying popular subject matter content within a first community of online members associated with an electronic content provider, the system comprising an electronic server storing and executing the following components:
 a first component adapted to receive member content from the first community of online members, including subject matter queries and/or text postings provided by online members, wherein the content is directed to content categorized in one or more subject matter areas on a website operated by the electronic content provider; and   a second component, wherein the second component is adapted to:
 process subject matter queries and/or text postings entered by online members of the first community during a first time period to determine a first popularity ranking of first content topics of interest to the first community of online members; 
 generate a first list identifying first content topics and their associated first popularity ranking; and 
 tabulate keywords within subject matter queries and/or text postings entered by online members of the first community during a second time period to identify second topics that are of interest to the first community of online members and that are changing in popularity and to determine a second popularity ranking of such second content topics and to generate a second list identifying said second content topics and their associated second popularity ranking. 
   
     
     
       64. The system of claim 63,
 wherein the first component is further adapted to receive member content from a second community of online members, including subject matter queries and/or text postings provided by the second community of online members, directed to content categorized in one or more subject matter areas on a website operated by an electronic content provider; and   wherein the second component is further adapted to:   process subject matter queries and/or text postings from the second community of online members to determine a first popularity ranking of first content topics of interest for the second community of online members; and generate a list identifying said first content topics of interest for the second community of online members and the first popularity rankings associated with the first content topics of interest for the second community of online members.   
     
     
       65. The system of claim 63, wherein the server further includes an inference engine adapted to:
 process said subject matter queries and/or text postings to deduce and determine additional keywords; and   tabulate the additional keywords and topics to determine said popularity rankings.   
     
     
       66. The system of claim 63, wherein said subject matter queries correspond to searches made by a member of the first community for an entire set of member postings classified under a particular subject. 
     
     
       67. A system for identifying content of interest to a community of online members of an electronic content provider, the system comprising an electronic server storing and executing the following components:
 a component adapted to process a first set of search queries and/or postings from the community of online members concerning one or more subject matter areas;   a component adapted to process a second set of search queries and/or postings from another community of online members concerning said one or more subject matter areas, wherein said second set of search queries and/or postings are stored in an electronic file on an online computing system that is different from an online computing system used by the community of online members, and wherein said processing of said second set of search queries includes examining said electronic file without directly monitoring search/query activities of all online members of said another community;   a component adapted to process said first and second sets of search queries and/or postings for both communities of online members, including by tabulating instances of words contained in text of the queries, to determine: 1) a popularity ranking of topics of interest for the community of online members; 2) a popularity ranking of topics of interest for said another community of online members; and 3) a popularity ranking of topics of interest as reflected by combined files from both communities of online members;   a component adapted to generate a visible list for the community of online members identifying topics and their popularity ranking; and   a component adapted to update said visible list to identify new topics of interest in both said communities of online members.   
     
     
       68. The system of claim 67, wherein the server further that includes a component adapted to present additional information concerning a topic, including
 message postings associated with said topic, wherein the topic is selected from the visible list by a member of the community of online members.   
     
     
       69. The system of claim 67, wherein said another community of online members includes a plurality of message board system sites. 
     
     
       70. The system of claim 67, wherein said first set of search queries and/or postings from the community of online members includes both message traffic associated with community based content and message traffic associated with member customized content. 
     
     
       71. The system of claim 67, wherein said one or more subject matter areas pertain to multimedia data files, including audio, video, and image files. 
     
     
       72. A system for identifying search preferences of a community of online members of an electronic content provider, the system comprising:
 an electronic server storing and executing the following components:
 a component adapted to receive content preference data from the community of online members, including search queries and/or postings concerning one or more subject matter areas, as well as individual personalized content preferences from each member which are identified by such member; 
 a component adapted to generate a profile for each member based on said content preference data, said profile identifying a set of first customized search parameters used by such member of the community of online members to conduct said search queries and/or postings; 
 a component adapted to update said profile by tracking said set of first customized search parameters as they are used by each member during separate interactive sessions with the electronic content provider; 
 a component adapted to tabulate said set of first customized search parameters to determine a prevalence of use for said set of first customized search parameters across the community of online members; and 
 a component adapted to generate a list identifying a frequency of use for said set of first customized search parameters within the community of online members. 
   
     
     
       73. The system of claim 72, wherein said profile further includes an indication of an individual member's frequency of use associated with each parameter within said set of first customized search parameters. 
     
     
       74. The system of claim 72, wherein the server further includes the following components:
 a component adapted to process said content preference data for the entire community of online members, wherein the processing includes tabulating instances of words contained in text therein, to determine a ranking of topics of interest for the entire community of online members;   a component adapted to generate a list identifying topics and their popularity ranking and display such list to the entire community of online members.   
     
     
       75. The system of claim 74, wherein processing said content preference data for the entire community of online members comprises repeatedly monitoring member query and posting traffic at the electronic content provider. 
     
     
       76. The system of claim 72, wherein the server further includes a component adapted to indirectly derive demographic information concerning said member based on said profile. 
     
     
       77. A system of identifying advertising materials which are likely to be of interest to a community of online members of an electronic content provider, the system comprising an electronic server storing and executing the following components:
 a component adapted to receive search queries and/or postings from the community of online members concerning one or more subject matter areas;   a component adapted to create a profile for each member of the community of online members on an individual member basis, including one or more specific subject matter areas and text words associated with each such member, by processing said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members;
 wherein said profile also includes context information associated with said search queries and/or postings, including an identification of a category of content being reviewed by the user during said search queries and/or postings; 
   a component adapted to determine a community-wide current following of one or more topics within the community of online members by processing said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members, wherein the determination includes tabulating instances of words contained in text of said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members;   a component adapted to determine demographics data for the community of online members, wherein at least a portion of said demographics data for each member is identified indirectly from monitoring an online behavior of such member including content query and reviewing activities; and   a component adapted to select and present advertising material online to the community of online members based on said demographics data, said profiles, and said community-wide current following of one or more topics within the community of online members.   
     
     
       78. The system of claim 77 wherein said demographics data is determined without collecting explicit demographics information from the member concerning income or age. 
     
     
       79. The system of claim 77, wherein demographics data for a member is determined by examining said profile and combinations of subject matter and class information used by the member for queries, and comparing said combinations against selections made by other members to identify a potential demographic group. 
     
     
       80. The system of claim 77, wherein said one or more topics include a company name. 
     
     
       81. The system of claim 77 wherein said one or more topics include a product brand name. 
     
     
       82. A system of identifying advertising materials which are most likely to be of interest to a community of online members of an electronic content provider, the system comprising an electronic server storing and executing the following components:
 a component adapted to receive search queries and/or postings from the community of online members concerning one or more subject matter areas;   a component adapted to collect demographics information for the community of online members wherein at least a portion of said demographics data for each member is identified indirectly from monitoring an online behavior of such member including content query and reviewing activities;   a component adapted to determine a current following of one or more particular company names and/or product brand names across the entire community of online members by processing said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members, wherein the determination includes tabulating instances of words contained in text of said search queries and/or postings for the entire community of online members; and   a component adapted to customize and delivering advertising material for the community of online members based on said demographics information and said current following of one or more particular company names and/or product brand names across the entire community of online members.   
     
     
       83. The system of claim 82, wherein said advertising material is also based on considering content that is being reviewed by a member during an interactive session. 
     
     
       84. A method for handling message item postings and queries made to an electronic message board system, comprises:
 storing message items so that they are searchable by users accessing the message board system using a web browser based on individual sets of electronic messages identified under separate group names;   configuring a user interface for said users when such users access the message board system using said web browser such that said separate group names are set up as group filter selection items within a first portion of said interface;   receiving a first user query received from said user interface for a first group of messages based on a user selecting a corresponding first group filter selection items from said first portion of said interface;   locating a first group of electronic message items on the message board system corresponding to said first user query;   transmitting at least a first list of electronic message items from said first group of electronic messages to said user so that such first list can be perceived in a second portion of said interface while said group filter selection items are also simultaneously visible within said interface by said user;   changing said electronic messages in said second portion of said interface so that a second list of electronic messages for a different group can be perceived while said group filter selection items remain visible in said first portion of said interface.   
     
     
       85. The method of claim 84, wherein during execution of configuring the user interface, said group filter selection items are configured to also include user customized filtering options for said message items, said user customized filtering options corresponding to a custom group of message items compiled by the electronic message board system on behalf of a user, and wherein a logical classification used to compile said custom group of message items is set up under direction of a user, and not from the electronic message board system. 
     
     
       86. The method of claim 85, wherein during execution of receiving the first user query said user query is based on one or more of said user customized filtering options. 
     
     
       87. The method of claim 84, wherein any and all of said individual sets of electronic message items stored by the electronic message board system can be located without changing screens within said user interface. 
     
     
       88. The method of claim 84, further including processing a user posting, which user posting contains a user electronic message item that is processed based on one or more of said group filter selection items associated with said user posting. 
     
     
       89. The method of claim 88, further including storing said user electronic message item on more than one electronic message board system. 
     
     
       90. The method of claim 88, further including analyzing and tabulating text associated with said user posting to generate statistical information identifying current topics of interest to users of the electronic message board system. 
     
     
       91. The method of claim 90, further including processing a user command associated with one or more of said electronic message items taken from said first list of electronic message items, which user command results in said statistical information being transmitted and perceived within said interface by said user. 
     
     
       92. The method of claim 84, further including processing a user command associated with an author of one or more of said electronic message items taken from said set of electronic message items, which user command results in a set of electronic message items by said author being perceived within said interface by said user while said group filter selection items remain visible in said first portion of said interface. 
     
     
       93. The method of claim 84, further including processing a user command associated with one or more of said electronic message items taken from said first group of electronic message items, which user command is used to initiate a direct communication with an author of said one or more electronic message items concerning a content of the same. 
     
     
       94. The method of claim 84, wherein the sending of a set of electronic message items to a user automatically during an online session is based on detecting a set of group filter selection items used by said user in prior sessions. 
     
     
       95. A method for managing message items on an electronic message board system, comprising:
 storing first message items using a first set of predefined information categories, which first set of predefined information categories are defined and configured by an operator of the electronic message board;   storing second message items using a second set of information categories, which second set of information categories are defined and configured by users of the electronic message board;   configuring a user interface used by users for accessing the message board system such that said first set of predefined information categories are set up as a first set of filter selection items within a first portion of said user interface, and said second set of predefined information categories are set up as a second set of filter selection items within said first portion of said user interface;   wherein each user of the message board system can set up individual preferences for said first set of filter selection items and said second set of filter selection items within said first portion of said user interface;   receiving a user query received from said user interface based on at least one of said first and/or second sets of filter selection items;   locating a set of electronic message items on the message board system corresponding to said user query;   transmitting at least a list of electronic message items to said user, which list is displayed in a second portion of said user interface; wherein both said list and said first set of filter selection items and said second set of filter selection items are visible at the same time within the user interface to facilitate querying operations.   
     
     
       96. The method of claim 95, wherein said second set of filter selection items constitute a subgroup of messages posted by a particular author. 
     
     
       97. The method of claim 95, wherein said second set of filter selection items are associated with a customized set of categories selected by said user, said customized set of categories consisting of content obtained from other electronic message board systems and/or content providers by a content extraction routine executing on the electronic message board system on behalf of said user. 
     
     
       98. The method of claim 95, further including pre-loading a set of electronic message items in said interface to said user automatically during a first session based on a set of filter selection items customized by said user during a session prior to said first session. 
     
     
       99. The method of claim 95, wherein said user interface is configured for a first user automatically based on a frequency of usage by other users of said first set of filter selection items. 
     
     
       100. A method for analyzing content on a first online network content server having a database of information items accessible by a number of online users, comprising:
 locating and extracting selected information from one or more second online network servers using at least a first community search routine, and a second user controlled search routine, which selected information matches a predetermined search criterion specified for such search routines, such that said first community search routine and said second user controlled search routine can search for different subject matter;   wherein said first community search routine and said second user controlled search routine are set up under control of an operator of the first online network content server and a first subscriber of the first online network content server respectively;   processing and sorting said selected information and data items stored on the first online network content server into data items falling into separate content categories, said separate content categories including at least a first content category specified by said operator of the online network content server and a second content category specified by said first subscriber of the online network content server respectively; and   tabulating first data items for the online users that are associated with at least said first content category to count occurrences of a first set of keywords in said first data items; and   tabulating second data items for said subscriber that are associated with at least said second content category to count occurrences of a second set of keywords in said second data items;   wherein said predetermined search criterion and said separate content categories are adjusted periodically based on feedback from said operator of the online network content server and/or said first subscriber of the online network content server.   
     
     
       101. The method of claim 100, further including retrieving additional selected information by said first community search routine based on keywords identified in user search queries, such that content which includes keywords occurring more frequently in user search queries is retrieved at a higher priority by said first community search routine than content having keywords occurring less frequently. 
     
     
       102. The method of claim 100, further including analyzing said selected information retrieved from said one or more second online networks and recommending changes to said operator of the first online network content server to said predetermined search criterion and said separate content categories based on such analysis.