System and method for ranking message headers in an electronic bulletin board system

Abstract

One or more embodiments of the invention are directed to a software program and computer system configured to enable users to establish or modify message order placement on a Bulletin Board System (BBS) by purchasing or bidding for message placement. Bidding can occur up to a preset amount or without upper limit (e.g., with reserve or without reserve). BBS operators benefit through the generation of higher revenues and garner increased user participation due to this ordering. The ordering of messages by the amount paid for the message gives users quicker access to more important messages, allows user messages with higher importance to be posted in a more accessible setting and hence increases the membership of the BBS since less searching is required than in a traditional BBS. Revenue is not limited to paid placement but can also be generated based on each message viewing, either by charging users for viewing the body of a message and/or paying users for the number of viewings of their messages, thereby rewarding good posts which in turn generates higher membership in the BBS and therefore higher profits. In addition, for an extra fee, extended text message headers can be displayed thereby giving users an incentive to read the message. The system may allow for fixed duration, weekend, holiday or other calendar based placements to be purchased. Embodiments of the invention may utilize scaleable architectures to process any number of users and/or messages, further increasing the ability of the system to generate revenue.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.