A method for characterizing a pattern present as stored information, includes the steps of generating a characterizing proposal for the pattern using a server computer system, presenting the pattern and the characterizing proposal to a client computer using a computer program via the Internet so as to enable a user to perform an evaluation of the characterizing proposal, and receiving an evaluation input from the user at the server computer system. The evaluation input is one of an acceptance input of the characterizing proposal and a rejection input of the characterizing proposal. The rejection input includes an alternative characterizing proposal.