While a user browses through a network, the present invention monitors and
detects search queries. As a user enables queries to search for documents
containing information necessary to the completion of a task, hobby,
entertainment or to improve his or her general knowledge, the present
invention detects that a query has been enabled and stores the query for
later presentation to a user in an integrated browser list window. If a
user wishes to share queries with other users in a global database, he or
she must select a query string for sharing in an integrated browser list
window. The query is stored locally and forwarded across a communication
network to a hub processing unit for permanent storage in a global
database accessible by a plurality of users. Also, the user can add
annotations to the search query prior to its being forwarded to the hub
processing unit. The hub processing unit in coordination with the global
database organizes and manages the storage of selected shared query. Once
stored in the global database, other users can benefit from the
intelligence, work and experience of others by searching through
categories of search queries as well as simply browsing through them.
This is accomplished by a second user entering categorical data to his
local graphical user interface which communicates with a search and
retrieval program. The search and retrieval program returns a grouping or
listing of headlines related to the category selected by the second user.