Abstract: A structured collection of message elements comprising message elements and oriented child-parent links each connecting a message element to a parent message element is provided. Each message element comprises a message content and metadata including an author identity and a timestamp. The message contents are parsed to generate appreciative phrase marks assigned to the message elements. An appreciative phrase mark is generated in response to detecting that the parsed message content of a later message element comprises a string of characters that matches an entry within a predefined dictionary of regard-expressing phrases. The appreciative phrase mark is assigned to an earlier message element that is connected to the later message element by a sequence of child-parent links. The metadata is parsed to detect the marks and further regard indicators assigned to the message elements. Relevance scores of the message elements are computed as a function of the regard indicators.

Abstract: A structured collection of message elements comprising message elements and oriented child-parent links each connecting a message element to a parent message element is provided. Each message element comprises a message content and metadata including an author identity and a timestamp. The message contents are parsed to generate appreciative phrase marks assigned to the message elements. An appreciative phrase mark is generated in response to detecting that the parsed message content of a later message element comprises a string of characters that matches an entry within a predefined dictionary of regard-expressing phrases. The appreciative phrase mark is assigned to an earlier message element that is connected to the later message element by a sequence of child-parent links. The metadata is parsed to detect the marks and further regard indicators assigned to the message elements. Relevance scores of the message elements are computed as a function of the regard indicators.