Abstract: An online collaborative media presentation service is provided. Users of the online service can create highly customized profiles that contain personal profile information and information on media files and other topics of interest. Users can upload media files to a media server associated with the online service without preapproval from content owners. The rights of content owners are preserved by using a digital rights management service to identify uploaded media files. The media server submits uploaded media files to the digital rights management service to determine whether streaming of the media files is permissible. If streaming is not permitted, the media server can block an uploaded file. If streaming is permitted, the media server can make the media file available for streaming. When streaming media to users, the media server displays targeted advertisements and other related content to users. The related content adds value for the online service.

Abstract: A peer-based communications service is provided in which linking relationships between members and topics of interest and the properties of members and topics of interest are represented by links in a links table. Each row in the links table corresponds to a link. Each row contains an association portion and a descriptive attribute portion. Link associations are used to associate member and topic objects to each other and are used to associate a member or topic with a property of that member or topic. The descriptive attributes include privacy settings that are used to restrict access to content in the service. Members may be related to each other as friends, friends of friends, or through other relationships. The privacy settings may be used to restrict viewing of links and properties to appropriate members.