Systems for electronic exchange of information about available items

1. A method for exchanging information about available items performed at a server system, comprising:

receiving media content relating to an available item from an electronic device of a listing user;

receiving a textual description of the available item input by a listing user, the textual description including one or more keyword attributes that define attributes of the available item, the keyword attributes forming part of the textual description and being generated by the listing user, wherein the keyword attributes are generated within the textual description by the listing user applying a keyword attribute marker in relation to those keyword attributes;

receiving location data identifying the location of the available item;

storing the media content, keyword attributes, and the location data of the available item as an item record in an item database, wherein the item database employs a database structure in which the item records are stored and categorized based on entirely user-generated keyword attributes as marked by the listing users without employing a pre-set or hierarchical classification database structure; and

responsive to an accessing user accessing the server system using an electronic device, enabling the accessing user to filter item records stored in the item database by the keyword attributes so as to view available items that match the keyword attributes, and enabling the accessing user to filter item records based on a comparison between the location data of the available item and a location of the accessing user so as to indicate the proximity of the available item to the accessing user.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein receiving location data identifying the location of the available item receives the location as generated by the electronic device of the listing user determining its current location, and the location of the accessing user is determined by the location of the electronic device of the accessing user, and wherein proximity is calculated by the server system and presented to the accessing user as the time it would take the accessing user to travel to the available item.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , including:

receiving an item category selected by the listing user; the item category specifying a type of offer made by the listing user;

storing the item category of the available item as part of the item record in the item database; and

responsive to the accessing user accessing the server system, enabling the accessing user to filter item records based on the item category.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the item category is one of:

an offer to sell, an offer to rent, an offer to swap, or an offer to give away.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , including:

time stamping the item record at or close to the time at which the item record is stored in the item database; and

responsive to the accessing user accessing the server system, enabling the accessing user to view item records in a chronological manner so that recently stored item records can be viewed first by the accessing user.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the media content includes a description of the available item in the form of a string of words describing the available item input by the listing user.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, responsive to individual characters of a keyword attribute being sequentially entered by the listing user, prompting the listing user with a dynamic list of keyword attributes previously selected by other listing users with the same starting characters, and enabling the listing user to select one of the keyword attributes previously selected by other listing users, or if none of the keyword attributes previously selected by other listing users are selected, enabling the listing user to create a new keyword attribute.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 including: receiving a selection of an available item from an accessing user; and enabling the accessing user to comment on the available item, the comment then being associated with the available item and visible to all other accessing users.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the media content relating to an available item includes:

a digital photograph or digital video of an available item.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein receiving the textual description receives the textual description including the keyword attributes in a single input field.

11. A system for exchanging information about available items, the system comprising a server system having a processor and in communication with electronic devices of a plurality of users, the server system including:

a receiving module for receiving media content relating to an available item from an electronic device of a listing user, and for receiving a textual description of the available item input by the listing user, the textual description including one or more keyword attributes that define attributes of the available item, the keyword attributes forming part of the textual description and being generated by the listing user and generated within the textual description by the listing user applying a keyword attribute marker in relation to those keyword attributes;

a location module for receiving location data identifying the location of the available item;

an item database module for storing the media content, keyword attributes, and location data of the available item as an item record, wherein the item database module employs a database structure in which the item records are stored and categorized based on entirely user-generated keyword attributes as marked by the listing users without employing a pre-set or hierarchical classification database structure;

an accessing module for enabling an accessing user to access the server system using an electronic device; and

a filtering module for enabling the accessing user to filter item records stored in the item database by the keyword attributes and/or location data so as to view available items that match the keyword attributes.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the location module for receiving location data identifying the location of the available item receives the location as generated by the electronic device of the listing user determining its current location, and the location of the accessing user is determined by the location of the electronic device of the accessing user, and wherein proximity is calculated by the server system and presented to the accessing user as the time it would take the accessing user to travel to the available item.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11 , including:

a category component for receiving an item category selected by the listing user; the item category specifying a type of offer made by the listing user, wherein the item category of the available item is stored as part of the item record in the item database module; and

wherein the filtering module, responsive to the accessing user accessing the server system, enables the accessing user to filter item records based on the item category.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the item category is one of: an offer to sell, an offer to rent, an offer to swap, or an offer to give away.

15. The system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the item data module includes time stamping the item record at or close to the time at which the item record is stored in the item database; and

wherein the accessing module, responsive to the accessing user accessing the server system, enables the accessing user to view item records in a chronological manner so that recently stored item records can be viewed first by the accessing user.

16. The system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the media content includes a description of the available item in the form of a string of words describing the available item input by the listing user; wherein the keyword attributes are selected within the string of words by a specific action performed or input provided by the user in relation to those keyword attributes.

17. The system as claimed in claim 11 , including a keyword attribute component for, responsive to individual characters of a keyword attribute being sequentially entered by the listing user, prompting the listing user with a dynamic list of keyword attributes previously selected by other listing users with the same starting characters, and enabling the listing user to select one of the keyword attributes previously selected by other listing users, or if none of the keyword attributes previously selected by other listing users are selected, enabling the listing user to create a new keyword attribute.

18. The system as claimed in claim 11 including an item record selecting component for receiving a selection of an available item from an accessing user; and enabling the accessing user to comment on the available item, the comment then being associated with the available item and visible to all other accessing users.

19. The system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the media content relating to an available item includes a digital photograph or digital video of an available item.

20. A computer program product for exchanging information about available items, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored computer-readable program code for performing the steps of:

receiving media content relating to an available item from an electronic device of a listing user;

receiving a textual description of the available item input by a listing user, the textual description including one or more keyword attributes that define attributes of the available item, the keyword attributes forming part of the textual description and being generated by the listing user, wherein the keyword attributes are generated within the textual description by the listing user applying a keyword attribute marker in relation to those keyword attributes;

receiving location data identifying the location of the available item;

storing the media content, keyword attributes, and the location data of the available item as an item record in an item database, wherein the item database employs a database structure in which the item records are stored and categorized based on entirely user-generated keyword attributes as marked by the listing users without employing a pre-set or hierarchical classification database structure; and

responsive to an accessing user accessing the server system using an electronic device, enabling the accessing user to filter item records stored in the item database by the keyword attributes so as to view available items that match the keyword attributes, and enabling the accessing user to filter item records based on a comparison between the location data of the available item and a location of the accessing user so as to indicate the proximity of the available item to the accessing user.