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Various computer-implemented services are disclosed for assisting users in selecting items from an electronic catalog, and for selecting merchants with which to conduct transactions. One such service enables users to share information about their respective purchases with other users. Another servic

Various computer-implemented services are disclosed for assisting users in selecting items from an electronic catalog, and for selecting merchants with which to conduct transactions. One such service enables users to share information about their respective purchases with other users. Another service enables users to share information regarding the merchants with which they have conducted transactions.

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1. A system, comprising: a data repository that stores information descriptive of items that are available for purchase; anda server system, including at least one computing device, that provides network-based access to the data repository and enables users to make purchases of items represented in

1. A system, comprising: a data repository that stores information descriptive of items that are available for purchase; anda server system, including at least one computing device, that provides network-based access to the data repository and enables users to make purchases of items represented in the data repository, the server system hosting a user interface through which users can explicitly establish a community with at least one other user and elect whether or not their respective purchases are to be exposed to other users in the explicitly established community,wherein the server system is configured to expose purchases by at least one user that elects to have purchases exposed, wherein such exposure includes, for at least a first item purchased by the at least one user: an identifier associated with the first item purchased by the at least one user, andan identifier associated with the at least one user that individually identifies the at least one user, wherein the exposure provides the identifier associated with the at least one user for display in association with the identifier associated with the first item purchased by the at least one user,wherein the server system provides access to an electronic catalog that includes item detail pages, enables a prospective purchaser to shop for and add items to a shopping cart via respective item detail pages, and is configured to supplement one or more of the item detail pages with purchase notification messages individually identifying one or more users that are members of a community in which the prospective purchaser is a member and that have purchased respective items corresponding to the item detail pages in accordance with user elections of the one or more users to expose their respective purchase histories to other users, wherein the prospective purchaser can add an item to a shopping cart via a respective supplemented item detail page. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system provides a first user access to purchase history information of a second user specified by the first user in accordance with a permission granted by the second user via said user interface. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system is responsive to a purchase made by a first user by sending or posting a notification of said purchase to each of a plurality of users in a community of which the first user is a member, the notification including an identification of an item purchased by the first user and providing an individual identification of the first user. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system is additionally configured to supplement the item detail pages with functionality for users to send instant messages to other users regarding specific purchases. 5. A system, comprising: an electronic catalog data repository that stores information descriptive of available items; anda server system that: provides network-based access to the data repository;enables users to make a transaction with respect to items represented in the data repository;enables users to submit reviews of items represented in the data repository;hosts an interface via which users can explicitly establish or join a community with at least one other user;hosts a first interface via which users can explicitly elect whether or not to expose their respective transactions;hosts a second interface via which users can access transaction information and reviews of other users,wherein the server system is configured to expose transactions by at least one user that elects to have transactions exposed, wherein such exposure includes, for at least a first item included in a first transaction by the at least one user:an identifier associated with the first item included in the first transaction by the at least one user, andan identifier associated with the at least one user that individually identifies the at least one user, wherein the exposure provides the identifier associated with the at least one user for display in association with the identifier associated with the first item included in the first transaction by the at least one user,wherein the server system provides access to an electronic catalog that includes item detail pages, enables a prospective purchaser to shop for and add items to a shopping cart via respective item detail pages, and is configured to supplement one or more of the item detail pages with notification messages individually identifying one or more users that are members of a community in which the prospective purchaser is a member and that have entered into transactions with respect to respective items corresponding to the item detail pages in accordance with user elections of the one or more users to expose their respective transaction histories to other users, wherein the prospective purchaser can add an item to a shopping cart via a respective supplemented item detail page. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the transaction is in the form of a: purchase;lease;license;rental; orsubscription. 7. The system of claim 5, wherein the server system is configured to enable at least one user to anonymously share transaction information with at least one other user via the server system. 8. The system of claim 5, wherein the server system provides a first user with a synopsis of an item obtained via a transaction by a second user, wherein the second user granted permission to share transaction information of the second user via said first interface. 9. The system of claim 5, wherein the server system provides a first user access to transaction history information of a second user specified by the first user in accordance with a permission granted by the second user via said first user interface. 10. The system of claim 5 wherein the item purchase is in the form of a lease, license, rental, or subscription. 11. The system of claim 5, wherein the server system is responsive to a transaction made by a first user by sending or posting a notification of said transaction to each of a plurality of users in a community of which the first user is a member. 12. The system of claim 5, wherein the server system is additionally configured to supplement the item detail pages with functionality for users to send messages to other users regarding specific transactions. 13. The system of claim 5, wherein the server system is configured to identify a community of users at least partly based on an educational institution attended by the users. 14. The system of claim 5, wherein the server system is configured: to identify to a first user other users of the server system that have attended the same educational institution as the first user; andto host a user interface via which the first user can elect to expose at least a first type of transaction-related information be shared with other users of the server system that have attended the same educational institution as the first user. 15. The system of claim 5, wherein the server system is configured to: identify an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic, wherein the common user characteristic relates to: attendance at an educational institution;purchase history;geographic region;email address;domain;club; and/orprofession; andprovide to at least one user a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling the at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and reviews with other community members. 16. A method comprising: storing in a data repository information descriptive of items that are available for purchase;providing, via a server system including at least one computing device, network-based access to the data repository;enabling, via the at least one computing device, users to make purchases of items represented in the data repository;providing, via the at least one computing device, a user interface through which users can explicitly elect to join or establish a community with at least one other user; andproviding, via the at least one computing device, a user interface through which users can explicitly elect whether or not to expose their respective purchases to other users, wherein the server system is configured to expose purchases by at least one user that elects to have purchases exposed,wherein such exposure includes, for at least a first item purchased by the at least one user: an identifier associated with the first item purchased by the at least one user, andan identifier associated with the at least one user that individually identifies the at least one user, wherein the exposure provides the identifier associated with the at least one user for display in association with the identifier associated with the first item purchased by the at least one user,wherein the server system provides access to an electronic catalog that includes item detail pages, enables a prospective purchaser to shop for and add items to a shopping cart via respective item detail pages, and is configured to supplement one or more of the item detail pages with purchase notification messages individually identifying one or more users that are members of a community in which the prospective purchaser is a member and that have purchased respective items corresponding to the item detail pages in accordance with user elections of the one or more users to expose their respective purchase histories to other users, wherein the prospective purchaser can add an item to a shopping cart via a respective supplemented item detail page. 17. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising providing a first user access to purchase history information of a second user specified by the first user in accordance with a permission granted by the second user via said user interface. 18. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising sending or posting a notification of a purchase to each of a plurality of users in a community of which the first user is a member in response to the purchase being made by a first user, the notification individually identifying the first user. 19. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising: providing access to an electronic catalog that includes item detail pages; andsupplementing the item detail pages with: purchase notification messages in accordance with user elections to expose their respective purchase histories to other users;functionality for users to send instant messages to other users regarding specific purchases. 20. Non-transitory, tangible computer readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising: storing in a data repository information descriptive of items that are available for purchase;providing network-based access to the data repository; enabling users to make purchases of items represented in the data repository;enabling users to explicitly establish or join a community with at least one other user;providing a user interface through which users can explicitly elect whether or not to expose their respective purchases to other users; andexposing purchases by at least one user that elects to have purchases exposed, wherein such exposure includes, for at least a first item purchased by the at least one user: an identifier associated with the first item purchased by the at least one user, andan identifier associated with the at least one user that individually identifies the at least one user, wherein the exposure provides the identifier associated with the at least one user for display in association with the identifier associated with the first item purchased by the at least one user, providing access to an electronic catalog that includes item detail pages,enabling a prospective purchaser to shop for and add items to a shopping cart via respective item detail pages,supplementing one or more of the item detail pages with purchase notification messages individually identifying one or more users that are members of a community in which the prospective purchaser is a member and that have purchased respective items corresponding to the item detail pages in accordance with user elections of the one or more users to expose their respective purchase histories to other users, wherein the prospective purchaser can add an item to a shopping cart via a respective supplemented item detail page. 21. The non-transitory, tangible media as defined in claim 20, the operations further comprising providing a first user access to purchase history information of a second user specified by the first user in accordance with a permission granted by the second user via said user interface. 22. The non-transitory, tangible media as defined in claim 20, the operations further comprising sending or posting a notification of a purchase to each of a plurality of users in a community of which the first user is a member in response to the purchase being made by a first user, the notification individually identifying the first user. 23. The non-transitory, tangible media as defined in claim 20, the operations further comprising: providing access to an electronic catalog that includes item detail pages; andsupplementing the item detail pages with: purchase notification messages in accordance with user elections to expose their respective purchase histories to other users;functionality for users to send instant messages to other users regarding specific purchases. 24. A method comprising: storing, in an electronic catalog data repository, information descriptive of available items;providing, via a server system, network-based access to the data repository;enabling users to make a transaction with respect to items represented in the data repository;enabling users to explicitly join or establish at least one community;enabling, via the sever system, users to submit reviews of items represented in the data repository;providing, via the server system, a first interface via which users can explicitly elect whether or not to expose their respective transactions; andproviding, via the server system a second interface via which users can access transaction information and reviews of other users, wherein the server system is configured to expose purchases by at least one user that elects to have purchases exposed,wherein such exposure includes, for at least a first item purchased by the at least one user: an identifier associated with the first item purchased by the at least one user, andan identifier associated with the at least one user that individually identifies the at least one user, wherein the exposure provides the identifier associated with the at least one user for display in association with the identifier associated with the first item purchased by the at least one user,wherein the server system provides access to an electronic catalog that includes item detail pages, enables a prospective purchaser to shop for and add items to a shopping cart via respective item detail pages, and is configured to supplement one or more of the item detail pages with purchase notification messages individually identifying one or more users that have purchased respective items corresponding to the item detail pages in accordance with user elections of the one or more users to expose their respective purchase histories to other users, wherein the prospective purchaser can add an item to a shopping cart via a respective supplemented item detail page. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the transaction is in the form of a: purchase;lease;license;rental; orsubscription. 26. The method of claim 24, the method further comprising enabling at least one user to anonymously share transaction information with at least one other user via the server system. 27. The method of claim 24, the method further comprising providing a first user with a synopsis of an item obtained via a transaction by a second user, wherein the second user granted permission to share transaction information of the second user via said first interface. 28. The method of claim 24, the method further comprising providing a first user access to transaction history information of a second user specified by the first user in accordance with a permission granted by the second user via said first user interface. 29. The method of claim 24, the method further comprising sending or posting a notification of a purchase to each of a plurality of users in a community of which the first user is a member in response to the purchase being made by a first user, the notification individually identifying the first user. 30. The method of claim 24, the method further comprising: providing access to the electronic catalog that includes item detail pages; andsupplementing the item detail pages with: purchase notification messages in accordance with user elections to expose their respective purchase histories to other users, andfunctionality for users to send messages to other users regarding specific transactions. 31. The method of claim 24, the method further comprising identifying a community of users at least partly based on an educational institution attended by the users. 32. The method of claim 24, the method further comprising: identifying to a first user other users of the server system that have attended the same educational institution as the first user; andproviding a user interface via which the first user can elect to expose at least a first type of transaction-related information be shared with other users of the server system that have attended the same educational institution as the first user. 33. The method of claim 24, method further comprising: identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic, wherein the common user characteristic relates to: attendance at an educational institution;purchase history;geographic region;email address;domain;club; and/orprofession; andproviding to at least one user a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling the at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and reviews with other community members. 34. Non-transitory, tangible computer readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising: storing, in an electronic catalog data repository, information descriptive of available items;providing network-based access to the data repository;enabling users to make a transaction with respect to items represented in the data repository;enabling users to explicitly join or establish a community;enabling users to submit reviews of items represented in the data repository;providing a first interface via which users can explicitly elect to expose their respective transactions; andproviding a second interface via which users can access transaction information and reviews of other users, exposing transactions by at least one user that elects to have transactions exposed, wherein such exposure includes, for at least a first item included in a first transaction by the at least one user: an identifier associated with the first item included in the first transaction by the at least one user, andan identifier associated with the at least one user that individually identifies the at least one user, wherein the exposure provides the identifier associated with the at least one user for display in association with the identifier associated with the first item purchased by the at least one user;providing access to an electronic catalog that includes item detail pages;enabling a prospective purchaser to shop for and add items to a shopping cart via respective item detail pages;supplementing one or more of the item detail pages with notification messages individually identifying one or more users that have conducted transactions with respect to respective items corresponding to the item detail pages in accordance with user elections of the one or more users to expose their respective transaction histories to other users, wherein the prospective purchaser can add an item to a shopping cart via a respective supplemented item detail page. 35. The non-transitory, tangible media as defined in claim 34, wherein the transaction is in the form of a: purchase;lease;license;rental; orsubscription. 36. The non-transitory, tangible media as defined in claim 34, the operations further comprising enabling at least one user to anonymously share transaction information with at least one other user. 37. The non-transitory, tangible media as defined in claim 34, the operations further comprising providing a first user with a synopsis of an item obtained via a transaction by a second user, wherein the second user granted permission to share transaction information of the second user via said first interface. 38. The non-transitory, tangible media as defined in claim 34, the operations further comprising providing a first user access to transaction history information of a second user specified by the first user in accordance with a permission granted by the second user via said first user interface. 39. The non-transitory, tangible media as defined in claim 34, the operations further comprising sending or posting a notification of a purchase to each of a plurality of users in a community of which the first user is a member in response to the purchase being made by a first user, wherein the notification individually identifies the first user. 40. The non-transitory, tangible media as defined in claim 34, the operations further comprising: providing access to the electronic catalog that includes item detail pages; andsupplementing the item detail pages with: purchase notification messages in accordance with user elections to expose their respective purchase histories to other users, andfunctionality for users to send messages to other users regarding specific transactions. 41. The non-transitory, tangible media as defined in claim 34, the operations further comprising identifying a community of users at least partly based on an educational institution attended by the users. 42. The non-transitory, tangible media as defined in claim 34, the operations further comprising identifying: identifying to a first user other users that have attended the same educational institution as the first user, and at least partly in response:providing a user interface via which the first user can elect to expose at least a first type of transaction-related information to be shared with other users that have attended the same educational institution as the first user. 43. The non-transitory, tangible media as defined in claim 34, the operations further comprising: identifying an implicit community of users at least partly based on a common user characteristic, wherein the common user characteristic relates to: attendance at an educational institution;purchase history;geographic region;email address;domain;club; and/orprofession; andproviding to at least one user a user interface describing the implicit community of users and enabling the at least one user to explicitly elect to share transaction information and reviews with other community members.