1. A method for maintaining user privacy in a knowledge interchange system, the method comprising: receiving from a user one or more privacy preferences relating to participation in a knowledge interchange system; monitoring user interaction with one or more programs to identify one or more items of interest, said monitoring limited by the privacy preferences; based on the items of interest, creating a knowledge interchange profile that identifies the interests of the user, the individuals with which the user has communicated, and the topics on which the communication with the individuals was made; and transmitting the contents of the knowledge interchange profile to a server computer, the contents of the knowledge interchange profile limited by the privacy preferences.