1. A method of data acquisition, comprising: extracting information from outgoing, user-authored communications, said extracting comprising extracting information only from communications authored by users who have provided authorization for system access to the communications; allowing a user, the user having authored the user-authored communications, to control the information to be extracted, comprising controlling an exclude list, said exclude list comprising types of communications that are not allowed to be extracted; inferring, based on the extracted data, a personal network for the user, said inferring comprising avoiding a direct relationship between any person in the system, their email, and the information being displayed; and allowing the user to manipulate the personal network.