1. A method for processing user-generated queries in a network, comprising: assigning to a first computing device from a plurality of computing devices a primary responsibility for processing a data segment stored in memory of the first computing device, wherein the primary responsibility is assigned automatically in response to a characteristic of the data segment; assigning to a second computing device from the plurality of computing devices a secondary responsibility for processing the data segment, wherein a copy of the data segment is stored in memory of the second computing device, and wherein the data segment is one of a plurality of data segments that form a portion of a collective database distributed across the plurality of computing devices communicatively coupled by a network; granting to the first and second computing devices access to a look-up table stored in memory following receipt of a user-generated query for the data segment by any one of the first and second computing devices, wherein the look-up table allocates a pre-determined period of time for completing the query before the query is re-assigned to another computing device; directing the first computing device to begin processing the query for the data segment according to the assigned primary responsibility; identifying that the first computing device has not completed processing the query for the data segment within the pre-determined period of time; and directing the second computing device to begin processing the query for the data segment according to the assigned secondary responsibility and the pre-determined period of time allocated by the stored look-up table following the identification that the first computing device had not completed processing the query within the pre-determined period of time.