12. The computer-implemented automated method for populating web pages according to claim 1 , wherein said step of building one or more web-accessible topic pages comprises providing a higher priority to displaying articles that have been commercially sponsored.
1. A computer-implemented automated method for operating a system that populates web pages with content along with a user interface for interactive discussion of an end-user-specified topic, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium with program code for: receiving across a network a topic from an end user; receiving across the network one or more search terms from the user that pertain to the topic; conducting a search based at least upon the topic and the search terms pertaining to the topic; transmitting to the user across the network a search results page displaying thumbnails representing content items regarding the topic and the search terms, said page displaying thumbnails including an interface to select which of the items should appear on a published topic page; building, based at least in part on said user's selection of content items from search results, one or more web-accessible topic pages having dynamic content that is relevant to the topic along with interactive means for provoking participation of multiple users regarding the topic and the content; transmitting said one or more web-accessible topic pages across the network to the user's computer for display; wherein said steps of receiving a topic, receiving one or more search terms, conducting a search, transmitting a search results page, and building one or more web-accessible pages are performed by a particular machine, said particular machine comprising one or more computing devices.