1. A method for operating an advertising machine implemented on at least one computer to provide advertisements via a communications link to a data processing device of a user, the method comprising: receiving from the data processing device via the communications link a search request that includes a search argument; searching at least one database using the search argument to produce search results; selecting at least one advertisement from an advertisement database relating to at least one of the search argument and the search results; transmitting the search results together with the at least one advertisement via the communications link to the data processing device; receiving search refinement input from the data processing device via the communications link; producing modified search results based upon at least the search refinement input; selecting at least one other advertisement from the advertisement database based upon at least one of the search refinement input and the modified search results; and transmitting at least one of the modified search results and the at least one other advertisement via the communications link to the data processing device.
1. A method for operating an advertising machine implemented on at least one computer to provide advertisements via a communications link to a data processing device of a user, the method comprising: receiving from the data processing device via the communications link a search request that includes a search argument; searching at least one database using the search argument to produce search results; selecting at least one advertisement from an advertisement database relating to at least one of the search argument and the search results; transmitting the search results together with the at least one advertisement via the communications link to the data processing device; receiving search refinement input from the data processing device via the communications link; producing modified search results based upon at least the search refinement input; selecting at least one other advertisement from the advertisement database based upon at least one of the search refinement input and the modified search results; and transmitting at least one of the modified search results and the at least one other advertisement via the communications link to the data processing device. 3. The method of claim 1 , wherein both the modified search results and the search argument are used to select the at least one modified advertisement.