The ACORN architecture is a multi-agent based system deployed across networks which provides a means for augmenting community-based systems of communication between people. In the system, information and queries are embodied as autonomous agents which contain metadata information about the information and also data about the community in which they exist. Using this data, the agents are able to direct themselves towards interested readers or knowledgeable information sources in order to disseminate information or submit queries. The agents are able to learn about their community of users, adapting so as to reach users who may have been unknown originally, to better fulfil their task. This paper describes the ACORN system and the philosophy behind it. An overview of the system’s current working implementation is given, and related and further work discussed.