I've been searching but still haven't come up with the answer yet. However, this page sounds close http://www.perl.com/doc/FAQs/cgi/idiots-guide.html

Q: Under what uid does the server runs its CGI programs?
A: wwwuser (Oops, it can't write my files or directories.)

The author's flippant tone may amuse those in the know, but it doesn't help me one bit. How would one go about correcting this. Is it even in the right direction for what I described above? It associates uid with writing files, so it seems if not on target then at least relevent.