Abstract: Described are a system and method for managing online communications by a user who participates in an awareness service system. A first awareness state associated with the user is published to a first participant of the awareness service system, while a second different awareness state associated with the user is published to a second participant of the awareness service system. Each published awareness state is based on a collaborative relationship between the user and the participant to which that awareness state is published.

Abstract: A method and system for an awareness service is provided. One or more collaborative contexts can be set for a first user within a set of users using the awareness service. One or more subsets of users can be defined within the set of users corresponding to the one or more collaborative contexts, respectively. Furthermore, a level of availability can be defined for the first user with respect to each of the subset of users. Next, an online status can be published on the awareness service for the first user. The online status can display an availability message to a second user. And, the availability message can have the highest level of availability selected from a group consisting of every level of availability defined for the first user with respect to every subset of users that includes the second user.

Abstract: Described are an online meeting system and method for integrating a third-party system with the online meeting system. A service provider interface (SPI) defines procedures for communicating with a meeting services application of the online meeting system. Each software module implements the procedures of the SPI to perform meeting-related operations customized in accordance with the third-party system when called by the meeting service application. Called SPI procedures include two types. One type notifies a software module of a proposed transaction of an event in the online meeting system, to enable the software module to perform the meeting-related operation before the event occurs. A second type notifies a software module of an event that has occurred in the online meeting system, to enable the software module to perform the meeting-related operation in response to the occurrence of that event.