Abstract: One aspect of the invention provides a computer-implemented method of tracking favors between a plurality of parties. The method includes: receiving a submission regarding a favor performed by one or more first parties for one or more second parties; associating the favor with the one or more first parties and the one or more second parties in a database; and providing a user interface programmed to receive instructions from a plurality of users to take one or more or more actions selected from the group consisting of: searching for connections that have granted a particular type of favor in the past, searching for connections that have granted a specified quantity of a particular type of favor in the past, and displaying net flows of favors between a first organization having a plurality of parties and a second organization having a plurality of parties.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed that enables one or more telecommunications endpoints to subscribe to a conferencing system and to be notified of one or more conferencing events. As part of the conferencing system of the illustrative embodiment, a conference invitation server maintains information on all of the conferences that are scheduled to occur on the conferencing system, including (i) the addresses of the identified participants for each call and (ii) the conference identifier that the server generates for each call. When a conference call is going to begin, the server sends out notifications to all endpoints that are subscribed to the conference. If there are participants who are not subscribed to the conference, then alternative mechanisms for notifying participants can be used. Each subscribed endpoint then transmits a request to join the conference—either via user interaction or automatically—providing the conference identifier as part of the join request.

Abstract: A server or servers and a method of operating a server or servers to establish a conference call includes determining parties to be joined into a conference call, notifying the parties about the conference call, authenticating parties that responded to the notification about the conference call, and bridging the parties that have been successfully authenticated into the conference call.