Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for virtual world integration with a collaborative computing application. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for virtual world and collaborative computing application integration can be provided. The method can include loading a virtual world, detecting a posting in a collaborative application, and creating an object with the posting in the virtual world. The method further can include detecting a creation of an object in the virtual world including content, and creating a posting in the collaborative application with the content from the object in the virtual world. In one aspect of the embodiment, creating an object with the posting in the virtual world can include determining a topic for the posting, identifying a place in the virtual world corresponding to the topic, and creating the object in the identified place.

Abstract: A method is provided for automatically using address information from a selected message to create a new message that is unrelated to the selected message in response to a user action, such as selecting one of a plurality of improved reply options. These improved reply options may include a “New Message To” command and a “New Message To All” command that do not establish a relationship between the reply message and the selected message that could be exploited by, for example, a threading service. In particular, these commands populate address fields of the new message with values from address fields of the selected message without populating any other fields that are used to identify relationships among messages.

Abstract: Computer method and apparatus persists portions of group conversations in a virtual environment. A group conversation is formed of group member communications. Indications or illustrations, such as chat bubbles, are displayed to end users to represent the group member communications. The invention system enables a user to persist a portion of the group conversation by selecting respective indicators (e.g., chat bubbles) corresponding to one or more of the group member communications. The processor (persist engine) also enables any user to interact with persisted conversation portions. Interactions supported include moving, arranging, tagging with metadata and saving snapshots of the persisted conversation portions, in the virtual environment.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for threading documents using body text analysis. The method comprises: computing a fingerprint for each of a plurality of documents by analyzing text in a body of each document; comparing the computed fingerprints to determine a set of documents from the plurality of documents whose fingerprints are sufficiently similar; and ordering the set of documents to create at least one parent-child relationship.

Abstract: A computer method and apparatus control virtual environment cameras based on context. Current context is detected in a subject virtual environment. As a function of detected context, a set of predefined camera views is provided and displayed for user selection. Upon user selection of a camera view from the provided and displayed set of predefined camera views, a camera of the subject virtual environment is updated. The camera view is changed to the user selected camera view. There is ongoing detection of context and indicating of candidate camera views based on context, for user selection and update of the camera view.

Abstract: Computer method and apparatus represent users by respective avatars in a subject virtual environment. The invention system displays the avatars in the virtual environment, and for each avatar, displays in proximity to the avatar, a respective trail of virtual contact objects. The respective trail of virtual contact objects is associated with the user represented by the avatar and serves as a visual indication of presence and activeness (level of activity) of the user in the subject virtual environment. Each virtual contact object in the respective trail stores and provides user contact data of the user and is persistable upon end-user command.

Abstract: A system and method is provided which utilizes a threading service to offer enhanced features for a document management system including an email system. Various enhanced email features may be provided through one or more of the following components: a delete module, a reply module, a profile module, and a search module. The delete module enables a user to delete a selected message, a set of related messages, or the whole set except for the selected message. The reply module enables a user to send a reply message to all addresses associated and involved with an entire set of related messages. The profile module enables a dynamic interest profile to contain all relevant information from an outgoing message and a set of messages related to the outgoing message. The search module enables search results to include documents which match the user's query as well as documents related to the documents which match the user's query.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a pre-processing summarization technique that makes use of knowledge specific to the electronic mail domain to pre-process an electronic mail message so that commercially-available document summarization software can subsequently generate a more useful summary from the message. The summarization technique removes extraneous headers, quoted text, forward information, and electronic signatures, leaving more useful text to be summarized. If an enclosing electronic mail thread exists, the summarization technique uses the electronic mail message's ancestors to provide additional context for summarizing the electronic mail message. The disclosed system can be used with IBM Lotus Notes and Domino infrastructure, along with existing single-document summarizer software, to generate a summary of the discourse activity in an electronic mail thread dynamically.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a pre-processing summarization technique that makes use of knowledge specific to the electronic mail domain to pre-process an electronic mail message so that commercially-available document summarization software can subsequently generate a more useful summary from the message. The summarization technique removes extraneous headers, quoted text, forward information, and electronic signatures, leaving more useful text to be summarized. If an enclosing electronic mail thread exists, the summarization technique uses the electronic mail message's ancestors to provide additional context for summarizing the electronic mail message. The disclosed system can be used with IBM Lotus Notes and Domino infrastructure, along with existing single-document summarizer software, to generate a summary of the discourse activity in an electronic mail thread dynamically.

Abstract: A method is provided which utilizes a threading service to offer enhanced features for a document management system including an email system. Various enhanced email features may be provided through one or more of the following components: a delete module, a reply module, a profile module, and a search module. The delete module enables a user to delete a selected message, a set of related messages, or the whole set except for the selected message. The reply module enables a user to send a reply message to all addresses associated and involved with an entire set of related messages. The profile module enables a dynamic interest profile to contain all relevant information from an outgoing message and a set of messages related to the outgoing message. The search module enables search results to include documents which match the user's query as well as documents related to the documents which match the user's query.

Abstract: A system is provided which utilizes a threading service to offer enhanced features for a document management system including an email system. Various enhanced email features may be provided through one or more of the following components: a delete module, a reply module, a profile module, and a search module. The delete module enables a user to delete a selected message, a set of related messages, or the whole set except for the selected message. The reply module enables a user to send a reply message to all addresses associated and involved with an entire set of related messages. The profile module enables a dynamic interest profile to contain all relevant information from an outgoing message and a set of messages related to the outgoing message. The search module enables search results to include documents which match the user's query as well as documents related to the documents which match the user's query.

Abstract: An external source data provider provides separable lists of external data in a virtual environment. The external source data provider and method particularly represent a query for external data in the virtual environment. The query is executed against external sources resulting in a plurality of items collectively forming search results. An output module displays the search results as a stream of discrete objects emanating from the representation of the search query in the virtual environment. Each object corresponds to or otherwise represents a respective search result item and operates as an individual data element Any user may persist, manipulate, share, annotate and modify one or more of the objects corresponding to the external data (i.e., respective search result item). Displayed objects that are left untouched by users disappear from display after a predefined period of time.

Abstract: Computer-based group brainstorming system and method are disclosed. The invention system and method provide a certain area (e.g., a depicted room) as a brainstorming area in a virtual environment. A processor engine enables brainstorming sessions of multiple users in the certain area. For a given brainstorming session, the engine (i) indicates each user in the brainstorming session, and (ii) indicates communications (e.g., chat bubbles, votes, etc.) of each user in the brainstorming session. Color-coding of the users/avatars and communications may be used. Users may arrange indicia (e.g., indicators of project tasks) in the certain area in a manner that provides work flow or work assignments to users. Snapshots of the different states of a brainstorming session are enabled. User interaction with the artifacts of the brainstorming session remains active in the snapshots. Artifacts of a brainstorming session may later be reconstituted (reinstated) from a reloading of a snapshot into a subsequent session.

Abstract: Computer method and apparatus persists portions of group conversations in a virtual environment. A group conversation is formed of group member communications. Indications or illustrations, such as chat bubbles, are displayed to end users to represent the group member communications. The invention system enables a user to persist a portion of the group conversation by selecting respective indicators (e.g., chat bubbles) corresponding to one or more of the group member communications. The processor (persist engine) also enables any user to interact with persisted conversation portions. Interactions supported include moving, arranging, tagging with metadata and saving snapshots of the persisted conversation portions, in the virtual environment.

Abstract: A computer method and apparatus control virtual environment cameras based on context. Current context is detected in a subject virtual environment. As a function of detected context, a set of predefined camera views is provided and displayed for user selection. Upon user selection of a camera view from the provided and displayed set of predefined camera views, a camera of the subject virtual environment is updated. The camera view is changed to the user selected camera view. There is ongoing detection of context and indicating of candidate camera views based on context, for user selection and update of the camera view.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for virtual world integration with a collaborative computing application. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for virtual world and collaborative computing application integration can be provided. The method can include loading a virtual world, detecting a posting in a collaborative application, and creating an object with the posting in the virtual world. The method further can include detecting a creation of an object in the virtual world including content, and creating a posting in the collaborative application with the content from the object in the virtual world. In one aspect of the embodiment, creating an object with the posting in the virtual world can include determining a topic for the posting, identifying a place in the virtual world corresponding to the topic, and creating the object in the identified place.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to virtual world management and provide a method, system and computer program product for deploying a virtual world within a productivity application. In an embodiment of the invention, a productivity application can be provided to include each of a document editor, a virtual world client configured to provide a view to a virtual world, presence awareness producing a presence state for an end user of the editor, and an integrator configured to provide a presence state detected by the presence awareness to the virtual world viewed through the virtual world client. For example, the productivity application can be an IDE for source code development.

Abstract: A computer method and system familiarizes users in a group in shared synchronous environments. As part of operation of a given shared synchronous online environment, the invention generates an icebreaking activity for a group of users. The generated ice breaking activity has content from at least one data source external to the given online environment. The content may be mined user profiles, images and other user information from other data sources that users provide information to. The invention allows free form conversation among the group of users during participation in the generated ice-breaking activity. Such participation by the users in the generated ice-breaking activity and free form conversation among the users enable users to become familiar with each other's human persona.

Abstract: Computer method and apparatus represent users by respective avatars in a subject virtual environment. The invention system displays the avatars in the virtual environment, and for each avatar, displays in proximity to the avatar, a respective trail of virtual contact objects. The respective trail of virtual contact objects is associated with the user represented by the avatar and serves as a visual indication of presence and activeness (level of activity) of the user in the subject virtual environment. Each virtual contact object in the respective trail stores and provides user contact data of the user and is persistable upon end-user command.

Abstract: Under the present invention, an executable object such as binary or JAVA byte code corresponding to the software application is obtained. Based on an analysis of the software application, points for introducing the collaborative components are identified. A set of executable code (e.g., an Aspect) to introduce the collaborative components at the identified points is then defined and built. Thereafter, the set of executable code and the collaborative components are linked to the executable object.