Patent ID: 7765484

Claim:
A method of personalizing communications, the method comprising: accessing status information for instant messaging sessions involving an instant messaging identity; maintaining, on behalf of the instant messaging identity, a list of other instant messaging identities that is configured to enable the instant messaging identity to monitor the on-line presence of the other instant messaging identities and to initiate instant messaging sessions with the other instant messaging identities; distinguishing, based on information within the accessed status information that reveals recent participation with the instant messaging identity during instant messaging sessions, a set of participant identities who recently participated in instant messaging sessions with the instant messaging identity; identifying, from among the set of participant identities who recently participated in instant messaging sessions with the instant messaging identity, at least one participant identity who is not otherwise included in the list of other instant messaging identities maintained on behalf of the instant messaging identity; and passively configuring a group of instant messaging identities maintained within the list of other instant messaging identities maintained on behalf of the instant messaging identity to reflect that at least some of the participant identities from the set of participant identities recently participated in instant messaging sessions with the instant messaging identity, wherein passively configuring the group includes adding, to the group, the at least one participant identity identified as not otherwise being included in the list of other instant messaging identities maintained on behalf of the instant messaging identity.