Patent ID: 7299257

Claim:
A method for use in a collaborative system comprising the steps of: setting up a plurality of participants in a group to collaboratively communicate; determining presence information of each of said participants in said group in accordance with a use of at least one communicative device associated with each participant and monitored by the collaborative system, wherein the collaborative system provides direct access to at least a telephone network and internet communications; dynamically displaying a visual representation having a plurality of display windows including at least said participants, said collected presence information and icons indicating activity of participants' communicative devices, geographic locations of said participants and local times, a calendar indicating participants' schedules and holidays for geographic locations, and a set of mechanisms for a participant to select in conjunction with said displayed presence information to initiate a prescribed mode of communicating with one or more others of said participants in said group for a particular collaborative purpose; and employing said displayed presence information and at least one mechanism of said set of mechanisms to initiate, trough the collaborative system, communication with one or more other participants in said group; wherein at least one of said mechanisms includes using the collaborative system to set up one or more telephone calls via the telephone network that is in communication with the collaborative system to initiate communication with one or more said other participants in said group for said particular collaborative purpose.