Patent ID: 8341531

Claim:
A method comprising: identifying, by a computing system configured to provide an instant messaging session, a content provider, the identifying comprising: navigating, by the computing system, to a website having a download link for one or more content items from the content provider; selecting, by the computing system, the download link associated with the content provider; communicating, by the computing system, a request to a list provider at a remote server to determine whether the content provider associated with the download link is trustworthy; obtaining, by the computing system, a result of whether the content provider is trustworthy, the result being determined by the list provider by comparing the download link with one or more download links in the trusted content provider list; in an event that the content provider is trustworthy, collecting, by the computing system, one or more content items from the content provider for output by a messaging module in the instant messaging session; and forming, by the computing system, a content package that includes the one or more content items and a manifest which: describes a content type for each said content item; and is parseable for automatic installation of each said content item for use by a content manager module based on a respective said content type, obtaining, by the computing system, the content package from over a network; preventing, by the computing system, an unauthorized reuse of the one or more content items by a second content manager module; providing, by the computing system, an option to authorize reuse of the one or more content items to the second content manager module, wherein the option to authorize reuse of the one or more content items comprises: purchasing, by the computer system, authorization to reuse the one or more content items by the second content manager module; installing, by the computing system, each said content item for use by the second content manager module; wherein: the computing system comprises the content manager module and the second content manager module; and the content manager module and the second content manager module are accessible by the content provider.