Patent ID: 8521820

Claim:
A method of providing a virtual presence service, the method comprising: configuring a virtual presence community of members; registering one of the members for the virtual presence community; configuring by a server a virtual presence filter definition of a filter that relates to a triggering event for the virtual presence community, the virtual presence filter definition being exclusive to the virtual presence community of the members; transmitting by the server the virtual presence filter definition of the filter to a set top box of the one of the members, the filter transmitted to the set top box being operative to detect the triggering event corresponding to the virtual presence community according to the virtual presence filter definition; wherein the filter monitors content viewing of the one of the members, the filter detecting the triggering event; wherein detecting the triggering event comprises the filter matching a predefined program via the set top box according to the virtual presence filter definition previously configured by the server; initiating communications in response to the filter on the set top box detecting the triggering event; receiving by the server update notifications from the filter of the members; and updating by the server a virtual presence community list table related to the filter upon receiving each of the update notifications from the filter of the members.