Patent ID: 8868656

Claim:
A computer-implemented method, comprising: publishing an application programming interface (API) declaring functions that perform operations comprising establishing network connections based on connection rules each of which comprises at least one of a respective designation of a virtual area in which communicants can establish a presence and co-present communicants can communicate realtime data streams with one another, and a respective designation of one or more connection targets corresponding to respective physical network nodes; and in response to an invocation of the API comprising a definition of a position identifying one or more sections of at least one of a software application and a computer data file stored on a first physical network node, ascertaining a respective one of the connection rules based on an association between the definition of position and the respective connection rule, and establishing a respective network connection between the first physical network node and each of at least one other physical network node based on the at least one respective designation in the ascertained connection rule.