Patent ID: 7216167

Claim:
A method for enabling user control of user's off-line status messages available for display to other participants in a messaging application when said user is logged-off from said messaging application, said method comprising: enabling user authorized access input to establish an authorized access list, said authorized access list comprising a list of selected ones of said other participants who are designated to have access to said user's off-line status messages; saving said authorized access list for use in enabling access to said user off-line status messages; determining when said user is logged-off from said messaging application; displaying said user's off-line status messages to participants who are on said user's authorized access list when said user is logged-off from said messaging application; enabling said user to input a different authorized access list for each of a plurality of said user's off-line status messages; displaying an off-line message selection menu to said user, said off-line message selection menu containing a plurality of user off-line status messages of selectable content; enabling said user to select at least one of said user off-line status messages; and associating said user selected off-line status message with a corresponding authorized access list.