Patent ID: 7783592

Claim:
A method for indicating recent content publication activity by a publishing online identity, the method comprising: receiving, at a client device, an indication that the publishing online identity has engaged in recent content publication activity, wherein an identifier is provided to identify the publishing online identity; accessing co-user online identifiers that are associated with a second online identity and that are included by the second online identity in a co-user list that reveals to the second online identity an online availability of co-user online identities corresponding to the co-user online identifiers within the co-user list; determining that the identifier for the publishing online identity is included among the co-user identifiers included by the second online identity in the co-user list; accessing publication preference information associated with the publishing online identity; based on having accessed the publication preference information, determining that the publishing online identity desires to share recent content publication activity engaged in by the publishing online identity; accessing co-user list preference information associated with the second online identity; based on having accessed the preference information, determining that the second online identity desires to receive indications of recent content publication activity; receiving information that enables the client device to display a representation of a type associated with the recent content publication activity engaged in by the publishing online identity; and based on having determined that the identifier for the publishing online identity is included among the co-user identifiers included by the second online identity in the co-user list, that the publishing online identity desires to share recent content publication activity engaged in by the publishing online identity, and that the second online identity desires to receive indications of recent content publication activity, displaying the representation of the type in association with the identifier for the publishing online identity to indicate that the publishing online identity has engaged in the recent content publication activity.