Patent ID: 8819132

Claim:
A method to be executed at least in part in a computing device for facilitating interactions with real-time directory groups, the method comprising: subscribing a user to a real-time directory group, wherein the group includes an associated chat room; determining the user's default notification means for new content, the default notification means comprising one of a feed, an electronic mail message, an instant message, a SIP notification, a visual alert, and an audio alert; receiving the new content for the group; notifying the user about the new content employing the user's default notification means such that voluminous communications from group members is avoided; in response to an active interaction mode change selection by the user, enabling the user to interact with the group via a communication session through the chat room; displaying a contextual history of the new content as history in the chat room; constructing a metadata to store the new content using at least one of: the electronic mail message, the instant message, an author, a thread, and a timestamp; storing the new content in a shared repository using the metadata to upload and access the new content; and publishing the new content within a chat form in the chat room through an email bridge in response to receiving the new content through another email message.