Patent ID: 8335825

Claim:
A method for communicating data, the method comprising: providing, via a listing server, to a user device associated with a user, a listing of an advertiser, wherein the listing of the advertiser comprises a user interface control operative to request an instant messaging connection with the advertiser, such that the request comprises an indication not to display the user's presence to the advertiser; receiving, via a messaging server, the request from the user device; in response to receiving the request: transmitting, via the messaging server, to the user device, advertiser presence data for the advertiser, and initiating, via the messaging server, an instant messaging connection between the user device and the advertiser, such that the user's presence information is not provided to the advertiser; and providing, via the messaging server, to the user device, an active advertisement associated with the advertiser, wherein the active advertisement is provided to the user device via an instant message.