Capturing advertising requests from a user

1. A system comprising:

a server communicatively coupled to a client device and configured to communicate content to the client device for display to a user, wherein the content includes information relating to an interactive activity and information relating to an advertisement, the interactive activity being encompassed by a first form that is separate from a second form that encompasses the advertisement, the first form including an input area for providing an input for use in obtaining additional information relating to the advertisement, the first form being configured so that user interaction with the interactive activity triggers a web browser to capture information from the input area; and

one or more software modules executing in an operating environment provided by the server and configured (a) to receive the input from the client device in response to the user interaction with the interactive activity, the input being received, in a single transmission, along with information relating to user participation in the interactive activity, and (b) after receiving the input, to provide to the user additional information relating to the advertisement and to communicate content to the client relating to the interactive activity.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a registration database to store user information.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the server is configured to store registration information for the user within the registration database prior to communicating the content to the client device.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the server is configured to retrieve registration information from the registration database when sending the advertising information to the user.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the web browser executing in an operating environment provided by the client device, wherein the web browser is configured to display the interactive activity to the user.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interactive activity comprises a web-based computer game.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the input area includes a check box and the server is configured to communicate the advertising information to the user when the received input indicates a user has marked the check box.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to extract an email address from the input area and to send the advertising information to the user by an electronic mail message.

9. A method comprising:

causing display of a user interface to permit a user to participate in an interactive activity;

during display of the user interface, causing display of advertising information on the user interface without interfering with the user's ability to participate in the interactive activity, the interactive activity being separate from the advertising information;

wherein the interactive activity is encompassed by a first form and the advertising information is encompassed by a second form, the first form including an input area for providing an input for use in obtaining additional information relating to the advertising information, the first form being configured so that user interaction with the interactive activity triggers a web browser to capture information from the input area;

during display of the user interface, receiving from a computer associated with the user a first signal via the input area indicating an interest in receiving additional information related to the advertising information; and

causing said additional information related to the advertising information to be provided to the computer associated with the user in response to the first signal, without interfering with the user's ability to participate in the interactive activity;

wherein the first signal is received in response to the user's interaction with the interactive activity.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the interactive activity comprises a game; and

wherein the advertising information is displayed during the game, the first signal is received from the computer associated with the user during the game, and the additional information is provided to the user without interrupting the game.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the user interface is provided by the computer associated with the user, the computer being connected over a network to a server computer.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein causing said additional information to be provided to the computer associated with the user includes causing an electronic mail message to be sent to the user.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first signal is generated in response to the user checking a check box in the user interface.

14. The method of claim 9 , further including registering the user prior to displaying the user interface.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein causing the additional information related to the advertising information to be provided to the computer associated with the user in response to the first signal, without interrupting the user's ability to participate in the interactive activity, includes causing registration information for the user to be retrieved.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein causing the additional information related to the advertising information to be provided to the computer associated with the user in response to the first signal, without interrupting the user's ability to participate in the interactive activity, includes capturing an email address of the user.

17. A software product stored on a computer readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to:

cause display of a user interface to permit a user to participate in an interactive activity;

during display of the user interface, cause display of advertising information on the user interface without interfering with the user's ability to participate in the interactive activity, the interactive activity being separate from the advertising information;

wherein the interactive activity is encompassed by a first form and the advertising information is encompassed by a second form, the first form including an input area for providing an input for use in obtaining additional information relating to the advertising information, the first form being configured so that user interaction with the interactive activity triggers a web browser to capture information from the input area;

during display of the user interface, receive from a computer associated with the user a first signal indicating an interest in receiving additional information related to the advertising information; and

cause said additional information related to the advertising information to be provided to the computer associated with the user in response to the first signal, without interfering with the user's ability to participate in the interactive activity;

wherein the first signal is received in response to the user's interaction with the interactive activity.

18. The software product of claim 17 wherein the interactive activity comprises a game; and

wherein the advertising information is displayed during the game, the first signal is received from the computer associated with the user during the game, and the additional information is provided to the user without interrupting the game.

19. The software product of claim 17 , wherein the user interface is provided the computer associated with the user, the computer associated with the user being connected over a network to a server computer.

20. The software product of claim 17 , wherein instructions for causing a computer to cause said additional information to be provided to the computer associated with the user includes instructions for causing an electronic mail message to be sent to the user.

21. The software product of claim 17 , further comprising instructions for generating the first signal in response to the user checking a check box in the user interface.

22. The software product of claim 17 , further comprising instructions to register the user prior to displaying the user interface.

23. The software product of claim 22 , wherein instructions for causing a computer to cause the additional information related to the advertising information to be provided to the computer associated with the user in response to the signal, without interrupting the user's ability to participate in the interactive activity, comprises instructions for causing a computer to cause registration information for the user to be retrieved.

24. The method of claim 17 , wherein instructions for causing a computer to cause the additional information related to the advertising information to be provided to the computer associated with the user in response to the signal, without interrupting the user's ability to participate in the interactive activity, comprises instructions for causing the computer to capture an email address of the user.

25. A method comprising:

displaying information about an interactive activity to a user on a display associated with a client computer;

receiving at the client computer a request for advertising information and information related to the user's participation in the interactive activity, the interactive activity being encompassed by a first form that is separate from a second form that encompasses the advertising information, the first form including an input area for providing an input for receiving the request for advertising information, the first form being configured so that user interaction with the interactive activity triggers a web browser to capture information from the input area;

simultaneously transmitting to a server the user's request for advertising information from the input area and the information related to the user's participation in the interactive activity, wherein transmitting is performed in response to the user's interaction with the interactive activity; and

receiving the advertising information at the client computer without interfering with the user's ability to participate in the interactive activity.

26. A system comprising:

means for causing display of a user interface to permit a user to participate in an interactive activity;

means for, during display of the user interface, causing display of advertising information on the user interface without interfering with the user's ability to participate in the interactive activity, the interactive activity being separate from the advertising information;

wherein the interactive activity is encompassed by a first form and the advertising information is encompassed by a second form, the first form including an input area for providing an input for use in obtaining additional information relating to the advertising information, the first form being configured so that user interaction with the interactive activity triggers a web browser to capture information from the input area;

means for, during display of the user interface, receiving from a computer associated with the user a first signal indicating an interest in receiving additional information related to the advertising information; and

means for causing said additional information related to the advertising information to be provided to the computer associated with the user in response to the first signal, without interfering with the user's ability to participate in the interactive activity;

wherein the first signal is received in response to the user's interaction with the interactive activity.