Using automated agents to facilitate chat communications

1. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, facilitate on-line communication among multiple instant messaging identities, the computer program product configured to cause a computer to:

detect presence of a target instant messaging identity in a chat room that is accessible over a network of computers to instant messaging identities and who desires interaction with other instant messaging identities who are presently on-line in the chat room;

present questions to the target instant messaging identity, at least one of the questions including selectable responses associated with the question;

receive, from the target instant messaging identity, responses to the questions;

access, from computer-accessible memory, stored responses to the questions, at least one of the stored response having been received from another instant messaging identity and being associated with the other instant messaging identity who provided the response;

compare responses received from the target instant messaging identity to the accessed stored responses;

identify, based at least in part on results of the comparison, a group of less than all of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line; and

use an instant messaging identity representing an instant messaging robot to introduce the identified group of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line to the target instant messaging identity and to introduce the target instant messaging identity to the identified group of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 further configured to cause the computer to monitor interaction between the target instant messaging identity and the identified group of instant messaging identities.

3. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein monitoring interaction comprises monitoring interaction between the target instant messaging identity and the identified group of instant messaging identities to regulate interaction within bounds determined by the target instant messaging identity.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 further configured to cause the computer, based on detection of a predetermined condition, to use the instant messaging identity representing the instant messaging robot to interact with the target instant messaging identity or one of the instant messaging identities in the identified group of instant messaging identities.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein comparing responses received to accessed stored responses comprises converting a received response into a representative code and comparing the representative code to stored codes corresponding to and representative of responses having been received from the other instant messaging identity.

6. The computer program product of claim 1 further configured to cause the computer to:

store, in computer-accessible memory, information gleaned from interaction between the target instant messaging identity and the identified group of instant messaging identities, the information being stored in association with the target instant messaging identity; and

enable access to the stored information associated with the target instant messaging identity in a later communication session.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the stored information associated with the target instant messaging identity comprises a searchable user profile associated with the target instant messaging identity.

8. The computer program product of claim 1 further configured to cause the computer to:

receive, from the target instant messaging identity, a rating about an interaction with another instant messaging identity in the identified group of instant messaging identities; and

store, in computer-accessible memory, the rating about the instant messaging identity in association with the target instant messaging identity for later use in identifying a second group of less than all of instant messaging identities to be associated with the target instant messaging identity.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 further configured to cause the computer to:

access, from computer-accessible storage, interaction ratings associated with the target instant messaging identity; and

identify, based on results of the comparison and the accessed interaction ratings, a group of less than all of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 further configured to cause the computer to:

access, from computer-accessible storage, interaction ratings associated with the target instant messaging identity; and

identify, based on results of the comparison and the accessed interaction ratings, a group of less than all of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line such that the identified group does not include an instant messaging identity with whom the target instant messaging identity reported a prior negative interaction.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 further configured to cause the computer to:

access, from computer-accessible storage, interaction ratings associated with the target instant messaging identity; and

identify, based on results of the comparison and the accessed interaction ratings, a group of less than all of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line such that the identified group includes an instant messaging identity with whom the target instant messaging identity reported a prior positive interaction.

12. The computer program product of claim 1 further configured to cause the computer to:

receive, from the target instant messaging identity in a later communications session, an indication of an instant messaging identity to be invited to the chat room;

enable transmission of an invitation to the invited instant message participant, wherein the invitation includes a suggested meeting time and a revise control operable to enable the invited instant messaging identity to indicate a different meeting time;

receive an indication of a different meeting time; and

communicate the different meeting time to the target instant messaging identity.

13. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the questions comprise a series of multiple-choice questions.

14. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the questions change periodically.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the questions change on a nightly basis or a weekly basis.

16. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the chat room comprises a chat room For on-line dating.

17. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the chat room comprises a chat room for on-line dating that is only available to instant messaging users during a predetermined daily time period.

18. The computer program product of claim 1 further configured to cause the computer to associate the identified group of instant messaging identities and the target instant messaging identity.

19. A method, performed at least partially on a computer, for facilitating on-line communication among multiple instant messaging identities, the method comprising:

detecting presence of a target instant messaging identity in a chat room that is accessible over a network of computers to instant messaging identities and who desires interaction with other instant messaging identities who are presently on-line in the chat room;

presenting questions to the target instant messaging identity, at least one of the questions including selectable responses associated with the question;

receiving, from the target instant messaging identity, responses to the questions;

accessing, from computer-accessible memory, stored responses to the questions, at least one of the stored response having been received from another instant messaging identity and being associated with the other instant messaging identity who provided the response;

comparing responses received from the target instant messaging identity to the accessed stored responses;

identifying, based at least in part on results of the comparison, a group of less than all of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line; and

using an instant messaging identity representing an instant messaging robot to introduce the identified group of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line to the target instant messaging identity and to introduce the target instant messaging identity to the identified group of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising monitoring interaction between the target instant messaging identity and the identified group of instant messaging identities.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein monitoring interaction comprises monitoring interaction between the target instant messaging identity and the identified group of instant messaging identities to regulate interaction within bounds determined by the target instant messaging identity.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising using the instant messaging identity representing the instant messaging robot to interact with the target instant messaging identity or one of the instant messaging identities in the identified group of instant messaging identities based on detection of a predetermined condition.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein comparing responses received to accessed stored responses comprises converting a received response into a representative code and comparing the representative code to stored codes corresponding to and representative of responses having been received from the other instant messaging identity.

24. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

storing, in computer-accessible memory, information gleaned from interaction between the target instant messaging identity and the identified group of instant messaging identities, the information being stored in association with the target instant messaging identity; and

enabling access to the stored information associated with the target instant messaging identity in a later communication session.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the stored information associated with the target instant messaging identity comprises a searchable user profile associated with the target instant messaging identity.

26. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

receiving, from the target instant messaging identity, a rating about an interaction with another instant messaging identity in the identified group of instant messaging identities; and

storing, in computer-accessible memory, the rating about the instant messaging identity in association with the target instant messaging identity for later use in identifying a second group of less than all of instant messaging identities to be associated with the target instant messaging identity.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

accessing, from computer-accessible storage, interaction ratings associated with the target instant messaging identity; and

identifying, based on results of the comparison and the accessed interaction ratings, a group of less than all of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line.

28. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

accessing, from computer-accessible storage, interaction ratings associated with the target instant messaging identity; and

identifying, based on results of the comparison and the accessed interaction ratings, a group of less than all of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line such that the identified group does not include an instant messaging identity with whom the target instant messaging identity reported a prior negative interaction.

29. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

accessing, from computer-accessible storage, interaction ratings associated with the target instant messaging identity; and

identifying, based on results of the comparison and the accessed interaction ratings, a group of less than all of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line such that the identified group includes an instant messaging identity with whom the target instant messaging identity reported a prior positive interaction.

30. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

receiving, from the target instant messaging identity in a later communications session, an indication of an instant messaging identity to be invited to the chat room;

enabling transmission of an invitation to the invited instant message participant, wherein the invitation includes a suggested meeting time and a revise control operable to enable the invited instant messaging identity to indicate a different meeting time;

receiving an indication of a different meeting time; and

communicating the different meeting time to the target instant messaging identity.

31. The method of claim 19 wherein the questions comprise a series of multiple-choice questions.

32. The method of claim 19 wherein the questions change periodically.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the questions change on a nightly basis or a weekly basis.

34. The method of claim 19 wherein the chat room comprises a chat room for on-line dating.

35. The method of claim 19 wherein the chat room comprises a chat room for on-line dating that is only available to instant messaging users during a predetermined daily time period.

36. The method of claim 19 further comprising associating the identified group of instant messaging identities and the target instant messaging identity.

37. A system for facilitating on-line communication among multiple instant messaging identities, the system comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

one or more storage devices, the storage devices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform the following operations”

detect presence of a target instant messaging identity in a chat room that is accessible over a network of computers to instant messaging identities and who desires interaction with other instant messaging identities who are presently on-line in the chat room;

present questions to the target instant messaging identity, at least one of the questions including selectable responses associated with the question;

receive, from the target instant messaging identity, responses to the questions;

access, from computer-accessible memory, stored responses to the questions, at least one of the stored response having been received from another instant messaging identity and being associated with the other instant messaging identity who provided the response;

compare responses received from the target instant messaging identity to the accessed stored responses;

identify, based at least in part on results of the comparison, a group of less than all of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line; and

use an instant messaging identity representing an instant messaging robot to introduce the identified group of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line to the target instant messaging identity and to introduce the target instant messaging identity to the identified group of instant messaging identities who are currently on-line.