User identity based instant messaging session monitoring

1. A method of managing communications over a network, comprising:

receiving from a first user a request to monitor user participation within a chat session, wherein the request specifies a second user selected from a contact list of the first user and at least one session identifier correlating to at least one chat session on the network, and the first user is not logged into the chat session nor viewing the chat session;

responsive to the request, monitoring each chat session correlated with the at least one session identifier for a chat posted by the second user;

responsive to the second user posting a chat in a selected chat session correlated to a session identifier in the request and while the first user is not logged into, nor viewing, the selected chat session, determining whether the first user is granted access to a data repository on which the posted chat resides and alerting the first user via a client communicatively linked to the network that the second user has posted the chat within the selected chat session only if the first user has access to the data repository; and

automatically updating the contact list of the first user with names from each chat session correlated with the at least one session identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

responsive to the second user posting the chat, identifying a specific portion of the identified chat session containing the posted chat.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

responsive to the second user posting the chat, providing a content indicator that indicates content of the posted chat.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

responsive to the second user posting the chat, providing a time indicator that indicates a time that the posted chat was posted.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of alerting the first user comprises sending a respective identifier for each currently active chat session in which the first user has been a participant.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of alerting the first user further comprises:

determining whether the second user has allowed the first user to receive an alert that the second user has posted the chat; and

alerting the first user that the second user has posted the chat only if the second user has allowed the first user to receive the alert.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising visually distinguishing each contact for which participation within at least one chat session is being monitored from each contact not being monitored within a contact list of the first user.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

automatically updating a contact list of the first user with names from saved chats to which the first user has access if the names do not already exist in the contact list.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein said step of visually distinguishing further comprises, for each contact for which participation within at least one chat session is being monitored, visually indicating whether more than one chat session is being monitored for the contact.

10. A machine readable storage device, wherein the device is not a signal, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections, that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the steps of:

receiving from a first user a request to monitor user participation within a chat session, wherein the request specifies a second user selected from a contact list of the first user and at least one session identifier correlating to at least one chat session on the network, and the first user is not logged into the chat session nor viewing the chat session;

responsive to the request, monitoring each chat session correlated with the at least one session identifier for a chat posted by the second user;

responsive to the second user posting a chat in a selected chat session correlated to a session identifier in the request and while the first user is not logged into, nor viewing, the selected chat session, determining whether the first user is granted access to a data repository on which the posted chat resides and alerting the first user via a client communicatively linked to the network that the second user has posted the chat within the selected chat session only if the first user has access to the data repository; and

automatically updating the contact list of the first user with names from each chat session correlated with the at least one session identifier.

11. The machine readable storage device of claim 10 , further causing the computer to perform the step of identifying a specific portion of the identified chat session containing the posted chat in response to the second user posting the chat.

12. The machine readable storage device of claim 10 , further causing the computer to perform the step of providing a content indicator that indicates content of the posted chat in response to the second user posting the chat.

13. The machine readable storage device of claim 10 , further causing the computer to perform the step of providing a time indicator that indicates a time that the posted chat was posted in response to the second user posting the chat.

14. The machine readable storage device of claim 10 , wherein the step of alerting the first user comprises sending a respective identifier for each currently active chat session in which the first user has been a participant.

15. The machine readable storage device of claim 10 , wherein the step of alerting the first user further comprises:

determining whether the second user has allowed the first user to receive an alert that the second user has posted the chat; and

alerting the first user that the second user has posted the chat only if the second user has allowed the first user to receive the alert.

16. The machine readable storage device of claim 10 , further causing the computer to perform the step of visually distinguishing each contact for which participation within at least one chat session is being monitored from each contact not being monitored within a contact list of the first user.

17. The machine readable storage device of claim 10 , further causing the computer to perform the step of automatically updating a contact list of the first user with names from saved chats to which the first user has access if the names do not already exist in the contact list.

18. The machine readable storage device of claim 16 , wherein the step of visually distinguishing further comprises, for each contact for which participation within at least one chat session is being monitored, visually indicating whether more than one chat session is being monitored for the contact.

19. A system for managing communications over a network, comprising:

a machine readable storage device, wherein the device is not a signal, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections for a chat session monitor; and

a processor that executes the chat session monitor, wherein the chat session monitor;

receives from a first user a request to monitor user participation within a chat session, wherein the request specifies a second user selected from a contact list of the first user and at least one session identifier correlating to at least one chat session on the network, and the first user is not logged into the chat session nor viewing the chat session;

responsive to the request, monitors each chat session correlated with the at least one session identifier for a chat posted by the second user;

responsive to the second user posting a chat in a selected chat session while the first user is not logged into, nor viewing, the selected chat session, determines whether the first user is granted access to a data repository on which the posted chat resides and alerts the first user via a client communicatively linked to the network that the second user has posted the chat within the selected chat session only if the first user has access to the data repository; and

automatically updates the contact list of the first user with names from each chat session correlated with the at least one session identifier.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the chat session monitor identifies a specific portion of the identified chat session containing the posted chat in response to the second user posting the chat.