System and method for enabling a user to control a context of a client device of a buddy in a social network

1 . A method comprising:

retrieving a profile of a given user;

using the profile to identify a buddy of the given user;

delivering a shared control request of the given user to a buddy device of the buddy;

enabling the buddy to accept or reject the shared control request; and

allowing the given user to control a context of the buddy device when the buddy accepts the shared control request.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the using the profile to identify the buddy comprises:

identifying one or more instant messaging applications to which the given user subscribes as indicated in the profile;

identifying one or more other users in the one or more instant messaging applications; and

designating one of the other users as the buddy.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising selecting the buddy from the one or more other users by the given user.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the using the profile to identify the buddy comprises:

retrieving one or more characteristics of the given user as indicated in the profile;

examining one or more other user profiles to identify another user with characteristics similar to the given user; and

designating the other user with the similar characteristics as the buddy.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the shared control request comprises a request to allow the given user to control one or more content items displayed on the buddy device.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising propagating the context of the given user to the buddy that accepted the shared control request.

7 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the propagating comprises propagating a change in context of the given user to the buddy that accepted the shared control request.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the context comprises a notion of the action that the user is performing at a given point in time.

9 . A system comprising:

a content store for storing content items;

a given user device coupled to the content store and operative to enable selection and presentation of content items stored in the content store to a given user;

an other-user device coupled to the content store and operative to enable selection and presentation of content items stored in the content store to another user; and

a content distribution server operative to identify the other user as being a buddy of the given user, to receive a shared control request from the given user device, to deliver the shared control request to the other-user device, to receive an acceptance or a rejection to the shared control request from the other-user device, and to allow the given user to control a context of the other-user device when an acceptance is received.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the content store is maintained on the content distribution server.

11 . The system of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of the content store is maintained external to the content distribution server.

12 . The system of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the given user device and the other-user device includes one of a personal computer, a set top box, or a personal digital assistant.

13 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the content distribution server includes a profile data store for storing identification of buddies of a given user.

14 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the content distribution server is operative to propagate a content item selected by the given user to the given user device and the other-user device.

15 . The system of claim 9 ,

further comprising a second other-user device coupled to the content store and operative to enable selection and presentation of content items stored in the content store to a second other user; and

wherein the content distribution server is operative to identify the second other user as being a second buddy of the given user, to receive a second shared control request from the given user device, to deliver the shared control request to the second other-user device, to receive an acceptance or a rejection to the shared control request from the second other-user device, and to allow the given user to control the context of the second other-user device when an acceptance is received.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the content distribution server is operative to propagate a content item selected by the given user to the other-user device and to the second other-user device.

17 . A system comprising:

retrieving means for retrieving a profile of a given user;

identifying means for identifying a buddy in a social network with the given user;

delivering means for delivering a shared control request of the given user to the buddy;

enabling means for enabling the buddy to accept or reject the shared control request; and

allowing means for allowing the given user to control a client device context of the buddy when the buddy accepts the shared control request.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the retrieving means includes a profile component coupled to a profile store that stores profiles of users.

19 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the identifying means includes a messaging component in communication with a messenger application on the given user device.

20 . The system of claim 17 ,wherein the identifying means includes a messaging component that examines the other user profiles to identify the subset of the other users having characteristics in common with the given user.

21 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the delivering means, enabling means and allowing means each include at least a portion of a TV application component, the TV application component being in communication with the given user device and the other-user device, the TV application component having access to a content data store and controlling the distribution of content items from the content data store to the given user device and the other-user device.