Integrating communications

1. An arrangement comprising:

a user terminal installed with a client application for access a first communication system, and further installed with a web-browser for accessing a second communication system, the first communication system configured to maintain a first group of first contacts comprising users of the first communication system, and the second communication system configured to maintain a second group of second contacts comprising users of the second communication system, the first group of first contacts different than the second group of second contacts;

the client application configured to:

establish a contact-sharing channel with the second communication system;

fetch, using the contact-sharing channel, contact information of one or more of the second contacts and an activity feed providing information on recent activity performed by the one or more of the second contacts;

display at least part of the activity feed within a user interface of the client application, the at least part of the activity feed comprising at least two recent activities performed by at least two different second contacts, the recent activities time-ordered such that a most-recent activity is displayed first in the activity feed;

display a control proximate each of the at least two recent activities of the activity feed, each control configured to initiate a communication with a respective one of the at least two different second contacts associated with the recent activity of the activity feed that is proximate to the control; and

in response to a selection of a respective one of the controls, establish a communication with an associated second contact via the first communication system based at least in part on the fetched contact information.

2. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the client application is configured to automatically maintain a list of the fetched contact information without requiring a user to initiate an operation to re-import contact information from the second communication system.

3. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein:

the first communication system is configured to require users to be accepted as contacts to communicate with one another, and the second communication system is configured to require users to be accepted as contacts to communicate with one another, and the client application is configured to establish said communication via the first communication system based on acceptance of the associated second contact as a contact within the second communication, without requiring acceptance of the associated second contact as a contact within the first communication system.

4. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the fetched contact information further includes presence information providing information regarding an availability of one or more of the second contacts for communication.

5. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the client application is configured to poll the second communication system for updates to the fetched contact information.

6. The arrangement of claim 5 , wherein the client application is configured to perform said polling periodically.

7. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the first communication system comprises a voice and/or video over internet protocol (VoIP) communication system accessible via a VoIP client and the Internet, and wherein the first group of first contacts includes users of the VoIP communication system.

8. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the second communication system comprises a social-networking communication system accessible via the web-browser and the Internet.

9. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the client application is configured, based on at least part of the fetched contact information, to provide an option of adding at least one of the second contacts to the first group of first contacts.

10. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the client application is configured, based on at least part of the fetched contact information, to generate an invitation to at least one of the second contacts to join the first communication system.

11. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the fetched contact information comprises a username identifying at least one of the second contacts within the second communication system, and wherein said communication is established based on the username.

12. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the fetched contact information comprises a telephone number of at least one of the second contacts, and wherein said communication is established based on the telephone number.

13. A method of accessing a first communication system of a first communication provider via a communication client application and a packet-based network, the first communication system configured to maintain a first group of first contacts comprising users of the first communication system, the method comprising:

establishing a contact-sharing channel with a second communication system of a second communication provider, the second communication system accessible via an independently executable web-browser and the packet-based network, and the second communication system configured to maintain a second group of second contacts comprising users of the second communication system;

fetching, using the contact-sharing channel, contact information of one or more of the second contacts and an activity feed providing information on recent activity performed by the one or more of the second contacts;

displaying at least part of the activity feed within a user interface of the client application, the at least part of the activity feed comprising at least two recent activities performed by at least two different second contacts, the recent activities time-ordered such that a most-recent activity is displayed first in the activity feed;

displaying a control proximate each of the at least two recent activities of the activity feed, each control configured to initiate a communication with a respective one of the at least two different second contacts associated with the recent activity of the activity feed that is proximate to the control; and

in response to a selection of a respective one of the controls, establishing a communication with an associated second contact via the first communication system based at least in part on the fetched contact information, the first group of first contacts different than the second group of second contacts.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the client application automatically maintains a list of the fetched contact information without requiring a user to initiate an operation to re-import contact information from the second communication system.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein:

the first communication system is configured to require users to be accepted as contacts to communicate with one another, and the second communication system is configured to require users to be accepted as contacts to communicate with one another, and the method further comprises establishing said communication via the first communication system based on acceptance of the at least one second contact as a contact within the second communication, without requiring acceptance of the associated second contact as a contact within the first communication system.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the fetched contact information further includes presence information providing information regarding an availability of one or more of the second contacts for communication.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising polling the second network apparatus for updates to the fetched contact information.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the client application is configured to perform said polling periodically.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first communication system comprises a network apparatus of a voice and/or video over internet protocol (VoIP) provider which provides a VoIP communication system accessible via a VoIP client and the Internet, and wherein the first group of contacts includes users of the VoIP communication system.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second communication system comprises a network apparatus of a partner social-networking provider, the social-networking provider configured to provide a social-networking communication system accessible via the web-browser and the Internet.

21. The method of claim 13 , further comprising providing, based on at least part of the fetched contact information, an option of adding at least one of the second contacts to the first group of first contacts.

22. The method of claim 13 , further comprising generating, based on at least part of the fetched contact information, an invitation to at least one of the second contacts to join the first communication system.

23. The method of claim 13 , wherein the fetched contact information comprises a username identifying at least one of the second contacts within the second communication system, and wherein said communication is established based on the username.

24. The method of claim 13 , wherein the fetched contact information comprises a telephone number of at least one of the second contacts, and wherein said communication is established based on the telephone number.

25. A storage device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, implement a client application for accessing a first communication system of a first communication provider via a packet-based network, the first communication system configured to maintain a first group of first contacts comprising users of the first communication system, the client application configured to:

establish a contact-sharing channel with a second communication system of a second communication provider, the second communication system accessible via an independently executable web-browser and the packet-based network, and the second communication system configured to maintain a second group of second contacts comprising users of the second communication system;

fetch, using the contact-sharing channel, contact information of one or more of the second contacts and an activity feed providing information on recent activity performed by the one or more of the second contacts;

display at least part of the activity feed within a user interface of the client application, the at least part of the activity feed comprising at least two recent activities performed by at least two different second contacts, the recent activities time-ordered such that a most-recent activity is displayed first in the activity feed;

display a control proximate each of the at least two recent activities of the activity feed, each control configured to initiate a communication with a respective one of the at least two different second contacts associated with the recent activity of the activity feed that is proximate to the control; and

in response to a selection of a respective one of the controls, establish a communication with an associated second contact via the first communication system based at least in part on the fetched contact information, the first group of first contacts different than the second group of second contacts.