Networking system and method of gaming with a user of a social network

1. A networking system, comprising:

an entertainment device operable to communicate over a data communication network and operable to run a first application;

a social networking server operable to communicate over the data communication network and operable to supply a second application to a social networking client over the data communication network, the second application being configured for use on a different platform than the first application; and

the social networking client being operable to communicate over the data communication network and being operable to run the second application once received from the social networking server, but being inoperable to run the first application; and in which

in response to a first predetermined event during operation of the first application, the entertainment device is arranged to communicate an alert message to the social networking server over the network, the alert message identifying a user of the social networking client to receive the second application;

the social networking server is arranged to supply the second application to the social networking client of the identified user in response to the alert message from the entertainment device;

in response to a second predetermined event during operation of the second application, the social networking client is arranged to communicate an acknowledgement message to the entertainment device; and

in response to receipt of the acknowledgement message, the entertainment device is arranged to modify the operation of the first application;

wherein the entertainment device is arranged to modify operation of the first application only if the acknowledgement message is received within a predetermined period following transmission of the corresponding alert message.

2. The networking system according to claim 1 , in which the social networking client is an internet browser of a remote device and the data communication network is the internet.

3. The networking system according to claim 1 , in which the networking system comprises:

a game server operable to communicate over the data communication network, and operable to forward the alert message from the entertainment device to the social networking server.

4. The networking system according to claim 1 , in which the alert message comprises origin data for identifying the entertainment device.

5. The networking system according to claim 4 , in which the social networking server is arranged in operation to associate the origin data with the second application supplied to the social networking client.

6. The networking system according to claim 1 , in which the entertainment device is further arranged to modify operation of the first application responsive to the first M acknowledgement messages of a plurality of acknowledgement messages received in respect of the first predetermined event, where M is equal to one or more.

7. The networking system according to claim 1 , in which the social networking client is arranged to communicate the acknowledgement message to the entertainment device via one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. the social networking server; and

ii. a game server operable to communicate over the data communication network.

8. The networking system according to claim 1 , in which the entertainment device implements a default modification to the operation of the first application if the acknowledgment message is not received within a predetermined period following transmission of the alert message.

9. A method of networking, comprising the steps of:

operating a first application on an entertainment device;

detecting a first predetermined event during operation of the first application;

communicating an alert message over a network in response to the detected first predetermined event of the first application, the alert message identifying a user of a social network;

receiving the alert message at a social networking server;

in response to the received alert message, supplying a second application to a social networking client of the identified user, the second application being configured for use on a different platform than the first application, the social networking client being unable to run the first application;

operating the second application on the social networking client;

detecting a second predetermined event during operation of the second application;

communicating an acknowledgement message over the network to the entertainment device in response to the detected second predetermined event of the second application;

receiving the acknowledgement message at the entertainment device; and

modifying the operation of the first application responsive to the acknowledgement message, wherein modifying the operation of the first application is dependent upon detecting that the acknowledgement message was received within a predetermined period following transmission of the alert message.

10. The method of networking according to claim 9 , in which

the social networking client is an internet browser connected to the social networking server; and

the second application is operable to run on the internet browser.

11. The method of networking according to claim 9 , in which the step of communicating an acknowledgement message over the network to the entertainment device comprises routing the acknowledgment message over one or more selected from the list consisting of:

i. the social networking server; and

ii. a game server.

12. The method of networking according to claim 11 , comprising the step of:

associating origin data with the supplied second application.

13. A tangible non-transitory computer program product on which computer readable instructions of a computer program are stored, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of networking, the method comprising:

operating a first application on an entertainment device;

detecting a first predetermined event during operation of the first application;

communicating an alert message over a network in response to the detected first predetermined event of the first application, the alert message identifying a user of a social network;

receiving the alert message at a social networking server;

in response to the received alert message, supplying a second application to a social networking client of the identified user, the second application being configured for use on a different platform than the first application, the social networking client being unable to run the first application;

operating the second application on the social networking client;

detecting a second predetermined event during operation of the second application;

communicating an acknowledgement message over the network to the entertainment device in response to the detected second predetermined event of the second application;

receiving the acknowledgement message at the entertainment device; and

modifying the operation of the first application responsive to the acknowledgement message, wherein modifying the operation of the first application is dependent upon detecting that the acknowledgement message was received within a predetermined period following transmission of the alert message.