Method, apparatus and system for management of information content for enhanced accessibility over wireless communication networks

1. A method for managing information content in a network-based communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a first web-based interface accessible to a first user, the first web-based interface being configured to permit the first user to activate a given mobile information channel for sharing content between the first user and one or more additional users; and

generating a second web-based interface different than the first web-based interface, wherein the second web-based interface provides each of the one or more additional users access to at least a portion of the shared content via the given mobile information channel to thereby facilitate interaction between the first user and the one or more additional users;

wherein the given mobile information channel supports messaging between the first user and the one or more additional users over a wireless network; and

wherein the mobile information channel is configured to permit the first user to send messaging content to the one or more additional users and to receive messaging content from the one or more additional users.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web-based interface is configured to permit the first user to designate accessibility rules controlling access of said one or more additional users to respective portions of the shared content.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web-based interface comprises a content management web site and the second web-based interface comprises a mobile web site accessible independently of the content management web site via one or more mobile devices.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web-based interface is configured to permit the first user to selectively specify a first portion of said shared content as having a published status and a second portion of said shared content as having an unpublished status, and wherein the second web-based interface provides said one or more additional users with access to the first portion of said shared content that the first user has specified in the first web-based interface as having the published status and does not provide said one or more additional users with access to the second portion of said shared content that the first user has specified in the first web-based interface as having the unpublished status.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the shared content comprises a plurality of content items and the first web-based interface is configured to permit the first user to selectively specify one of a published status and an unpublished status for each of said content items, the second web-based interface providing access to those of the content items that the first user has specified in the first web-based interface as having the published status and not providing access to those of the content items that the first user has specified in the first web-based interface as having the unpublished status.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web-based interface is identified by a first uniform resource locator and the second web-based interface is identified by a second uniform resource locator different than the first uniform resource locator.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the shared content is obtained from a device-captured data source of the first user, said device-captured data source comprising a source of at least one of device-captured video data, device-captured image data, device-captured audio data and device-captured location coordinates.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web-based interface permits the first user to upload at least one information item, and wherein the second web-based interface provides said one or more additional users with access to said at least one uploaded information item in accordance with accessibility rules established by the first user via the first web-based interface.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more additional users comprise individuals that with the first user and by mutual consent collectively comprise a group of members that have access to at least a portion of said shared content via the second web-based interface.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied therein executable code of one or more software programs for use in managing information content in a network-based communication system, wherein said executable program code when executed by a processing element of the communication system implements the steps of the method of claim 1 .

11. An apparatus for use in managing information content in a network-based communication system, the apparatus comprising:

a processing element comprising a processor coupled to a memory;

the processing element providing at least a portion of a first web-based interface accessible to a first user, the first web-based interface being configured to permit the first user to activate a given mobile information channel for sharing content between the first user and one or more additional users;

the processing element generating a second web-based interface different than the first web-based interface, wherein the second web-based interface provides each of the one or more additional users access to at least a portion of the shared content via the given mobile information channel to thereby facilitate interaction between the first user and the one or more additional users;

wherein the given mobile information channel supports messaging between the first user and the one or more additional users over a wireless network; and

wherein the mobile information channel is configured to permit the first user to send messaging content to the one or more additional users and to receive messaging content from the one or more additional users.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first web-based interface is configured to permit the first user to designate accessibility rules controlling access of said one or more additional users to respective portions of the shared content.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the processing element comprises at least one server.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the server is accessible over the Internet via a network interface.

15. A network-based communication system, comprising:

a plurality of servers configured to communicate over a network;

at least one of the servers providing at least a portion of a first web-based interface accessible to a first user, the first web-based interface being configured to permit the first user to activate a given mobile information channel for sharing content between the first user and one or more additional users;

wherein said at least one server generates a second web-based interface different than the first web-based interface, wherein the second web-based interface provides each of the one or more additional users access to at least a portion of the shared content via the given mobile information channel to thereby facilitate interaction between the first user and the one or more additional users;

wherein the given mobile information channel supports messaging between the first user and the one or more additional users over a wireless network; and

wherein the mobile information channel is configured to permit the first user to send messaging content to the one or more additional users and to receive messaging content from the one or more additional users.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining a contact list for the given mobile information channel, the contact list comprising the one or more additional users.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising distributing advertising content to the one or more additional users via the given mobile information channel.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein distributing advertising content comprises inserting advertising content along with messaging content in the given mobile information channel.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the second web-based interface is configured to provide at least a portion of the shared content to the one or more additional users utilizing one of a short message service (SMS) and a multimedia message service (MMS).

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the given mobile information channel comprises a chat channel.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the messaging content comprises personalized messaging content for the first user.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the given mobile information channel integrates location-based service information of the wireless network with the personalized messaging content.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the messaging content comprises at least one of an image, a video, a short message service (SMS) message and a multimedia message service (MMS) message.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the messaging content comprises at least one of announcements, notes, surveys, promotions and contests.

25. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the shared content is authored by the first user.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the first web-based interface is configured to allow the first user to title the given mobile information channel.

27. A method comprising:

generating a given mobile information channel for sharing content authored by a first user with one or more additional users; and

providing each of the one or more additional users access to at least a portion of the shared content via the given mobile information channel to facilitate interaction between the first and additional users;

wherein the given mobile information channel supports messaging between the first user and the one or more additional users over a wireless network; and

wherein the mobile information channel is configured to permit the first user to send messaging content to the one or more additional users and to receive messaging content from the one or more additional users.