Persistent network resource and virtual area associations for realtime collaboration

1. A method in a network communication environment comprising a network service implemented by at least one server network node and supporting realtime communications between communicants who are present in a virtual area, including a user operating a first client network node and a communicant operating a second client network node, the method comprising:

displaying, by the first client network node, a graphical user interface comprising graphical representations of the virtual area, the communicants who are present in the virtual area, and an object associated with the virtual area;

displaying, by the first client network node, on a section separate from the virtual area, graphical representations of communicants in a current zone of the virtual area, including the user, the communicant operating the second client network node, and at least another communicant not in the virtual area;

based on user input received in connection with the graphical representation of the object, retrieving, by the first client network node, data from a network resource identified by a uniform resource identifier (URI) currently associated with the object;

rendering, by the first client network node, the retrieved data in the graphical user interface as a first view of the data sourced from the network resource identified by the URI and screen sharing the first view between the communicants;

based on receipt of a change of control indication from the second client network, stopping the controlling by the first client network node,

controlling, by the second client network node, views of the data retrieved from the network resource identified by the URI; and

in the graphical user interface, presenting a different view of data sourced from the network resource identified by the URI currently associated with the object and screen sharing the different view between the communicants, wherein the different view is controlled by the second client network node,

wherein

the change of the control indication is further used by the second client network node to unsubscribe from the data retrieved by the first client network node.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first client network node transmits the first view of the retrieved data to the second client network node.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first view of the retrieved data is transmitted transmitting based on receipt of an indication that the second client network node is subscribed to data retrieved by the first client network node in connection with the object.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first client network node transmits the URI currently associated with the object to the second network node.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the URI currently associated with the object identifies a network resource configured to synchronize views of data associated with the network resource for all client network nodes concurrently sharing the network resource.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, based on receipt of the change of control indication, subscribing, by the first client network node, to data retrieved by the second network node in connection with the object.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the change of control indication comprises instructions from the network service that configure the first network node to stop the controlling and to retrieve views of the data from the network resource that are controlled by the second client network node.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least another communicant not in the virtual area displayed the section of the graphical user interface separate from the virtual area is on a contact list of the user.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising,

based on user input received in connection with the graphical representation of the object, concurrently with the presenting the different view of the retrieved data from the network resource identified by the URI currently associated with the object, opening, by the second client network node, a separate private view of the retrieved data in another graphical user interface.

10. A method in a network communication environment comprising a network service implemented by at least one server network node and supporting realtime communications between communicants who are present in a virtual area, including a user operating a first client network node and a communicant operating a second client network node, the method comprising

by the first client network node:

displaying a graphical user interface comprising graphical representations of the virtual area, the communicants who are present in the virtual area, and an object associated with the virtual area;

displaying on a section separate from the virtual area, graphical representations of communicants in a current zone of the virtual area, including the user, the communicant operating the second client network node, and at least another communicant not in the virtual area;

based on user input received in connection with the graphical representation of the object, presenting in the graphical user interface a view of data retrieved by the second client network node and sourced from a network resource identified by a uniform resource identifier (URI) currently associated with the object, wherein the view is controlled by the second client network node; and

based on receipt of a change of control indication, stopping the presenting, further unsubscribing from the data retrieved by the second client network node, and retrieving data from a network resource identified by a URI currently associated with the object,

rendering the retrieved data in the graphical user interface, and

controlling views of the retrieved data presented on the second client network node,

wherein the graphical user interface comprises a first section and a second section different from the first section, and the presenting comprises presenting by the first client network node the views controlled by the second client network node in the first section of the graphical user interface and, in the second section of the graphical user interface, displaying image data being transmitted between the first and second network nodes.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the controlling comprises, by the first network node, transmitting the views of the retrieved data to the second network node.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the transmitting is performed based on receipt of an indication that the second network node is subscribed to data retrieved by the first network node in connection with the object.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the controlling comprises transmitting the URI currently associated with the object to the second network node.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the retrieving comprises retrieving the data from a network resource configured to synchronize views of data associated with the network resource for all client network nodes concurrently sharing the network resource.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, based on receipt of the change of control indication, subscribing to data retrieved by the first network node in connection with the object.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the change of control indication comprises user input that configures the first network node to perform the stopping, the retrieving, the rendering, and the controlling.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the displaying comprises, in the second section of the graphical user interface, displaying an image-based representation of the communicant operating the second client network node and controlling the views presented in the first section of the graphical user interface.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, based on user input received in connection with the graphical representation of the object, concurrently with the presenting retrieving data from the network resource identified by the URI currently associated with the object and opening a separate view of the retrieved data in another graphical user interface.

19. A method in a network communication environment comprising a network service implemented by at least one server network node and supporting realtime communications between communicants who are present in a virtual area, including a user operating a first client network node and a communicant operating a second client network node, the method comprising

by the first client network node:

displaying a graphical user interface comprising graphical representations of the virtual area, the communicants who are present in the virtual area, and an object associated with the virtual area, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a first section and a second section different from the first section;

displaying on a section separate from the virtual area, graphical representations of communicants in a current zone of the virtual area, including the user, the communicant operating the second client network node, and at least another communicant not in the virtual area;

based on receipt of a data subscription indication, presenting in the first section of the graphical user interface a view of data sourced from a network resource identified by a uniform resource identifier (URI) currently associated with the object, wherein the view is controlled by the second client network node;

in the second section of the graphical user interface, showing image data being transmitted between the first and second network nodes; and

concurrently with the presenting the view of the data from the network resource identified by the URI currently associated with the object, opening a separate view of the data in another graphical user interface.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the showing comprises, in the second section of the graphical user interface, showing an image-based representation of the communicant operating the second client network node and controlling the views presented in the first section of the graphical user interface.