Network-based personal contact manager and associated methods

In a network-based system that provides functionality for users to communicate with other users, a computer-implemented method for assisting users in locating other users with which to communicate, the method comprising:

• providing a database that stores, for each user of a plurality of users, information about contacts of the respective user;
• receiving, from a first user of said plurality of users, a search request to search for contacts of contacts of the first user;
• and
• in response to the search request, searching the database to identify a set of users who are contacts of contacts of the first user, and notifying the first user of the set of users.

A network-based contact management system, comprising:

• a user interface that provides functionality for users to specify personal travel plans data, and to specify permissions data that identifies other users that are authorized to be notified of travel events specified within the personal travel plans data;
• a database that stores the personal travel plans data and permissions data specified by the users via the user interface;
• and
• a program module which analyzes the travel plans data in accordance with the permissions data to detect, and notify users of, crossing paths events in which two users are scheduled to be in a common location during travel by at least one of the two users.

A computer-implemented method of facilitating the scheduling of meetings between remote individuals, comprising:

• receiving travel event data that specifies a travel event of a first user;
• identifying a plurality of additional users in an address book data of the first user;
• comparing the travel event data with data reflective of travel schedules of the plurality of additional users to determine whether any of the additional users are scheduled to be within a selected distance of the first user during said travel event;
• and
• in response to detecting a crossing paths event in which an additional user is scheduled to be within said selected distance of the first user during said travel event, notifying the first user of the crossing paths event.