Social Network Media Sharing with Client Library

A computer-implemented method for accessing media content shared with a social network, the computer-implemented method comprising performing computer-implemented operations for:

• sending, from the social network to a user, a command to utilize shared media content;
• obtaining information identifying the shared media content and initiating a search for determining whether the user has access to an authorized copy of the shared media content, the search being based upon the information identifying the shared media content;
• providing a user interface control to utilize the shared media content in response to determining that the user has access to the authorized copy of the shared media content;
• and
• providing a user interface control to obtain the authorized copy of the shared media content in response to determining the user does not have access to the authorized copy of the shared media content.

An optical disk, magnetic storage device, or solid state storage device having executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

• receive a request from a first user of a social network to access shared media content associated with a second user of the social network;
• in response to receiving the request,
• retrieve metadata associated with the shared media content, and
• determine whether the first user has access to an authorized copy of the shared media content, by
• generating a query for searching a data storage device local to a computer associated with the first user, the query being based upon the metadata associated with the shared media content, and
• submitting the query to an application to determine if the data storage device stores the authorized copy of the shared media content;
• cause one or more user interface controls to be provided for utilizing the shared media content in response to determining that the first user has access to the authorized copy of the shared media content, and
• cause one or more user interface controls to be provided for obtaining the authorized copy of the shared media content in response to determining the first user does not have access to the authorized copy of the shared media content.