System and method for providing a roster list of temporary contacts having expiration periods designated by a user in an instant messaging environment

A method for providing temporary contacts in a messaging environment comprising:

• storing at least one roster list of contacts for at least one user, the contacts corresponding to entities that the at least one user is capable of communicating with via an electronic chat client wherein the at least one roster list includes at least one temporary contact and at least one permanent contact;
• providing to the at least one user current network statuses of the entities associated with the contacts contained in the at least one roster list of the at least one user;
• receiving a request to add a new contact to the at least one roster list of the at least one user so that the at least one user is able to communicate with an entity associated with the newly added contact;
• receiving a designation for the new contact, the designation indicating the new contact is to be a temporary contact, the temporary contact being assigned an expiration period as the temporary contact is added to the at least one roster list and the at least one permanent contact not having an expiration period;
• prior to a scheduled removal of the temporary contact, prompting the at least one user to choose to convert the temporary contact to a permanent contact and to allow the temporary contact to be removed, where the temporary contact has an expiration period that has expired;
• and
• after the expiration period of the temporary contact expires, automatically removing the temporary contact from the at least one roster list of the at least one user.

A computer readable storage medium having a program for providing temporary contacts in a messaging environment, the program having instructions for performing the steps of:

• storing at least one roster list of contacts for at least one user, the contacts corresponding to entities that the at least one user is capable of communicating with via an electronic chat client, wherein the at least one roster list includes at least one temporary contact and at least one permanent contact;
• providing to the at least one user current network statuses of the entities associated with the contacts contained in the at least one roster list of the at least one user;
• receiving a request to add a new contact to the at least one roster list of the at least one user so that the at least one user is able to communicate with an entity associated with the newly added contact;
• receiving a designation for the new contact, the designation indicating the new contact is to be a temporary contact, the temporary contact being assigned an expiration period as the temporary contact is added to the at least one roster list and the at least one permanent contact not having an expiration period;
• prior to a scheduled removal of the temporary contact, prompting the at least one user to choose to convert the temporary contact to a permanent contact and to allow the temporary contact to be removed, where the temporary contact has an expiration period that has expired;
• and
• after the expiration period of the temporary contact expires, automatically removing the temporary contact from the at least one roster list of the at least one user.