System and method for impromptu shared communication spaces

A computer program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism embedded therein, the computer program mechanism comprising:

• instructions for identifying a set of users, each user of the set of users having submitted a search query related to a first topic to a search engine used for locating resources on the Internet;
• instructions for dynamically creating a shared communication space for the set of users, wherein the shared communication space is selected from a group consisting of a chat room, a web page, a pop-up window, a separate application window, and a shared white board;
• instructions for automatically providing invitations to the set of users to join the shared communication space after the creation of the shared communication space;
• instructions for identifying, for each user of the set of users, communication permissions with respect to the shared communication space, wherein the communication permissions for a respective user specify:
• one or more information types which are permitted for receipt by the user, and
• one or more other information types for which receipt by the user is restricted;
• and
• instructions for enabling communication by at least a subset of the set of users that have accepted the invitation within the shared communication space in accordance with the communication permissions.

A system for processing messages, comprising:

• memory;
• a processor;
• and
• at least one program, stored in the memory and executed by the processor, the at least one program including instructions for:
• identifying a set of users, each user of the set of users having submitted a search query related to a first topic to a search engine used for locating resources on the Internet;
• dynamically creating a shared communication space for the set of users, wherein the shared communication space is selected from a group consisting of a chat room, a web page, a pop-up window, a separate application window, and a shared white board;
• automatically providing invitations to the set of users to join the shared communication space after the creation of the shared communication space;
• identifying, for each user in the set of users, communication permissions with respect to the shared communication space, wherein the communication permissions for a respective user specify:
• one or more information types which are permitted for receipt by the user, and
• one or more other information types for which receipt by the user is restricted;
• and
• enabling communication by at least a subset of the set of users that have accepted the invitation within the shared communication space in accordance with the communication permissions.

A system for providing communications, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• memory storing one or more programs to be executed by the one or more processors;
• the system including:
• means for identifying a set of users, each user of the set of users having submitted a search query related to a first topic to a search engine used for locating resources on the Internet;
• means for dynamically creating a shared communication space for the set of users, wherein the shared communication space is selected from a group consisting of a chat room, a web page, a pop-up window, a separate application window, and a shared white board;
• means for automatically providing invitations to the set of users to join the shared communication space after the creation of the shared communication space;
• means for identifying, for each user in the set of users, communication permissions with respect to the shared communication space, wherein the communication permissions for a respective user specify:
• one or more information types which are permitted for receipt by the user, and
• one or more other information types for which receipt by the user is restricted;
• and
• means for enabling communication by at least a subset of the set of users that have accepted the invitation within the shared communication space in accordance with the communication permissions.