Sharing of media using contact data

An apparatus, comprising:

• a network interface capable of being coupled to a network;
• a persistent data storage interface facilitating access to one or more media items and contact records of a user of the apparatus, wherein each of the contact records includes a contact address of a person associated with the respective contact record;
• a processor coupled to the network interface and the persistent data storage interface and configured with instructions that cause the apparatus to,
• associate the contact records with the media items;
• communicate, via the network, the contact records and media items to a media sharing service to which the user is registered, wherein the persons associated with the contact records are not previously registered with the media sharing service;
• and
• facilitate sending of notifications that describe sharing of the media items to the persons associated with the one or more contact records via the media sharing service, wherein at least one of the notifications is sent via a least disruptive messaging type associated with an address selected, by the media sharing service, from two or more contact addresses of a person associated with a selected one of the contact records, and wherein the notifications facilitate access to the media items via the media sharing service.

An apparatus comprising:

• a network interface capable of being coupled to a network;
• a processor coupled to the network interface and configured with instructions that cause the apparatus to,
• receive, via the network, one or more contact records from a personal electronic device of a user registered with a sharing service, wherein each of the contact records includes a contact address of a person associated with the respective contact record, wherein the persons associated with the contact records are not previously registered with the sharing service;
• receive one or more media items from the user, wherein each of the media items is associated with one or more contact records;
• send, via the network, a notification that describes sharing of the media items to the persons associated with the one or more contact records, wherein the notification includes an access code unique to each of the respective persons;
• and
• facilitate access to the media items via the sharing service by each of the persons associated with the contact records based on the respective access codes, wherein the respective access codes further allow each of the persons to access other content on the sharing service shared to each of the persons by other users registered with the media sharing service.

A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon which are executable by an apparatus capable of being coupled to a network for performing:

• storing, in a persistent data storage of the apparatus, one or more media items and one or more contact records of a user of the apparatus, wherein each of the contact records includes a contact address of a person associated with the respective contact record;
• associating the contact records with the media items;
• communicating the contact records and media items to a media sharing service via the network to which the user is registered, wherein the persons associated with the contact records are not previously registered with the media sharing service;
• and
• facilitating sending of notifications that describe sharing of the media items associated with the contact record to the persons associated with the one or more contact records via the media sharing service, wherein the notifications facilitate access to the media items via the media sharing service by the persons associated with the contact records, and wherein at least one of the notifications is sent via a least disruptive messaging type associated with an address selected, by the media sharing service, from two or more contact addresses of a person associated with a selected one of the contact records.

A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon which are executable by an apparatus capable of being coupled to a network for performing:

• receiving, via the network, one or more contact records from a personal electronic device of a user registered with a sharing service, wherein each of the contact records includes a contact address of a person associated with the respective contact record, and wherein the persons associated with the contact records are not previously registered with the sharing service;
• receiving, via the network, one or more media items from the user, wherein each of the media items is associated with the one or more contact records;
• sending, via the network, notifications that describe sharing of the media items to the persons associated with the one or more contact records, wherein each of the notifications includes an access code unique to each of the respective persons;
• and
• facilitating access to the media items via the sharing service by the persons associated with the contact records based on the respective access codes, wherein the respective access codes further allow each of the persons to access other content on the sharing service shared to each of the persons by other users registered with the sharing service.

A system comprising:

• means for identifying contact records on personal electronic devices of users registered with a media sharing service, wherein each of the contact records includes a contact address of a person associated with the respective contact record;
• means for associating one or more of the contact records with media items;
• means for sending notifications that describe sharing of the media items to the persons associated with the one or more contact records, wherein the each of notifications include an access code unique to the respective persons to which the notification is sent;
• means for facilitating access to the media items via the media sharing service by the persons associated with the contact records in response to the persons receiving the notification based on the access code;
• and
• means for facilitating, based on the access code, access to other content of the media sharing service shared to the person by other users registered with the media sharing service.