System and method for presence enabled electronic mail folders

An electronic messaging device, comprising:

• a processing system including a storage medium containing computer executable components of:
• a graphical user interface module;
• a sorting criteria module for setting presence sorting criteria on a display controlled via said GUI module;
• and
• a presence information module for providing presence information to other electronic messaging devices, the providing including via e-mail including a key allowing access to presence information according to predetermined criteria, the key including a predetermined period of access by which a recipient of the e-mail may be authorized to receive presence information regarding a sender of the e-mail in response to a presence server determining that the key is valid.

A telecommunications method, comprising:

• in a first network client,
• providing presence information associated with an e-mail message, the e-mail message including a key allowing access to presence information according to predetermined criteria, the key including a predetermined period of access by which a recipient of the e-mail message may be authorized to receive presence information regarding a sender of the e-mail in response to a presence server determining that the key is valid;
• in a second network client,
• formatting an e-mail message folder based on said presence information;
• and
• displaying said e-mail message folder with said presence information.

A telecommunications method, comprising:

• providing a network;
• providing a plurality of network messaging client devices;
• wherein at least one of said plurality of network messaging client devices is adapted to provide presence information to others of said plurality of network messaging client devices in conjunction with an e-mail message, the e-mail message including a key allowing access to presence information according to predetermined criteria, the key including a predetermined period of access by which a recipient client device of the e-mail message may be authorized to receive presence information regarding a sender of the e-mail message in response to a presence server determining that the key is valid;
• wherein another of said plurality of network client devices comprises a recipient device of an e-mail message and is adapted to request presence information from a presence information providing device upon receipt of said e-mail message, and to format and display an e-mail message folder based on said presence information.