Providing presence cues to telephone users

A significant problem with telephone communication is that callers do not have enough awareness about the Personal Presence of people they want to call. The result can be unwanted, interrupting calls. The live addressbook is an application that helps users make more informed telephone calls and teleconferences, from anywhere, via their wireless PDA or desktop browser. Unlike other networkbased address books, which maintain static information, the live addressbook can display dynamic information about where the recipient currently is (i.e., reach number), and how available he/she currently is for calls. The system accomplishes this by applying to telephony the "Buddy List" concepts made popular in Instant Messaging applications. User trials assess the applicability of Personal Presence information in a telephone context. Keywords Presence, Awareness, Telecommunication, Mobility

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2000
• Where: CSCW
• Authors: Allen E. Milewski, Thomas M. Smith
• Keywords: CSCW 2000, Informed Telephone Calls, Live Addressbook, Personal Presence, Social Sciences