In the
Jabber open-source
instant messaging system, a type of message sent to express the current state of a user or resource (such as online, offline, away, free for chat, etc.). Represented in the
Jabber protocol by the
<presence/> XML tag. This tag may contain an expression of the client's current state, a textual status message, an integer
priority, and zero or more
extension tags.
When a Jabber client sends its presence to the server, the server automatically forwards it to every user on the client user's roster. Clients can also send presence on a peer-to-peer basis if desired.