1. A collaborative computing method comprising the steps of: providing a collaborative computing system comprising at least one instant messaging client; initializing said instant message client within a graphical user interface of said collaborative computing system; receiving a search initializing action from said graphical user interface; responsive to said receiving step, presenting search input fields within said graphical user interface; receiving input via said input fields that specifies a search pattern; searching at least one record source for online entities that satisfy said search pattern; and displaying a search result from said searching step within said graphical user interface.