I was thinking that on your profile or by your name you could have some sort of symbol up there that lets other people know if you are online or not because otherwise if you want to talk to your freinds you dont know if they're online or not.
That would be a good idea, but it would be easier to know if a person is logged on or not showing they are online/offline. In that case, it woud be great to add an-auto logout program if the user is idol for X amount of minutes. There should be a symbol next to your armatar or name, with a little yellow lightning bolt if you are online and a gray one if you are offline. It certainly tell you when is a good time to talk to your friends. Maybe when you are online you could put in little symbols by your name meaning things like: busy, available, tired, or something like that.