When surfing online with a browser operating on a computer or smart phone, users often navigate through web pages and wish to share with others some pages they like. For example, when a user is browsing a web page, she/he may copy the URL in the browser address bar, paste the copied URL link to an instant messaging window (e.g., MSN or QQ) to share the page with a friend chatting in the messaging window in real time. After receiving the URL, the friend may click on the link pasted in the window, and browse the page.
This example of web page sharing requires switching between the browser and the instant messaging tool, which means the user must have installed the instant messaging tool in addition to the browser.