A system and method for providing Presence notifications based upon a user's status. According to various embodiments, a Watcher can provide an indication of filtering criteria for incoming Presence information. A network agent can be used to filter unnecessary notifications before they reach the Watcher. Presence notifications can be sent or not sent to a Watcher at certain times based upon the Watcher's availability and/or willingness to receive such notifications. These arrangements optimize Presence traffic by not sending Presence information over a costly radio interface at times when the information would not be useful to the intended recipient of the information.