How do I check the online status or active status of a gmail user?

[sunflow...@gmail.com]

Is there a way to check if another gmail user is online? Or, if I know
the email address of a gmail user, is there a way I can find out if
there account is active? The reason I ask is because I have been trying
to get in touch with a friend of mine that has a gmail email address,
and have not received a reply, so I'd like to find out if there account
is still active, and if there is a way I could tell when they are
online, logged onto there gmail account?

[Ryan Morehart]

You can request permission to chat with them (hover over their name and click "Chat"), which will allow you to see their online status. However, there's no real way to ensure they are using their email, as they could just deny your request to chat.

Ryan