An operating state of a motor vehicle is connected to a respective operating state of at least one vehicle-external device via a server device. The motor vehicle makes available event data via an event channel and/or receives triggering data via a triggering channel, and the at least one vehicle-external device respectively makes available event data via an event channel and/or receives triggering data via a triggering channel. As a result at least one channel pair which connects the motor vehicle to in one of the at least one vehicle-external device is made available, and at least one linking rule is defined by an input device, each linking rule specifying respectively predetermined triggering data for the channel pair which is made available, the triggering data being output via the triggering channel of the channel pair if predetermined event data is received via the event channel of the channel pair.