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The Corporate Push Into Virtual Worlds: Page 6 of 8

But some companies simply don't want to risk what could be a volatile mixture of corporate values and an anything-goes culture. They prefer to establish their virtual presences in safer environments.

There.com is such a safe virtual harbor. It is designed for a younger audience than Second Life; nearly 70 percent of its 600,000 registered users are between the ages of 13 and 26. The creator of the site, Makena Technologies, screens all content before it is allowed into the world, says Michael Wilson, CEO of Makena. "We're looking for two things: whether the content passes our 'fig leaf' test; and whether it infringes on anyone's intellectual property," says Wilson. "We have a lot of young kids coming into our world, and we don't want them panicked by anything they see."

This more structured approach to a fantasy world appealed to MTV, which established virtual versions of its popular Laguna Beach and The Hills television shows on There.com. "For many mainstream brands, it's very important that they not show up next to flying appendages," says Wilson. "They wouldn't like that at all."

On popular Anarchia Island, avatars fly and teleport in to boogie on the virtual dance floor.

Stagecoach Island virtual world in September 2005, is also concerned about presenting a safe and suitable environment, says Gina Fung, vice president of experiential marketing at Wells Fargo. Because Stagecoach Island targets younger people -- high school and college students -- "we have to be really thoughtful about providing an appropriate platform," she says.

Many believe that codes of behavior will develop naturally, where you will see communities forming just like in the real world: some safe and others more risqué.

"I was trained as a biologist, and most of what we're seeing behaviorally in Second Life is exactly what you would see in a closed isolated environment in real life," says Gartner's Prentice. "As the virtual world develops, there will be cultural stresses and strains and battles over resources, and the society will have to come to terms with how to regulate itself."