Virtual Worlds Forum

More from the virtuality / mobility crossover: operator Orange has opened Orange Island within Second Life, taking a different tack to Vodafone's recent debut of Inside Out. Instead of letting SL users make virtual calls, Orange is trying to build more of a community experience. The island is the work of agency Metaversatility, which will be helping Orange's team on new projects and content going forward. Events will include basic building and texture burning classes, a Halloween celebration, camera control tutorials, and 'Metaverse Explorers' tours of the wider SL world. Oh, and a virtual sailing regatta. I'm particularly interested in Orange's separate plans to integrate its Soundtribes music community into Orange Island, while also fostering links with its Pikeo photo-sharing service. One of the recurring themes at the Virtual Worlds Forum Europe conference was this convergence with social networking and user-generated content services, so Orange is clearly aiming to be at the forefront. I've just been nosing around the world - you can see photos above and by clicking the 'Read More' link, while a direct link is provided by the SLurl below. Orange Island SLurl (via SLNN)