You are right, Tony, and as you suspected, interoperability is indeed high on the agenda of corporate virtual world players, Cisco and IBM in particular:
http://www.news.com/2100-1043_3-6213148.html

Just wondering how well that Second Life thing is going for you? Seems like it was more PR hype than anything else. Did the flying giant penises add a lot to the experience?

I believe these virtual worlds are in their infancy and only a fraction of their potential is currently realized.

The potential of these environments was really brought home to me when, as an early participant in Second Life, I managed to make a few hundred bucks from a simple land speculation deal. I sold my Island to a radiologist from New England!

From a marketing communications perspective they create a valuable demographic – technically literate, creative participants and, particularly in the case of Second Life, adults with disposable incomes.

However, I believe the hype cycle around these environments is subsiding – and their relevancy is taking a commensurate hit. What is needed is a platform or standard that can integrate these worlds – so that a single avatar can enjoy multiple Metaverse experiences. The ability for your avatar to travel from World of Warcraft to Second Life or from Club Penguin to Gaia will really explode the marketing potential. I hope – following on similar initiatives and calls to action, such as Electronic Arts call for an open gaming platform or Google’s recent OpenSocial initiative – that someone, somewhere in the Metaverse is working on such a thing. . . . .

I very much agree, Aedhmar. Cisco has strengthened our social media presence over the last 12 months by creating an ecosystem of online communications tools to support our various communities. For example, we launched a virtual worlds blog to discuss immersive environments and we regularly hold events in Second Life to bring that community together in a meaningful way. Text 100 has been a great partner in connecting our social presence.