Page "Virtual community" Paragraph 23

This type of virtual community allows for people to not only hold conversations with others in real time, but also to engage and interact with others.

The avatars that users create are like humans.

Users can choose to make avatars like themselves, or take on an entirely different personality than them.

When characters interact with other characters, they can get to know one another not only through text based talking, but also by virtual experience ( such as having avatars go on a date in the virtual world ).

A chat room form of a virtual community may give real time conversations, but people can only talk to one another.

In a virtual world, characters can do activities together, just like friends could do in reality.

Communities in virtual worlds are most similar to real life communities because the characters are physically in the same place, even if the users who are operating the characters are not.

It is close to reality, except that the characters are digital.

Second Life is one of the most popular virtual worlds on the Internet.