3-Dimensional Chat Worlds: Interacting and Exploring

Within the realms of cyberspace, you can find any number of online chat rooms that enable you to communicate in real time with people all over the world. While some chat services now offer the feature of voice chat, allowing visitors to speak to others while also allowing text messaging, the ultimate in chat technology would be that of 3-D chat. 3-Dimensional Chat provides not only the means to text message to other members, but to also see and interact with their 'avatar', which is a representation of them. By joining 3-D Chat, you often have to download the software that will enable to move around in an environment as well as build objects in that world.

Once downloaded, you select a user name I.D. and join in an introductory tutorial such as how to move and where to find things.
Some basic features all 3-D chat offers are;

Text chat. Like regular chat rooms, you can type out your sentences to enter conversations with one or more members. This text will either appear in the 3D world as a text bubble, or show up on member's monitor in a chat window.

Voice chat. With the use of a headset or microphone, you can easily talk to people you see in the 3D environment.

Interact with others. Some 3-D chat will not only allow you to move and take action in the 3D world, but also interact with other members by hugging, fighting, or some other form of interaction between the avatars. Games, adventure, and more are there for the taking.

Interact with the 3-D environment. Some chat worlds allow for clicking and moving objects, building, and building objects. In Second Life, you can find cars to drive, books to read, and movies to watch.

Choice of avatars. Become someone else in the world of 3D. You do not have to remain human. In Activeworlds, some avatars include dragons, crabs, or robots. Second Life offers high-end avatars similar to famous celebrities, while allowing for choices to be animals, or even objects.

Virtual homes. A virtual home can get huge, such as a castle or even your own city. Generally for 'members only', this service of real estate requires that of real money. You pay a monthly fee to become a member. With some online worlds, you have to enter into a Sim economy, while other 3-D chat worlds offer you a free virtual house. From here, you buy and setup your home with your own taste for decor.

The more popular 3-D chat worlds include Second Life (http://www.secondlife.com/) and Activeworlds (http://www.activeworlds.com/). Both provide very much the same services and features, including the ability to build within the chat world. Secondlife, however, includes a unique economy, which allows users to build and then sell their items. Some members buy, develop, and sell virtual land, becoming virtual real estate agents. Others open shops to sell clothes, skins, jewelry, cars, or just about anything you can create in the Build worlds.

Both sites include free software you will need to download in which to enter the 3-Dimensional worlds, with the option of remaining free as a tourist, or purchasing a monthly membership to become a citizen. Once setup, you can then find museums, dancing clubs, libraries, and online collages. Enter worlds of fantasy or science fiction, or explore a number of 'Sims' for educational purposes such as libraries. These communities are vast and endless, with members from all over the world. With so much to explore, and so many people to meet, you will find an endless amount of fun in 3D.