Virtual social identity and consumer behavior

the long version

"The creation and expression of identity (or of multiple identities) in immersive environments is rapidly transforming consumer behavior. The largest social networking site, Second Life, and the gaming-oriented site, World of Warcraft, have tens of millions of registered users ... (real life) companies ... are staking their claim to computer-mediated environments ... such as Second Life ... [in] an attempt to reach and entice the growing flood of consumers occupying these virtual worlds."