I was accepted as a beta-test user on There, a virtual world in which you play and talk with other people.

I spent about an hour online, including at least one 20-minute chunk of time just walking aimlessly, bored. The graphics were very nice, but I couldn't look up or down to get a full view of what was in front of me - or even to see if there was someone higher up on the mountain.

Maybe I entered during a slow period; there wasn't much going on. Various people doing that small-talk chatting that is so common in chat rooms, and it felt uncomfortable to go up to a group who were already in conversation - although eavesdropping is easy. 04real took me on a ride in his sand buggy, which looked cool, but as I typed "wahoo!" and "awesome!" from my keyboard, I didn't feel any adrenaline coursing through my veins.

The avatars themselves are fun to watch in communication - they smile when appropriate, shake their heads "yes" and "no". It's hard to stop two men from looking dreamy-eyed towards each other. You also have a set of emotions, and apparently you can add more - one guy with lipstick kisses all over his chest tried selling me emotes, including one that would have allowed me to toss out a chicken. I politely declined.

As an approved beta-tester, I can apparently invite new people to join somewhat instantly. If you're interested, let me know - dkoelle at rcn dot com.