This is a story about a subject that most of us may find baffling, but a minority will probably take in their stride. It’s about Second Life (SL), a “virtual world” that anyone can visit who has a PC, a decent internet connection and time to navigate the basics of creating and controlling an avatar, or character.

Second Life – for the benefit of the baffled category – looks like a giant, live computer game, but with real people behind the characters. Avatars can do all kinds of things: hang out, shop for new virtual outfits with their virtual money or teleport to new virtual places and, crucially, meet new people, join groups and talk to others via instant messaging, or voice chat.