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Social networking on the Internet, a growing phenomenon in itself, is changing the way people spend their time. It is the strongest hook in measuring the success of a virtual world site, according to research. "Over 350 million people visit virtual worlds now; 40 percent are kids (over 100 million.) It is a huge market. The under 16-age group is growing more than any other. There are several worlds for kids over 14, but the 8 to 12 year olds are underserved," says Spira. According to market forecasts, the number of users logging into virtual worlds is expected to exceed one billion by 2012, with total revenue $3 billion.

"This is an important issue," Montoya says, "because we believe that if users feel they are 'present' in the virtual world, they will collaborate better with other members of their team – and the more effective the virtual world will be as a setting for research and development or other collaborative enterprises." In addition, Montoya explains "an increased sense of presence in the virtual world leads to better comprehension and retention of information if the technology is being used for training purposes, and trainees are happier with the process." Montoya is the Zelnak Professor of Marketing and Innovation at NC State. The measurement scale developed by the researchers for the virtual world is called Perceived Virtual Presence (PVP), and factors in how users interact with the virtual environment, with their work in that environment, and with other users. "Now that we have developed the PVP scale," Montoya says, "it can be used to determine what PVP levels are most conducive to training, collaboration or other applications." Effectively, the PVP scale can be used to design a virtual environment that has the degree of reality that will best cater to a company's specific needs.