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Avatar means incarnation or embodiment, according to the Oxford dictionary. The word usually appears in a historical context, but the Net has served us up a very new wrinkle on an ancient notion.

Savvy users call this digital version a social avatar, a graphic representation of someone's real or imagined online persona. In the last year or so, the idea has taken hold in a big way.

The most complex example of this phenomenon is Second Life, the virtual world in which users create a 3-D avatar and move through a number of environments, making friends, buying property, doing what humans tend to do in real life.

It this strikes you as another type of video game, you're missing the point of Second Life. Unlike just about any other online world, this one is being taken quite seriously.

At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a forum addressed the growth of Net-based social avatars. The folks who run Davos even set up a parallel conference on Second Life, complete with speakers and audiences.

In the past year, people have established businesses in Second Life and they make money -- lots of it -- buying and selling land or services. The virtual world reportedly has more than 3 million residents, about 1 million of whom have joined in the last 60 days. Roughly half of the residents are from the United States, the rest from other parts of the real world, according to a spokesman for Second Life's firm, Lewis P.R.

In the last few months, other real world entities have set up Second Life outposts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Earth System Research Laboratory recently built presences in Second Life. Last week, the forward-looking Swedes became the first country to establish diplomatic representation in the virtual world of Second Life.

Unlike Second Life, which requires users to install a separate piece of software, Zwinky, another social avatar, is Web-based. Users download software to use Zwinky, but the software adds a layer of buttons and a search engine to your Internet Explorer Web browser.

At least 3.6 million people, generally under 40 and predominantly female, have created avatars using the interactive Web site, www.zwinky.com, since it went live in June. The avatar becomes the person's identity on blogs, Web sites and in popular chat programs, such as Internet Messenger, or IM.

Netizen talks with Dorcas Casey, a spokeswoman for Zwinky, about the social avatar.

DORCAS CASEY
ZWINKY SPOKESWOMAN

Q: How does Zwinky work?

A: Zwinky is really an original product, not just something you create. You have this whole wardrobe and its environment. The [Web] site also has a profile page, which you can customize, based on the avatar you created. You can add [Web links] to your own videos, your favorite music. It's very similar to [social networking sites such as] MySpace.com. Also, your avatar can be taken anywhere on the Web. You can take the code and put it on your social networking profiles, or on your blog. It's not in its own little world. And, it's not just a picture. Anytime you update your avatar, change its clothing or its background, it automatically gets updated anywhere you've put it on the Web.

Q: What are the demographics of Zwinky?

A: It is predominantly female, from 13 to 40. But there is definitely a range of women [between] 30 and 40. You choose between a "hottie" or a "cutie." The cutie is more like an anime character. The sky's the limit. We have clown suits, wings, holiday items. Females find it so much fun.

Q: Do men take part, too?

A: Yes, the split is about 70-30, but there is definitely a male contingent, graphic design-y kind of skateboarding guys, who take the emo-punk route, as opposed to the girls, who are more cutesy and femme fatale.

Q: What sort of feedback do you get from the users?

A: Most of the e-mails our customer service department gets are requests for specific wardrobe additions. Our users ask for pink pom poms or a straight skirt or boots and they send us pictures of what they want. The users would like to see things they would like to resemble.

Q: How have the offerings changed since you launched the site in June?

A: When we first started, we only had a cutie character, which was more anime driven. They had bigger heads and were more cutesy in the details. We got a lot of user feedback and they wanted to see an avatar that was more lifelike or that had different proportions, so our designers came up with the "hottie" character. We also noticed that, over time, there were these different groups of people who were using our products. A lot of the goth folks just loved the [angel] wings and colored everything in their wardrobes black. Then we had these other folks who were very fashion forward and really cared about having the right outfit with the right purse. Then we had folks who look like they do everyday, in sweat pants and pajamas with [a graphic background] of a dorm room. We definitely noticed different groups of users, who wanted to see items that reflected who they are.

Q: Users have to download an application and it adds a layer of buttons and input boxes to the user's Web browser. Does Zwinky work with browsers other than Microsoft's Internet Explorer?

A: Not yet. Our Web developers are huge Firefox users and it's definitely on the list of things to do. We wanted to get this product live. Our designers would also like to get the program to work with Macs. At this point, it only works with Windows.

Q: What role do avatars play on the Net?

A: Social networking is definitely moving in that direction. There has been such an explosion of social networks out there. And there is this whole teen-aged generation of folks who really want to express themselves and want to be able to communicate instantly and be able to customize and create. [Given the popularity of social networking] I think the next step is to create your own personal avatar. Avatars have been around for a while. Zwinky just takes it to another level, adds that flash.

LOOKING FOR YOUR NET ALTER EGO? START HERE: www.zwinky.com : This is a fun introduction to having a social avatar online and it's aimed mainly at young people, with a very high appeal to fashion-conscious teens. This only works with Windows Operating Systems and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Once you set up your account, which involves adding yet another layer to your Web browser, you can link your personalized Zwinky to any number of social networking sites.

secondlife.com: Yes, this is such a huge phenomenon that you don't even need to add the www before the name. This gets you to the Web site, but to really take part in the world of Second Life, you need a high-speed Net connection, a fairly high-powered computer and a time to configure your avatar. You also download a separate piece of software, which you use to access the SL world. Let's put it this way. If you haven't heard about Second Life yet, you'll be hearing about it soon. A "First Basic" membership is free, but users need to submit credit card information to verify identity. A Premium membership, which includes a weekly stipend of Second Life's basic currency, the Linden dollar, costs $9.95 a month, with discounts for buying yearly or quarterly memberships.

*Source: The Allentown Morning Call, February 2007