More On Google's Entrance To The Metaverse

It seems that the rumor-mongering about Google entering the [w:virtual world] platform creators club isn't just a rumor, and the substance is a bit more in line with linking the real world. Via :

...Google Earth CTO Michael Jones insisted (first comment after the post) in January that Google Earth would always remain true to the real world and not dive into the type of fantasy world that Second Life has become. Therefore, Google's implementation would be more like "First Life," but in virtual form. If "My World" turns out to be a virtual representation of real life, however, it seems natural to question the purpose of launching such a service. We could, after all, just step outside and see these things from the vantage point of a real human, not a virtual one...

...Whatever "My World" ends up being, we think that Google will go much further than just competing with Second Life—if the company makes it functionally useful and ties it in with services that people already use, it may have a chance of succeeding at getting average Internet users to participate.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Google isn't fessing up to any of its future plans...

While some people still seem interested in mashing up Google Earth and Second Life, it seems apparent that Google is building something that isn't Second Life. The merging of technologies to enhance people's real lives may well be the focus, though we can probably expect more in the way of advertising.

Maybe the advertising won't be too tacky.