More surprising than it should have been, Linden Lab’s fascination with Facebook continued with its announcement last week that it had acquired the seemingly dormant Avatars United – a social networking website centred around virtual world characters and avatars. The announcement on the Second Life blog has seen a flurry of activity from residents keen to register their names or reactivate old accounts and see what LL’s latest addition adds to their virtual lives.

Second Life residents’ growing presences on social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Plurk have encouraged them to deem a social networking platform as being a worthy addition to the Linden Lab family, in a similar way that SL marketplaces proved popular. The growth and power of communities on social networking have not only allowed residents to communicate in an environment which isn’t reliant on being in Second Life itself, but have developed to allow these groups to organise themselves and distribute information.

It is commonplace now for downtime on the Second Life grid to be reported in under 140 characters before the Linden Lab technicians have had a chance to diagnose that there’s even an issue. News and rumours are no longer distributed by Second Life blogs or forums and repeated on feeds, but instead the flow of information is shared through micro-blogging services such as Plurk and Twitter. It’s quicker, more accessible and easier to put out in the public domain.

Such micro-blogging methods are serving as the front-line of infortmation in the digital age. A trending-topics of Second Life hashtags could easily update you on the latest goings-on on the virtual grid, and a scan of a few select timelines could inform you of the hottest gossips in the online world. From these small feeders of news, we then go on to seek more information as our naturally inquisitive minds scan the web to find details.

Linden Lab’s acquisition of Avatars United suggests their desire to integrate a social networking tool into the Second Life universe, which will allow avatars a 2D social media platform. Logging into the virtual world is dependant on having the necessary hardware to hand, whereas anybody can access social networking websites through an array of technology, thanks to mobile and wireless technology. It’s never been easier to keep in touch with all your friends.

The question is whether Avatars United will give Linden Lab the stronghold over its residents’ off-grid communication. Facebook is said to be removing avatar accounts on the principle that it only allows real human profiles. But nevertheless, Avatars United represents yet another social network to keep up with, and in a fast-paced world where things like to be kept under 140 characters, is there really time to be scanning yet another website to see what everyone is up to?

It may be worth just listing your close circle of friends and noting how many methods of communication you have for them already. From Windows Live Messenger to Skype, and Facebook to Myspace, to Flickr and Youtube. to Twitter and Plurk. And then there’s the most basic forms of just email and phone calls. And lets not forget a simple IM in world. As people’s lives change direction, their desire to keep in touch with friends they’ve made in Second Life is no longer limited to a stolen 10 minutes you can grab in world at the weekend. Friends can constantly be contacted from any computer or mobile device with internet access.

Linden Lab’s interest in Avatars United stems in this human nature of people wanting to keep in touch regardless of where they are. They understand that the Second Life platform is limited in terms of accessibility, and by branching out, they are expanding the way in which residents can communicate.

The major issue which someone should really look at is that you can register anybody’s name, and there’s no link in to the Second Life database for verification.. which is pretty dumb. But my only other real critic about this move is wondering what it brings to the table that is new. On face value, it just offers what everyone else already offers, but directs it at avatars. Which is fine, but when communities have already been established at other social media platforms, then it takes something unique and of value to sway people to leave them and join yours. Avatars United has potential, but if Linden Lab are looking to take back their community from Facebook, Twitter and Plurk, they need to pull something special out of their hat.