SAN FRANCISCO - LINDEN Lab on Wednesday announced it is adding a new dimension to Second Life online world to give businesses private places for virtual meetings.

Linden launched a beta, or test, version of Second Life Enterprise 'behind-the-firewall product' with a price starting at US$55,000 (S$77,000).

Companies dabbling with Second Life Enterprise behind the safety of their computer fire walls include IBM, Northrop Grumman and the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), according to Linden.

More than 1,400 businesses, schools, government agencies and other organisations around the world reportedly use Second Life for meetings, training and other work gatherings that typically involve employees traveling.

In Second Life, people are represented by animated characters referred to as 'avatars' and can simulate socializing by commanding in-world proxies from work or home computers.

IBM estimated it saved more than US$320,000 dollars by holding a recent conference in Second Life instead of in a real-world setting, according to Linden. Second Life Enterprise lets businesses hold virtual private gatherings on their own computer networks or on Linden computers instead of at public in-world venues. -- AFP