Google is lookin’ Lively

July 10th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

Lively avatarMashable reports that Google has launched a new social network named Lively. This one goes well beyond what you’ll find on Facebook, however — Google is basing this social network around “Rooms,” virtual 3D areas which you can design, decorate and add to your website for others to see.

It’s an interesting spin on experiences usually found in Second Life and MMOGs such as World of Warcraft. In addition to creating their own “rooms,” users can chat with friends in these spaces, and even enlist pals to help make those rooms look unique. An interesting tidbit about the project: Lively doesn’t hail from an on-high command from the Google Powers That Be, but from one of its in-the-trenches engineers. (Google allows engineers to spend 20 percent of their “in the office” time working on personal projects.)

How do you play? Lively currently only works on the Windows platform. You’ll need a Google account, which comes with a Gmail account. The thing looks like a blast, so the real question may be, “Do you need to be on another social network?”

Mined by: Cian Mac Mahon

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