Linden Research is hard at work to enhance the voice capabilities, search features and navigation interface of Second Life. The company is convinced that this popular, three-and-a-half-year-old virtual world isn't a flash in the pan but rather a credible vehicle for social interactions, commerce and entertainment, Joe Miller, Linden Lab's vice president of platform and technology development, told the IDG News Service in a recent interview.

He candidly acknowledged that Second Life isn't for everyone and that much needs to be improved about the service. It combines features from social networks, multiplayer online games and e-tailers, and lets people adopt new personas called avatars in its 3D world, where they can mingle, shop and party. Enhancements will also come from external software developers, now that Linden released as open source the code of Second Life's viewer application, he said.

But to the naysayers who predict the demise of Second Life, Miller points to the millions of dollars exchanging hands every week in member-to-member commerce and to vendors like IBM Corp., Dell Inc., Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and American Apparel Inc. which, responding to the buzz, have also joined.

An edited version of the interview follows:

IDGNS: Some say there are technical areas in Second Life that would benefit from improvements, like voice communication.

Miller: Voice is an area in which we're actively investing in now. We haven't made any announcements of launch of an integrated voice solution but it's something we're very much involved with. Many of our customers today who need voice for what they do in Second Life use other solutions alongside of Second Life. However, our approach will be much more tightly integrated. Obviously we want voice to be an important part of the Second Life fabric, so that if you walk up to someone who is voice-enabled you'll be able to just start a conversation. You wont have to run anything else, or do anything else: just speak to someone or a group of people as you engage in a conversation today in a room. As you move through a large group of people, you'll be able to hear multiple voices, each emanating from the proper place in 3D where they are, so it makes it very much like a real experience of walking through a crowded room where there's a number of people speaking. It's an important attribute we'll be adding shortly.

IDGNS: Are there any other technical areas Linden Lab is looking to expand, enhance or add in Second Life?

Miller: We have a significant initiative to make search more natural and visual than it is today. When you come in as a casual user, it’s tough to find the interesting things that are happening. We want to significantly improve the search capabilities. We also created an API to let our business customers create their own front porches into Second Life.

IDGNS: What's Linden's take on the commerce that's happening on Second Life?

Miller: Many Second Life residents have created vibrant marketplaces for their goods and services. The amount of economic activity that occurs in Second Life has grown dramatically. Our goal all along was to create a platform that allowed our residents to create experiences to match their imaginations. We consider it to be a platform for possibility bounded only by the collective creativity of the people who join.

IDGNS: In addition to commerce, vendors also use Second Life for marketing and advertising. Is it an effective platform for this?