<P>The conference organizers welcome papers related to virtuality, in any social and business setting. Within this general call, we are emphasizing a prominent theme that has taken the world by storm recently –– very large virtual communities. Prominent initially within the gaming community, but also increasing in many other social and organizational communities, very large virtual communities are transforming how we experience and conceptualize social and business life. In internet gaming, for example, the average number of people simultaneously online is comparable to a small city, and its characteristics reflect many emerging and surprising characteristics. In addition to sharing text pictures and videos, and for meeting and dating, these virtual communities are now starting to transform the nature of social and organizational life itself, through its sheer size and ability to cross traditional social boundaries. This has broad implications for business organizations, and is becoming increasingly relevant for research and practice on organizational, societal, and administrative and political movements. And through this, it has and will continue to have a substantial impact on sociology, psychology, economics, art, and –– last but not least –– technology. For example, as Second Life has grown into an enduring phenomenon, even big companies are starting to develop virtual branches in order to experiment with, among other things, customer relations. </P><B>Keywords:</B>
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MaViCo
City
Lueneburg
Country
Germany
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