Google just introduced a new program called Lively. It is a 3-D chat room that uses avatars, much like Second Life but not as complicated. We have created a room in Lively called Wildfire Today (who would have guessed!) which you can enter and chat with others by clicking on the icon on the left side of this page.
It is an experiment and we’ll see how it develops. It can be a place for real time communication among those interested in fire, especially wildland fire. We can discuss fires that are currently burning, wildland fire issues, ask questions, tell war stories, or just shoot the breeze.
HERE is an article that gives more information about Lively. You will need Windows XP or Vista to run it, and the application to download is about 10 MB.