The Second Life virtual computer world, in which users can create characters representing themselves, has had a dramatic shift.

Originally most of its players came from the U.S, but today 75 percent of users are international.

In a recent interview, Philip Rosedale, the CEO of Linden Lab, which operates Second Life, said his company was thriving, with other companies such as Fortune 500 and IBM setting up to be users of the site.

Like many other companies, they have set up virtual stores in Second Life.

Mr Rosedale says creative companies are going beyond selling themselves, with recruitment centres and employee meetings occurring in a virtual world.

In 2006, total use was 51 million hours, but so far in 2007, users have spent 220 million hours on the Second Life website.

A year ago, the service hosted about 26,000 at the busiest times. Today, as many as 58,000 people can be on at once.