Company picnic or group interview?

IBM, which began using virtual sites to conduct meetings for remote employees, recently decided to establish virtual guidelines for the over 5,000 staff members inhabiting Second Life and other online worlds.

The Globe and Mail dubs IBM the first corporation to build offical regulations for online denizens. Executives say a code of conduct helps officiate corporate life in the virtual space, thereby encouraging paid staff to further explore the virtual worlds IBM calls the "3d internet."

"For those employees who may be hesitant, guidelines can provide the encouragement and Intel philosophy they need to actually dive in and start anticipating," said Gina Bovara, an Intel marketing specialist. Intel has also begun using virtual worlds for remote conferencing.

Intel is preparing a "tip sheet" for virtual employees, alongside a voluntary course for those that use blogs and social media sites.

IBM's guidelines range from the mundane, such as prohibiting intellectual property discussions with unauthorized citizens, forbidding discrimination or harassment, and being an overall "good 3D Netizen." More unique rules require that users be "especially sensitive to the appropriateness of your avatar or persona's appearance when you are meeting with IBM clients or conducting IBM business."

The company also hopes to make a profit on advising corporate clients seeking to follow suit. Frequent avatar transitions are considered a violation of trust.

At some point, IBM expects to make a profit advising other corporations that may be seeking to follow them into the virtual world. It currently remains unclear whether employees who violate virtual guidelines will meet actual discipline.