Linking virtual worlds and collaboration platforms bi-directionally using a central identity management system

A method for linking virtual world information with social collaboration platform information, the method comprising:

• executing by a processor residing on an information processing system, the following:
• storing a virtual world user identifier that identifies a respective user of a plurality of users in the virtual world, the virtual world identifier being associated with a set of virtual world contacts for the respective user;
• storing a social collaboration platform user identifier that identifies the respective user in a social collaboration platform, the social collaboration platform user identifier being associated with a set of social collaboration contacts for the respective user;
• linking, based on storing the virtual world and the social collaboration platform identifiers, the virtual world user identifier to the social collaboration platform user identifier;
• determining, based on the linking, an association between at least one of the set of social collaboration contacts and the virtual world identifier, and the set of virtual world contacts and the social collaboration platform user identifier, respectively, for the respective user;
• and
• updating, in response to the determining, an information set associated with at least one of the virtual world user identifier and the social collaboration identifier to include the association that has been determined.

A computer program product for linking a virtual world information with a social collaboration platform information, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising:
• computer readable program code configured to store a virtual world user identifier that identifies a respective user of a plurality of users in the virtual world, the virtual world identifier being associated with a set of virtual world contacts for the respective user;
• computer readable program code configured to store a social collaboration platform user identifier that identifies the respective user in a social collaboration platform, the social collaboration platform user identifier being associated with a set of social collaboration contacts for the respective user;
• computer readable program code configured to link, based on the virtual world and the social collaboration platform identifiers being stored, the virtual world user identifier to the social collaboration platform user identifier;
• computer readable program code configured to determined, based on the virtual world user identifier being linked to the social collaboration platform user identifier, an association between at least one of the set of social collaboration contacts and the virtual world identifier, and the set of virtual world contacts and the social collaboration platform user identifier, respectively, for the respective user;
• and
• computer readable program code configured to update, in response to the association being determined, an information set associated with at least one of the virtual world user identifier and the social collaboration identifier to include the association that has been determined.