Controlling communications with proximate avatars in virtual world environment

A system for controlling a first avatar in a virtual world environment, the system comprising:

• at least one processor;
• means for using a virtual world application enabling access to a virtual world environment within which the first user has an avatar associated with the first user;
• means for identifying, from within the virtual world environment, a virtual world location corresponding to the first avatar;
• means for identifying at least one second avatar proximate to the virtual world location;
• means for accessing filtering information;
• means for accessing profile information related to the second avatar;
• means for comparing the filtering information to the accessed profile
• means for determining, based on the comparison results, a metric related to the second avatar;
• means for relating the metric to a threshold;
• means for determining whether relating the metric to the threshold supports enabling communications between the first and second avatars;
• and
• means for enabling communications to be exchanged between the first and second avatars if it is determined that relating the metric to the threshold supports enabling communications between the first and second avatars.

A computer program stored in a computer non-transitory storage medium, the computer program comprising instructions that when executed on at least one processor cause the program to:

• use a virtual world application enabling access to a virtual world environment Within which the first user has an avatar associated with the first user;
• identify, from within the virtual world environment, a virtual world location corresponding to the first avatar;
• identify at least one second avatar proximate to the virtual world location;
• access filtering information;
• access profile information related to the second avatar;
• compare the filtering information to the accessed profile information;
• determine, based on the comparison results, a metric related to the second avatar;
• relating the metric to a threshold;
• determining whether relating the metric to the threshold supports enabling communications between the first and second avatars;
• and
• if so, enabling communications to be exchanged between the first and second avatars.