Virtual universe subject matter expert assistance

A method for enabling virtual universe users to find and engage subject matter experts within an expected context of a virtual universe, comprising:

• an avatar of a user engaging a conduit texture presented within a graphic environment of a virtual universe by physically contacting an object on the conduit texture that is tagged with a tag relevant to a query search term, the engaging indicating the query search term;
• in response to the engaging the texture, automatically searching a data storage in communication with the conduit texture for a tag relevant to the query search term, identifying and locating a subject matter expert tagged with the relevant tag, and teleporting one of the user avatar and the subject matter expert avatar to an other of the user avatar and the subject matter expert avatar;
• and
• the located subject matter expert communicating directly with the user avatar via a subject matter expert avatar, the communicating entirely within an expected role context of the user avatar and the subject matter expert avatar within the virtual universe, the communicating without the user directly engaging a resource outside of the virtual universe and without requiring the user to engage in a communication interface outside of the virtual universe.

An article of manufacture for enabling virtual universe users to find and engage subject matter experts within an expected role context of a virtual universe, comprising:

• a computer storage medium device having computer readable program code embodied therewith to be deployed and executed on a computer system, the computer readable program code comprising instructions that, when executed on a computer system, cause the computer system to:
• present a conduit avatar populated by an intake representative to a user within a virtual universe, wherein the conduit avatar determines a subject matter expert search term from an engagement of the conduit avatar by an avatar of a user within an expected role context of the virtual universe corresponding to the user and conduit avatars;
• search a data storage in communication with the conduit avatar for a tag relevant to the search term;
• identify and locate a subject matter expert tagged with the relevant tag;
• populate the conduit avatar with the located subject matter expert;
• and
• enable the user to directly communicate via the user avatar with the located subject matter expert via the conduit avatar populated by the located subject matter expert through a conduit avatar communication medium entirely within the expected role context of the user and conduit avatars and within the virtual universe and without the user directly engaging a resource outside of the virtual universe and without requiring the user to engage in an interface outside of the virtual universe;
• and
• wherein the conduit avatar appears to the user as a same consistent avatar within the expected role context of the user and conduit avatars while the conduit avatar is populated by the intake representative and by the located subject matter expert.

A programmable device comprising:

• a processing means;
• a memory in communication with the processing means comprising a subject matter expert identifier logic component, a subject matter expert locator logic component, a subject matter expert communication system logic component and a subject matter expert datastore logic component;
• and
• a network interface in communication with the processing means and the memory;
• wherein the processing means is configured to present a conduit within a graphic environment of a virtual universe;
• wherein the subject matter expert locator component is configured to receive a subject matter expert search term from an engagement of the conduit texture by an avatar of a virtual universe user, wherein the engagement indicates a query search term and is a physical contact of an object on the conduit texture that is tagged with a tag relevant to the query search term, the physical contact by the user avatar;
• wherein the subject matter expert locator component is configured to, in response to the engagement, automatically search a data storage means in communication with the network interface for a tag relevant to the search term, identify and locate a subject matter expert tagged with the relevant tag, and teleport one of the user avatar and the subject matter expert avatar to an other of the user avatar and the subject matter expert avatar;
• and
• wherein the subject matter expert communication system component is configured to enable the user to directly communicate via the user avatar with the located subject matter expert via a subject matter expert avatar through a conduit avatar communication medium entirely within an expected role context of the user avatar and the subject matter expert avatar within the virtual universe and without the user directly engaging a resource outside of the virtual universe and without requiring the user to engage in an interface outside of the virtual universe.