CTT, the Portuguese Postal Office company, is now in Second Life. "World In Touch" is the name of the island which marks the presence of the Portuguese Postal Service on the most modern virtual 3D platform for Internet communication.

By joining Second Life, CTT is once again expressing their ongoing concern in searching for the most recent technological platforms to keep in touch with their customers. In fact, the CTT island is something new at worldwide scale: a virtual mobile phone developed by Phone-ix which, in addition to providing helpful services to users of the platform, also allows SMS to be sent/delivered via Second Life.

Through their island in Second Life, CTT is now present on the largest virtual platform ever, a network with more than 15 million users all across the world which reaches about 80,000 simultaneous log-ins every day.

Through the "World In Touch" site, which is available in both Portuguese and English, the Avatars of Second Life can enter the virtual world of the Portuguese Postal Office. Entry onto the island is done through the area called "The World Starts Here". From here, users set off on a journey to explore six different zones: "CTT World", "World of Philately", "World of Ecology", " World of Citizenship", "World of Imagination" and " World of Fun".

When arriving at "World In Touch", in the "The World Starts Here" platform, visitors receive the greeting package "Welcome to CTT". This includes all the available options to travel around the six worlds on the island.

If you choose "CTT World" you will find a two floor building that grants you access to offers and promotions for CTT products and where you can also use a simulator to calculate prices for sending correspondence to anywhere in the world.

This area also includes the “World of Citizenship”, which provides information on CTT services and contains news boards on campaigns and promotion of events. The “World of Citizenship” liaises with organizations outside CTT, such as state bodies. This is where social responsibility programmes and intercultural events are promoted. It is also possible to view multimedia content.

The "World of Philately" takes us to a 2 storey building where visitors can see and buy stamps and books on philately, or visit a gallery of philatelic exhibitions. The stamps and books sale equipment is a holographic three-dimensional panel where stamps can be viewed in detail and books can be leafed through.

Books and stamps are bought and sold in Linden Dollars, the virtual currency used in the platform, and are sent to users’ postal address free of charge.

The "World of Ecology" consists of two different areas. One is a three-dimensional representation of the only cork stamp ever produced in the world, issued by CTT in November 2007, which allows us to “stroll” through the different elements composing the stamp. The other part of the World of Ecology is a maze, a leisure area where, among other activities, visitors can play a number of games.

In the “World of Imagination” users can simulate, create, recreate, suggest and share innovative concepts and ideas, directly or indirectly related to the postal world, and also hold exhibitions and competitions.

Finally, there is “World of Fun”, consisting of an auditorium and several meeting rooms. The auditorium is prepared to accommodate all sorts of events, from debates to workshops, e-learning, conferences and even live concerts. It is equipped with video facilities for video conferences, PowerPoint presentations and live streaming.

The meeting rooms can be configured into a variety of different formats and can be adapted to cater for different types of events. Absolute privacy is ensured, since they can only be accessed through invitation.

On any point of the CTT island – and also on any other SL island – visitors can access the Second Life Phone-Ix telephone or the different options of My Stamp and My Postcard.

In addition to being able to send and receive sms, the Second Life Phone-Ix also has other functions such as personal radar which detects other nearby avatars and a converter for Euros and Lindens, the official virtual Second Life currency.

If you already have an avatar on SL you can access the CTT island directly by clicking on http://slurl.com/secondlife/World%20in%20Touch/127/130/22

If you do not have an avatar, you can set one up for free at www.worldintouch.sl orwww.secondlife.com

Upon arrival at the CTT island you’ll easily find CTT avatars who will be happy to greet you and help you exploring this new world.