A new class of avatars ("organizational avatars") created in accordance with
the
present invention holds a value or a significance independent from their use in
a virtual environment, unlike the generic avatars whose value is limited to their
being used in a chatroom. For example, an organizational avatar may be in the image
of a trademark (which may be copyrighted), such as Mickey Mouse, Colonel Sanders,
or Pikachu (a Pokemon character). The organizational avatars may represent certain
organizations, typically the organizations that own trademark and/or copyright
rights to the images used to form the avatars in virtual environments. Therefore,
users of virtual environments can interface various companies by interacting with
organizational avatars. Alternatively, organizational avatars may represent users
independent of the organization, but under a contract with the organization that
owns the image the avatars depict. By using organizational avatars, companies of
all sizes can increase their interactivity with customers, advertise cost effectively,
and promote a positive image for their products. Tiles are used to provide faster
download of a chatroom's background. Tiles also allow rapid generation of a chatroom's
background, eliminating the need to use a graphics editor.
