Virtual worlds ad agency Millions of Us and immersive spaces company Rivers Run Red have both announced that they are participants in Google's Preferred Developer Program for the search giant's recently revealed Lively virtual world.

Lively by Google is a product that lets people create and share persistent, virtual spaces on the web. As a lightweight application fully integrated with the web, Lively rooms can be embedded on websites and blogs all over the web with just a snippet of code. Lively users can also stream their own content, such as videos and photos, directly into their rooms.

In Lively, users can create, customize, and share persistent spaces, embedding them onto websites, social networks, and blogs with a snippet of code.

Millions of Us has partnered with the National Geographic Channel to deliver branded content for the network's L.A. Hard Hats series. The television show follows the development and construction of EVO, a 23-story eco-friendly high rise structure, from the perspective of several tradesmen.

As part of its agreement, Millions of Us will set up a virtual building in Lively's National Geographic center. The skyscraper will be under intense construction and will evolve with the TV series' episodes. Visitors can explore the building, its features, and the complex work required to build the tower.

Said Millions of Us vice president of business development Ted Tagami: "Facilitating NGC's entry as the first brand in Lively by Google is a landmark achievement for our company, and our objective going forward is to help seamlessly integrate additional brands into this very promising online space. Through customized 3D online spaces and avatar-based socialization, our clients will benefit from the earliest possible access to our rooms built in Lively by Google."

Rivers Run Red wasn't specific about what branded content it will be providing for Lively, but the company states that it has a new design team in place to meet the high level of demand for companies looking to incorporate the new virtual world into their digital strategies. So far, the team has created a demo 3D space in Lively called "Avalon" for visitors to explore.

Said Rivers Run Red CEO Justin Bovington: “In the last five years, we have encountered high demand from companies looking to provide 3D experiences for their communities on the web. Lively by Google is a promising solution for web-based 3D environments and will only help to make the prospect of the 3D Web a reality.”