How big are you now?

AP: We have a handful of full-time employees and over 50 contractors around the world. Even our management team works remotely; we have "offices" in places like Sacramento, Seattle, New Orleans, and Council Bluffs, Iowa.

What is it that you add to virtual worlds -- for the consumers, as well as the companies?

AP: Have you ever arrived in a beautiful virtual world only to be bored within a few minutes because nobody's around? That doesn't happen in one of our virtual worlds because there's always something to do. A virtual world isn't a Field of Dreams - you can't just built it and they will come! A company should have avatars on-site to greet and orient new users and get them involved within the first few minutes, or you risk losing them forever. We also promote and protect the brand, channel feedback from the users, and protect the online safety of kids. And we can do it in a cost-effective way because we contract with moms, students, seniors, and moonlighters who love working online in their spare time.

Who have you worked with?

AP: We work with brands like TheWB.com, The CW Network, Harry Potter, and MinyanLand, to name a few.

One of favorite stories is about the Warner Bros. community manager for Gossip Girl in Second Life. She was really skeptical at the beginning and refused to purchase any online currency. But within a few weeks of working with us, she had changed her mind, jazzed up her avatar, purchased land, and found a boyfriend across the country. Our excitement for this work, if you can call it that, is really contagious.

You recently partnered with Parature and Crisp Thinking; what do they add for Metaverse Mod Squad?

AP: They bring the technology, which is critical because we're just people people. Our friends at Crisp Thinking have developed this impressive technology to root out predators who trying to groom kids in virtual worlds. As for Parature, it's one of the fastest growing private companies in the country. Its software makes customer support easy for us without the overhead of a support center. You can also look for an announcement soon with a new technology partner that is helping us track metrics, which is critical for a support company like ours.

You work in child protection in virtual worlds; what are the challenges?

AP: The challenge is to keep kids safe without killing their ability to socialize. So we strike a good balance. As lawyers, we know there are serious liability and compliance issues in operating kids worlds. But we also know that no virtual world can be successful unless it's engaging, interactive, and fun. To be competitive, an operator definitely needs to open up the chat for the kids. But to be safe, it should utilize the best technology and tools and hire as many moderators as possible. The good thing is that our moderators do more than just watch for bad guys. We're constantly greeting, engaging, and interacting users, which of course drives traffic and revenue. In short, we're working to create a place where kids will want to come back and where parents will feel good letting them.

What does the future hold?

AP: Growth! It's funny, after we completed our angel funding this summer, some deemed it significant because it showed the industry has become large enough to support a company specializing in virtual world services. So we feel like the future of the industry is riding on our shoulders! But seriously, there's vast potential here. Our pitches have gone from getting blank stares to having people finish our sentences for us. The good news is that brands are starting to recognize not only the benefit of online communities, but the need to staff them. When they're ready for that, we're here.