must first own this item avatar dancing is another way users interact by invoking the name of a dance existing in the database u201c dance waltz u201d the user 39 s avatar head will go into dance mode and trace out the movements of the dance repeatedly until the user stops himself by saying u201c stop dance u201d this system also supports interaction between users and automated characters automated characters dispense instructions and information via chat bubbles 52 they are able to adapt the nature of the information to the identity of the user an additional module can be added to the basic server to allow the automated character to listen for keywords in the user 39 s speech and adapt behavior accordingly 53 verbal invocation of events and graphical actions as illustrated in these examples is a fundamental user interface methodology of this invention users also interact and communicate asynchronously with each other this system supports a suite of asynchronous interaction tools mail bulletin boards and community newspaper the mail distinct from a typical email system is internal to the community and includes a block feature that allows users to selectively block mail from other users the bulletin boards are based upon proprietary code that includes a filtering function the user can choose to use a standard set of blacklisted words or even create his personal list the community newspaper includes a submission tool that allows users to submit their articles on line as well.