The internet may have been designed for scientists to collaborate across vast distances, but it has since become all things to all people. Accessing seemingly infinite information and instant communication across the globe are still the main uses of the Web, but there’s a new trend swiftly becoming standard online practice: social networking. This is about creating a personal presence in cyberspace. Facebook and MySpace were some of the first major social networking sites, but another fast-growing sector of the social web, called Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, or MMORPGs, represents a different kind of online community. Rather than creating a personal page that shares your thoughts, contact information and photographs as on Facebook, these MMORPGs ask the user to invent an avatar, a character that represents less of who you are and more of who you’d like to be. Players then move their avatars throughout vast virtual worlds, doing battle, completing quests, buying virtual goods and real estate, or just chatting with other players. Second Life, World of Warcraft and Everquest are among the more popular, with World of Warcraft now boasting over 10 million subscribers worldwide.

While these online worlds may be engrossing, they are lacking in two respects. First, they serve no purpose in the real world. There is no connection between what happens in the game and what happens in the player’s real life, creating a dichotomy of realities that can create problems. Sites such as Webkinz and Neopets allow kids to adopt virtual pets, but often to properly care for their animals, parents must pull out the plastic to pay for virtual vet visits or other add-ons that have no real world value. Second, while these games are open to players of all ages, many of the more popular ones are riddled with adult themes, with a heavy emphasis on violence as a means to in-game progress.

Fortunately, an alternative exists, and its genesis can be traced directly to Martha’s Vineyard: Sifaka World, the first wildlife-themed virtual world where young people have fun while supporting real world wildlife conservation efforts.

Founded in July, 2007, Sifaka Productions was, in the founders’ words, “formed with the mission of creating a wildlife entertainment brand that directly connects its users with real life wildlife conservation.”

“Young people are spending a lot of time on the Internet. They need sites that are both fun and enable them to make a real impact in the world,” says Sifaka World’s chief executive, Deborah Moore.

Ms. Moore was an early propnent of the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank, the agency that preserves Island land for conservation and public access.

“For me, SifakaWorld.com is a global version of the Land Bank. Sifaka World members can make substantive advances in conservation all over the world for many years to come. It’s a virtual world with real-world impact. It enables millions of kids around the world to have fun while making a difference,” she says.

The other two partners in Sifaka World are chief technology officer Brian Yennie, Ms. Moore’s son, and creative director Garrett Box, a childhood friend of Mr. Yennie’s. Both grew up on the Island.

“It doesn’t get better than this,” says Mr. Yennie. “Sifaka World marries the best in virtual world technology with fantastic art, original characters and a socially-responsible corporate mission. This is the company I’ve always wished I could create.”

Indeed, the beginnings of Sifaka World can be traced directly back to childhoods spent exploring the trails and beaches of the Vineyard. Says Mr. Yennie, “Both Garrett and I grew up in families that showed us how to enjoy the outdoors and taught us the importance of doing our part to take care of wildlife. Growing up here has focused us on doing something proactive for the environment.”

That focus came to rapid fruition, though the difficulties of distribution also became quickly apparent. “We began creating animal-based fantasy stories when we were six years old,” says Mr. Box. “Our first story starred ‘Foxy Boxy.’ I did the fox illustrations and Brian wrote the story. When you are six, making one copy of an original book is a big deal. When we finished, we went around Brian’s neighborhood in West Tisbury and got book orders from several neighbors. It wasn’t until we got back to Brian’s house that we realized we had a big problem. We had only one copy of the book and that took forever to make. How were we going to make copies for the neighbors? We still laugh about our first business lesson.”

The boys, now aged 30, were undeterred. “By the time we were 12, Garrett and I had created an animal baseball card game,” adds Mr. Yennie. “Endangered animals played the roles of the baseball players. Each playing card had one fact about the actual endangered animal that the character was modeled after. The idea was that kids would have a fun card game and would learn about endangered species through the characters.“

But then, Mr. Box continues, “Life happened.” The young men’s conservationist aspirations were put temporarily on hold. “We had college and jobs to pay our bills,” he said, “but we never lost our interest in creating a cool form of entertainment that would benefit wildlife.”

SifakaWorld.com is the result.

Production for the site began in November, 2007, and it was launched a year later. Getting funding for the project was not difficult, says Ms. Moore. “The investors came to us,” she said. Many were Islanders themselves. “I am known for creating companies,” Ms. Moore says. “The other guys are the creative brains.”

Mr. Yennie and Mr. Box knew from the outset that they had to come up with something radically different if they wanted the site to be successful. Sifaka World is certainly not the only online “edutainment” geared towards conservation, but its approach is unique. “The [conservation-oriented] online games that don’t succeed are the preachy ones. If they are overly didactic, the kids lose interest,” says Mr. Yennie. So the question is, how do you prevent kids feeling like they are getting more of a lecture than a game from turning to a more enjoyable but less meaningful alternative?

The answer, according to Mr. Box, lies on the design side. “Many of the virtual worlds out there now, such as World of Warcraft for example, feature male characters that are all Adonises, and all the females are well-endowed. We didn’t go that route, we wanted to go to on the funny to cool side. It’s important not to promote those false body images. Sifaka World is based on competition and socializing, but without the violence. The violence of other online communities is removed but the competition remains. We focus on the nonviolent side. Humor and wild animals have appealed to people since . . . forever!”

New members signing up to the site start by deciding which animal character they want to be, with choices ranging from a sometimes-grumpy Australian crocodile to a lovable cheetah cub. The member then gives her avatar a name, and the adventure begins. Players can explore the world, chat with other users, play wildlife-themed games and partake in myriad other activities.

The site can be accessed for free, although there is a paid version. Revenue comes from paid members who, in turn, gain access to additional wildlife avatars, multiplayer games, parties, activities and events. And 30 per cent of that revenue goes to wildlife conservation charities.

The primary charity now is the Cheetah Conservation Fund (cheetah.org), though more charities will follow. “What’s happening on the site right now is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we have planned for the future. Expandability is a key design point for Sifaka World,” says Mr. Yennie.

Starting this month, the site is including stories about the conservation work being done by the cheetah fund, thanks in part to Sifaka member donations. Members can send in questions and comments to the site’s wildlife organization partners, with the idea being an ongoing relationship between real-world wildlife conservationists and their Sifaka supporters.

Additionally, the site is promoting wildlife blogs authored by members. There’s no prerequisite for having your blog hosted on Sifaka World other than a passion for conservation. Whether your’re a koala expert working in the field or an eight-year-old flying fox aficionado, you can share your ideas with other users around the globe.

“Among the growing Sifaka World community, we are seeing an interesting variety of social interactions; kids ask their parents to become more involved in wildlife preservation, teenagers and college students use Sifaka as an amusing study break and grandparents play with grandchildren they may not see often in real life. We don’t talk about ages on the site; we try to get away from labels. When you’re on the site, you’re a fox, or a lemur. There’s no pigeonholing,” says Ms. Moore.

Adds Mr. Box, “We are proud to have created a site that is fun for animal lovers of all ages.”

Since launching in November, Sifaka World has seen considerable cross-generational success. “We’ve had over 130,000 sign-ups,” says Ms. Moore. “The last few months were about getting on a real significant feedback, people aged five to forty.”

That feedback will determine much of the direction Sifaka World takes as it continues to grow. But its core mission remains rooted in the concept of facilitating wildlife conservation for anyone with an Internet connection. “I still get goose bumps every time I think about how Sifaka World is enabling young people to make a major impact in wildlife preservation by each contributing a small amount,” says Ms. Moore. “They [users] can have tremendous influence on the future.”

But what does sifaka mean, anyway? It’s the name of an endangered species of lemur from Madagascar, known for its marvelous skill as a dancer. A fitting mascot for a site that promotes the idea that wildlife conservation can be fun. Videos of the sifaka’s charming display can be found by searching for “dancing sifaka” at youtube.com

To enter Sifaka World, visit sifakaworld.com, click Play Now and sign-up for free. To join the site’s focus group or to become a Sifaka blogger, e-mail dmoore@sifakaproductions.com or call 508-645-2602.