Another important element that can be found in several definitions of VR is the active collaboration between participants, the in principle open and extendible nature of VR and its intuitive nature as an interface. Two aspects that I mentioned earlier are vital for language learning. First, the MOO allows for asynchronous communication modes via a built-in system of email and mailing lists, but first and foremost for synchronous communication via the keyboard. One of the first impressions in the MOO environment, namely that people do not exist on screen unless they act or speak, leads to much higher participation in larger groups. The basis of MOO is, after all, text, or, for language learners, language.
Participants can only define themselves in terms of language.
Live communication becomes measurable and occupies a vast majority of the textual space compared to object descriptions. In a vital sense, most of the virtual environment that participants experience is built through the use of their own language. The permanence of the written medium also allows for another important feature. Compared to modes like audio conferencing or video conferencing, which may provide more natural ways of communicating live, the conversations in MOO are not lost, transcripts can be retrieved and printed out straight after the event. A ten minute bilingual conversation can thus provide a vast learning resource, where both learners will end up having a wealth of personally meaningful material, partly own efforts in the target language that can be reviewed and analysed alone or with their partner and partly authentic target language input by a native speaker, their partner.