(Originally submitted to SLNN.COM)

The collateral provided in the Virtual Worlds 2008 conference bag provides an insight into the views of firms attending the conference.

NEW YORK - Over a dozen different inserts into the Virtual Worlds 2008 conference bag provides an insight into what this conference is going to be all about, and it is about much more than Second Life. For some, it is about introducing children to the wonderful world of online shopping.

Dinokids provides a post card you can send to invite a special friend into their world. Neopets and Habbro offer cards worth $10 and $2 to spend in their virtual worlds. Metaversality has a cartoon and Millions of Us has a card bordering on being a cartoon. Paynova has a glossy brochure picturing the world's largest lan party and promising to be the 'Next generation financial infrastructure for online gaming worldwide'. Second Commerce talks about 'real money. virtual worlds'

If you're worried about the legal aspects of this, Ben Duranske has provided an order form for his new book, Virtual Law: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Virtual Worlds, and SlippCat suggest that 'in here, even the sky can be branded'. There.com promises Brand Security and No Porn.

VastPark and MyCosm provide their brochures highlighting their worlds and Second Life Grid, promising us 'Your World, Your Way" asks "Where are you in this picture?" as they show a mocked up map of Second Life, with heavy attendance at a technical seminar as well as a brainstorming session and a sales presentation.

So, a lot of people are hear to sell a lot of things. Let's hope that there will remain room for fun and creativity.