Now this is seriously cool. Metaplace is a new online service that lets you create your own virtual world in just 30 seconds, then embed it on your blog or social networking profile.

There’s a slick graphical user interface for regular users to get their 3D environment up and running, while programming whizzes can get stuck in to actual coding to create and customise their world. The service claims to be platform-agnostic, so its worlds should be able to run on PCs, games consoles and mobile phones.