As well as being a foray into social networks the site is often used by youth organizations for education purposes.

Generally though, from the activity we viewed, education is in the background and socializing is way up front.

There is a lot to do here, from making avatars, buying pets, kitting out a hotel room, creating a social space, trading furniture, playing games (4 skills levels on games that last between 2-5 minutes) and of course hanging out with new and existing friends.

The site and its users can create events, competitions, quests and more. There are also multiplayer, strategic games, such as ‘Battle Ball’ or ‘SnowStorm’. Users can form groups and compete against each other. Games in Habbo are all fun and interactive. In addition there is a long tradition of role playing on Habbo, for example the US Army, the Italian Mafia or fantasy role-play such as Star Wars.

Habbo is often used as a forum by external bands and groups. It has been visited by Gorillaz, Avril Lavigne, Ashlee Simpson and more. American Idol have also joined up with Habbo and post show interviews are sometimes held at the hotel.  This merge of virtual and reality worlds is an interesting dimension, though some cynics would say it was a savvy marketing exercise by those wishing to capture the attention of Habbo’s millions of young guests.

The characters in Habbo mirror the activity of those in the real world; they hang out, chat, fight for a cause, worry about their appearance, collect and trade items etc. We guess this site knows their audience as 151 million users cannot all be wrong so the fun factor must be cranked up high.

Users express themselves by decorating and furnishing their rooms, developing their home page, joining causes etc. There is certainly room for self expression and creativity here.