Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for representing users within an online environment. The method allows users to define environmental parameters for controlling user interaction, define user representation parameters of user data within the environment, capture user data from the users, build an abstract graphical display of the environment, and build a user representation within the abstract graphical display for each user's data.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method, system and apparatus enabling user-defined, genre-structured interaction online. The present invention enables users to define their own genres, including rules of interaction, as well as rules of enforcement. Genre definitions also can include the specification of roles, parameters, and states. The present invention also facilitates a given user to modify a given genre definition. Allowable modifications include addition, modification, and deletion of parameters and interaction and enforcement rules. The present invention also provides dynamically updated graphical representations of the state of genre instances, these graphical representations definable by the users.