Imagine jumping into a world where you can be anyone or anything you want to be. Imagine an online, virtual reality that anyone can log onto.

NewsChannel5's Dan Haggerty tells us about this cyber society that functions like the real world.

It's Cleveland as you've never seen it before. From Case Western Reserve's campus to the Rock Hall, you can roam around in a computer generated landscape.

Wendy Shapiro said, "It's the blending of the virtual and the real."

Shapiro is the Director of Instructional Technology and Academic Computing at Case Western Reserve University and she is like millions of other people who are part of that blend. She visits virtual dance clubs and meets people from all over the globe every day.

But, she does all of this without ever leaving her computer chair. It's an online phenomenon called Second Life.

Global companies like Proctor & Gamble use the site for business.

Employees from all over the world connect online and meet in virtual conference rooms. But that's only the beginning. Real money is exchanged in Second Life.

Companies like Brookstone have virtual stores. If you buy something in their Second Life store, you can have it shipped to your real-life home.

People are even buying online property. Members of the Second Life community buy virtual houses, businesses and land – sometimes for thousands of dollars -- and yes, it only exists online.

Some major universities are taking part, too.

"This classroom is where we'll be holding our classes and other meetings," Shapiro explained.

Shapiro takes her students into classroom replicas for online learning.

Shapiro said, "(It's) connecting with students across the world, connecting with experts across the world, but in a social context."

According to Shapiro, Case Western Reserve University spent thousands for programmers to build this cyber Cleveland. She says it's only the beginning of a new world of possibilities.

"Why stay with what you can do in the real life when you've got this virtual world where you can be so much more creative?" Shapiro said.

More than 13 million people worldwide walk the cyberworld of Second Life. Every day, hundreds of thousands of people log on. It's the fastest growing interactive site of its kind.