While the focus this week on virtual communities has been on Second Life, with news of developer Electric Sheep’s $7 million tie-up with CBS and others, here’s news of one organization’s plans for another virtual community.

The UK children’s charity NSPCC is to set up a presence for three months in Habbo Hotel, says a BBC News report, with a primary goal of reaching out to a new audience:

[…] The charity will host events and activities on the website aimed at getting young people involved in its various campaigns. […] The NSPCC has previously run an awareness campaign called “Don’t Hide It” which was seen by more than 13,897,991 Habbo residents. For its latest campaign, the charity aims to drive traffic to its website, as well as encourage users to take part in polls and design an anti-bullying themed room. NSPCC celebrity ambassadors will also hang out in the hotel for certain events.

The BBC report says that Habbo Hotel UK now attracts 750,000 unique users each month, aged 11-18.