Standardization and interoperability will be critical for future professional use of the Proto-Metaverse.

Imagining a future that is very different from today can often be a struggle, especially when faced with today’s constraints. But still, change happen

and it can happen faster than we expect.

As a Futurist, I investigate the past, to see how large drivers of change came together to create unexpected futures.

Just as early Internet tech needed HTML to create interactivity, the proto-Metaverse need links to create interactivity and enable discovery across platforms and worlds.

One of the first baby steps happened at last week's Metaverse Standards Forum. Meta and other big tech names like Adobe, Microsoft, and Nvidia are also members. Initial membership notably lacks participation from Apple and Google.

These and future Pro-metaverse developers need to work together to co-create ways to easily move themselves and their things across different software platforms, virtual worlds, and experiences.

As virtual worlds become repositories of information, virtual objects and community interactions, we will need to build 3.0 and cultural exchange but only if we can transport data, objects and people between these platforms.