The Twinity blog explains some changes since the purchase by Exit Reality.

The servers have moved to San Francisco so there may be less connection with Berlin.

There is another site for a younger audience, more clearly aimed at music and dance

http://www.vside.com/

There is no news on the maps coming back. This was the main thing that interested me. I thought it easier to imagine being in another city if there was an accurate street view.

But I rarely persuaded people I know in another context to follow me. I have used stills to illustrate a blog or add to Facebook etc. I think I will do more of recycling previous stills from the map era. I will still visit Twinity but not expect it as a main focus.

Meanwhile I can think about Exeter as a comparison with Lancaster. Previously most Avatars I knew lived near the LAncaster campus. The situation is usually a tech vision from the Info Lab, critique at the Business School, and some sort of conclusion in public space, either Alexanderplatz or after a bus to the actual city centre.

Exeter area also works as real space, I keep trying the tag #EX1to4 but not much use so far. Could work as local media but it seems people exist in communities of many kinds.