Virtual gift

A dozen stolen virtual roses worth $2.99. Viewing this image is illegal.

A virtual gift is a feature (read: scam) from the makers of LiveJournal, added in the week leading up to Valentine's Day 2006.

This revolutionary addition makes it possible for you to give LiveJournal real money in exchange for imaginary gifts, an idea first popularised by eBay and the Habbo Hotel. However, the virtual gifts are worthy of mention, as never before have idiots been so effectively relieved of excess fundage in exchange for non-existant gifts for others. This makes it possible to use money to show those nearest and dearest to you how much you love them without even having to give them anything.

Some free virtual gifts are also available, sponsored by advertisers such as Diet Pepsi Max. The presence of sponsored gifts led to predictable drama as users screamed about being oppressed by corporate masters. It also led to LJ admins and news communities getting spammed with over 9000 virtual bottles of Pepsi.

It should not be assumed that this is a desperate cash-in attempt on Brad's part, and any suggestion to the contrary would constitute libel, which we really can't afford, having already stolen three dollars worth of roses from him.

TL;DR: Facebook did it better.