hi5 manages to keep our attention lately, with all the product roll outs the social network has, geared directly towards its Game channel and virtual goods-based economy. The latest to team up with hi5 is SmallWorlds, the 3D virtual community that launched last year.

The SmallWorlds integration with hi5′s Game channel is pretty seamless, as SmallWorlds already took advantage of several social media services for building out its own feature set. Incorporating things like YouTube video channels and other media consumption options, the virtual world is one of the more robust offerings out there.

Part of what makes SmallWorlds so robust is its presence as a stand-alone service as well as an integrated application in other social networkding destinations. Already having launched a Facebook application earlier this year, SmallWorlds is looking to expand its own presence across the social web. Having a cross-network presence makes the 3D virtual world more seamless for its own end users, and can eventually take advantage of some of the more social capabilities of existing social networks.

For hi5, the integration of SmallWorlds expands its Game channel even further, which is a goal the social network has been working towards for some time. It’s evident that hi5 is really looking to further differentiate itself as a social destination site, having bulked out its virtual goods marketplace, and integrating several aspects of its own network and platform with its virtual economy.