Have you ever felt like going to the mall to shop or socialize but don't want to deal with the traffic, crowds and those pesky kiosk employees who are hungry to make their commissions? Now you can hit the mall virtually, from anywhere, using any device, thanks to the PrimeHangout Mall.

"The wait is over and the new real virtual mall developed as an integral part of a social network is now open for business," said Henry I. Balogun, founder and CEO of PrimeHangout. The new virtual space is being touted as a social network that allows visitors to chat, blog, share photos and videos and also conduct business.

Balogun said PrimeHangout enables individuals as well as existing retailers to open stores and sell to millions of people virtually. He added that one of the goals of the project is to use social media to reduce unemployment. "There is simply nothing like it - a real mall where you can open a real store, sell real products and make real money on a daily basis," said Balogun.

"Repositioning social networks to create supplemental income is no longer on our wish list," he added. "It is done and now open for business. It is our desire to turn this into a powerful tool designed to strengthen commerce, thereby bringing unemployment numbers down."

PrimeHangout is also available as an application for the iPhone, iPad and Android (News - Alert). Registration is free and retailers may get up and running quickly by setting up video presentations and other creative forms of media.

"We cannot solve our current economic problems without employing creative approaches and this is exactly what PrimeHangout is doing," said Balogun. "We are not saying that our idea is better. It is neither the only answer to this economic gloom and doom nor a panacea but a way to assist the President in his effort to reduce the ever-increasing unemployment numbers. A problem of this magnitude requires contributions from everywhere."