These days, it's not unusual for insurance companies to jump into the deep end of the social media pool. Whether it's Allstate responding directly (and publicly) to complaints voiced through Twitter or State Farm posting videos and claim news and tips to its more than 28,000 fans on Facebook, it's clear that the industry is intent on embracing new and innovative ways of connecting with its policyholders and potential customers.

The latest entrant to this burgeoning field came last month, when Farmers Insurance Group introduced perhaps one of the more unique ideas yet when it partnered with the makers of FarmVille to provide virtual crop insurance for gamers.

For those who have managed to escape this particular pop-culture phenomenon, here's the gist: FarmVille is a popular, real-time simulation game that allows players predominantly on Facebook to manage a virtual farm, much in the tradition of Old McDonald. To "win" — or in this case, to achieve higher levels of success — players must plant, grow, and harvest virtual crops and trees, as well as raise livestock. In addition, players add landscaping, houses, and other luxury items such as pools and wind farms. As in real life, anything that is left untended soon withers or dies from neglect.