Two 26-year-old British entrepreneurs have set out to form what they're characterizing as a 5,000member online "global tribe" to take up part-time residence on a palm-fringed Fijian island.

You could call it a vacation time-share for the "Survivor"/Internet generation. Or "Fantasy Island" meets MySpace.com. If all goes according to plan, the tribe may find itself creating a sort of extended Swiss Family Robinson. And if it doesn't? Think potential "Lord of the Flies."

Here's how it works. The founders are seeking 5,000 members to sign up at tribewanted.com. Three membership levels, priced at $220, $440 and $660 a year, will entitle them to spend one, two or three weeks annually on the island, 100 people at a time. Airfare is not included, though lodging is — or will be. At present, the only structures there are a couple of huts owned by a tribal chief and his family. The island is two hours from the Nadi airport via plane, bus, then boat.

But even when they're not physically present, members will have a voice in island doings via the online community, which will serve as "the tribe's virtual headquarters for island brainstorming and discussions," reads the tribewanted.com site. They can vote on pressing issues, such as what to name the island and how to develop it. (Current proposals: a clifftop lagoon, jungle sports arena and "secret beach chill-out area.")

Tribal literature has a decidedly utopian vibe, with vows to be environmentally friendly and culturally correct. Members are urged to post profiles and photos on the Web site and take an active part in the community. An ongoing Webcast will chronicle island life.

The concept is the brainstorm of Ben Keene and Mark James, who wanted to bring a real-world component to an online community.

"We wondered if you could take online communities (such as MySpace or Yahoo groups) and give them a purpose so they don't just exist online," says Keene in a phone interview. "This is taking the evolution of the Internet a step further. Instead of just dating or sharing music, you're having an impact on a real place."

And so the two decided to form a global tribe and went looking for an island on which to base it. The Fijian island of Vorovoro, which for now the duo is simply calling Adventure Island, was up for grabs. They arranged a three-year lease on the 200-acre expanse with permission to develop 20 acres.

In April, two months after signing the lease, they launched tribewanted.com and signed 300 members the first week. Paid membership has reached 600, with hundreds more non-paying online forum members.

They've already covered the $90,000 lease price with membership fees, though Keene says there are other costs. Still, they're rejecting most corporate sponsorships — "We're not going to name it Red Bull Island to raise funds," he says. But they will entertain offers from companies that "offer value to the tribe experience."

The tribe is open to anyone 18 and up and thus far ranges from 18 to 68. "There really is a broad spectrum of people with different interests and different skills and different reasons they want to be part of this," says Becky Hunter, who will host the online broadcast. "This isn't about getting people who look best in a bikini.

"Obviously, there will be problems," she says. "But it's about how people from four corners of the globe work those through as a team. Hopefully, it won't be 'Lord of the Flies.' "