Second Life: The Sound & The Fury

Paidcontent describes the hype that went with Second Life, the pinnacle of which was represented by the cover page of Businessweek, and the subsequent backlash.  That didn't surprise me as, at the time, it seemed to me that the hype had outstripped the product experience, but I also felt that there was a business there as it clearly was delivering value to a core group of users.  Turns out that Second Life is actually a vibrant community that is also being used by corporations but not for marketing purposes as opposed to distance learning & virtual tradeshows.  So while it may not be world-changing yet, there ought to be a good business there.