my mentor is 3-D dog...

first off, i applaud those who made real fortunes playing second life. obviously these are the minority and most people just tossed in some money for the chance to feel like real estate moguls. or i guess fake estate moguls. anyways, i think it's a great idea and i totally support people playing the game. i like the entrepreneurial spirit it promotes and the constant quest to find new ways to make money. the chance to earn actual money on a lower-risk basis because of the exchange rate also makes it more appealing and more accessible.

that being said, i think it is best-suited for individuals. companies get involved because of the obvious profit and promotion opportunities, but i don't see the involvement having large-scale effectiveness. sure, the 'islands' or online stores could work for some, but most just are not the right fit for SL (as evidenced by abandonment of several corporate SL ventures).
this is because i don't think many people would want to spend real money on something that they could realistically purchase in the physical world...like American Apparel clothes for instance. the real appeal is in building houses or trying to work interesting jobs...escapes from reality.

finally, the idea of using secondlife as a learning tool makes me sick. maybe it's because IBM is a technology company and things are run a little different than I may be accustomed to, but if upon getting a job i was told to create a secondlife account to learn about the way the company works I would not handle it well. like I said, i have no problem with secondlife as a competitve, money-making game, but it should not be a substitute for real life experience. come on guys.