I recently got in a discussion with a truly business-savvy guy who has come up with one of the best ideas for businesses in SL. (The discussion was private, therefore I am not mentionning the name.) We talked about the future of SL and explored the danger that "big business", meaning the corporate world, could "take over" this environment as they did with the Web when they got involved.
We had the impression that it is not likely. Of course, companies are looking at Second Life and its potential for growth. They definitely want to find out whether they can use it, start some activities in it and make money. According to the businessman I was talking to, it could take companies a year or two to actually understand what can be done here.
On the other hand, he could not deny that I had a point when I told him how limited the potential was for a company. Imagine paying staffers with real-life salaries to set up a sim, build places and design products that they cannot sell at real-life prices.
If you pay up to L$2000 for a skin from an in-world creator, you are paying about 8 US dollars. Which is considered expensive around here. Will you pay 50 US dollars (more than L$13000!) because the cost or production forces a real-life company to charge higher prices? Will it be infinitely detailed to justify dumping the L$2000 skin you already wear?
What kind of model could businesses adopt? They established their Web presence by investing heavily, and advertising followed since this is the kind of ad-friendly media. Second Life is not.
So there is a big hole in the argument that favors expansion of "big business" around here. How far can they go with a model that doesn't provide them with much revenue potential unless prices rise extremely high?