A lot of questions from colleagues, these last days, about the 3d web. Somebody asked me if I believe that Second Life (or one of its relatives like Active worlds, there.com, Habbo…) will be the next paradigm shift in the way we do business and shopping online. Actually, this argument was popular during the "hype peak" we saw a couple of months ago (e.g. this post) but fortunately, as the medium is more and more largely understood, we are seeing less of this stuff.

Once and for all: I am sure I will often have something to say about Second Life, it kind of fascinates me. But I do not believe that the body metaphor is working for things like eCommerce. If I use a computer screen, I want it to be filled with relevant information and I am not interested in seeing a representation of myself rummaging through coloured boxes that look more or less like books. I am pleased with a good, usable and sound interface to sell things online with a well designed, hassle-free process.