ReadWriteWeb has already written about data visualization capabilities in sites like Second Life. Due to a fledgling economy, many suggested that these institutionally-branded education initiatives may also become popular. Nevertheless, apart from this recent endorsement by the University of Texas, mainstream educators still don't have the green light to teach in virtual worlds. Many argue that video teleconferencing and instant messaging have replaced the need for virtual world interaction. However, neither of these offer the same immersive experience.

While we know that face-to-face learning is currently the most successful teaching method, if you had to choose an online learning environment, would you consider a virtual world? Let us know in the comments below.

OK, Haque didn't actually use the phrase, "full of crap," but he may as well have. On a recent post on his blog at the Harvard Business Publishing web site, he calls out the so-called web revolutionaries of today, referring to them as:

"sheep in wolves' clothing...lost in the economically meaningless, in the utterly trivial, in the strategically banal: mostly, they're cutting deals with one another to...try and sell more ads. That is, when they're not too busy partying."

He continues to say that today's investors and startups are more interested in these deals and making money and not in anything that is so-called world changing. And he's not going to take it anymore.

Haque then issues an open challenge to Silicon Valley: find a problem to fix that will change the world for the better and he will help you do it.

His help will come in the form of free consulting time. Putting his money where his mouth is, Haque promises to take time away from setting up his lab to advise five startups, funds, or companies that he thinks have the most potential.

Perhaps serving as motivation for this idea, if not inspiration, Haque references Tim O'Reilly's speech at the Web 2.0 Expo (which we covered here, liveblogging style). O'Reilly's message was "not to follow the headlines" and the hot consumer apps, but go after "big, hard problems."

Does Web 2.0 Lack Innovation?

Those were harsh words by Haque...but are they accurate? Is Web 2.0 just a little self-obsessed? Are we wasting just a bit too much of our time throwing zombies at each other, watching YouTube videos, and posting ego-boosting tweets to revel in our 140 characters of micro fame to care about any big ideas?

Or is the problem even deeper than that? Jeff Nolan of NewsGator, for one, is concerned that all the money in the Valley is being funneled into businesses that are only offering incremental improvements over their predecessors. Sure, some will make it, he says, but only "a rare few" will find great success.

And while the VCs continue to fund startups in hopes one will be the "next Twitter," the real question remains unanswered. Nolan writes,

"What’s frightening is the inability to answer the basic question “What’s next?” The Valley thrives on “The New New Thing” (possibly one of the most poignantly titled books ever) and with every turn of a generation, there is an awkward moment where we’re just figuring out where we’ve been but have yet to see where we are going… Right now is that moment."

Tom Foremski of ZDNet agrees with Nolan, adding:

"Incremental innovation just won’t cut it...innovation has to be disruptive otherwise it won’t succeed, because there is little incentive to change."

So, will Haque be advising the next new thing, the disruptive technology which actually makes an impact on the world in a way that tweets never will?

We certainly hope so. However, in the meantime, we'll be tuned into Haque's blog, where he promises to post more about how these problems can begin to be solved in the coming days.

"The Brand Center," Catherine Linden writes for the company, "explains how Residents can promote their own brands, products and activities in the Second Life world and use appropriate logos to enhance their message." That's a remarkably positive way to describe what's mostly a list of thou-shalt-nots, combined with an ugly new logo that users are allowed to put on their stuff.

You can see the whole list of things you can't say, with generic alternatives, here. The list includes the name of the inworld currency, the Linden, for which users are instructed to substitute the word "dollar."

It sure would be great if Linden focused on improving the SecondLife experience instead of focusing on their copyright.

The Bigger Issues

Second Life's user numbers are stagnating. SL expert Wagner James Au writes at Gigaom that the population in-world has plateaued at just over a half million active users and new user retention is stuck at 10%.

The company's founding CEO is stepping into a new role, making room for someone not yet selected, with more managerial experience.

Service interruptions are rampant, reading the company blog is disheartening and reader comments on the BrandCenter post return again and again to the basic problems that even dedicated residents have to deal with.

In December, the leader of its vaunted platform for outside commercial designer/developers, the Electric Sheep Company, laid-off one third of its workforce and announced that it will move into other Virtual World platforms.

Scores of users complain that their own copyrights are going unprotected in SecondLife. These complaints make LindenLabs' move today all the more an indignity.

So who's ready to start buying stock?

Virtual worlds undoubtedly hold a whole lot of potential, but SecondLife may have already proven itself too inhospitable to scale.