Back in August, Edward Roche wrote a paper for The Conference Board, entitled Crafting a Strategy for Virtual Worlds: Eight Questions to Ask (available here, but subscription only). A summary of his eight questions can be found here, at Doctor Dobb's Journal.
Interestingly, they're the same basic questions any business should be asking about a new website or Web-based service. Replace v-products with e-products, and switch virtual worlds with web technology platforms, and this is your basic checklist for any Web-based enterprise.
And, you know? That's not a bad thing. It demonstrates that despite the fact that technologies may seem to have a confusing new face on them, that you should not lose sight of the business basics. Expand them, or extend them, but don't forget them. New technologies don't make good business sense irrelevant or unnecessary, and Roche's report is a good reminder of that.
