I've often made the case that the future of social networking (if not the entire web) will be 3D, or at least far more immersive than today's relatively flat mainstays MySpace and Facebook. You need look no further than social network/virtual world hybrids like Habbo, Cyworld or Kaneva for a taste of how this trend might unfold. But more importantly, you can look at how the next generation has taken to kiddie worlds like Webkinz and Disney's Club Penguin, where they present in avatar form, interact with others and become part of a thriving and self-sustaining virtual economy.

The latest entrant -- for grown-ups -- is a new network/virtual world called RipLounge. As an entertainment-oriented world, it appears to be a dead ringer for Kaneva but -- if their promotional video is any indication -- they seem to be playing the "lame card" really hard. What do I mean? Well, for starters the more a start-up tells you that they offer something "cool," the less likely it actually offers anything cool at all. RipLounge seems hell bent on telling potential users just how cool it really is - just check their site or promotional video. And to support this claim, they "show-off" one user with a mullet of mindblowing proportions, one weird old lady and enough vaguely inappropriate and overly pushy examples of member-to-member messaging that even I feel a little bit uncomfortable about. Just take a peek at the video embedded here and you'll see what I mean.

Riplounge.com Demo - video powered by Metacafe

[Feed and email readers, please click through for the video.]

Not sure that RipLounge is the answer (so help us God, if it is) but at least they are having a go at pushing social networking into the third dimension. And it's particularly good to see new entrants at a time when Second Life seems to be stumbling, especially when those new entrants are not mere Second Life clones but at least seem to be courting mainstream consumers and mainstream marketers with a penchant for experimentation. RipLounge, like Kaneva, Virtual MTV and several others, aims to monetize through marketer integration from the outset.

RipLounge is in beta now, has plans for an April 1st launch and, according to TechCrunch, an ad industry coming-out party at ad:tech San Francisco.

Has anyone tried RipLounge yet? Do you think they have a shot?