Week 3 – Will a potential innovation ‘fly’

This week we have gone through Rogers’ groups in adopting (or not adopting) an innovation;

• innovators
• early adopters
• early majority
• late majority
• laggards

We have considered what the innovation’s strengths & weaknesses are by focusing on;

• its relative advantage
• Compatability
• Complexity
• Trialability
• Observability

My mini comment:

I have introduced blogging with my students to foster collaboration & as a course material repository. This is quiet compatible with the majority’s net addiction 😉 After a trial period in which teething problems were resolved, this idea was introduced to other enthusiastic teachers. Through observation of the blog, benefits were evident. On the other hand, they have seen this as complex because of lack of support in managing such a system.

Chasm theory

In Moore’s chasm theory it has been argued that there is a leap that needs to be made in order to make an innovation ‘fly’. But how does this come around? Who is the key, early adopters or the early majority?

This leap may be done by getting as many early adopters as possible onboard. User networks will determine the viability of an innovation. But how are the networks accessed? Other factors such as advertisment come into play in order to gain access to the mainstream market. In the forums Christine notices that costs may be an inhibiting factor…money matters.