Make More Mistakes

#003: Slow to jump on the bandwagon

I’ve always considered myself to be open to new things and at the forefront of trying out innovative online technologies. However, I’ve recently discovered this hasn’t been the case when it comes to Web 2.0. Not something you’d expect from a self-professed demi-geek at all. What am I thinking?

Take, as example, Flickr, an online photo saving and sharing facility, which is very useful and proving popular. I’ve only had my account for a month, but Flickr’s been around since February 2004 and it’s been propular for quite some time. Thankfully, I did sign up whilst Flickr was still in beta (i.e. whilst the site was still in the earlier experimental stages), so I can lay some claim to being one of the first, but it’s still very slow of me. (For more Web 2.0 sites, check out my ClaimID for my online appearances - especially the entries for ‘my online identities’ and ‘my utilities’).

The scale of trend-setting & following

Innovators
Brave people, pulling the change…

Early Adopters
Respectable people, opinion leaders, try out new ideas, but in a careful way.

Early Majority
Thoughtful people, careful but accepting change more quickly than the average.

Late Majority
Skeptics, will use new ideas or products only when the majority is using it.

Laggards
Traditional people, caring for the “old ways”, critical towards new ideas and will only accept it if the new idea has become mainstream…

Innovation Adoption Curve of Rogers

Why I’m slow on the uptake

The first part of the problem is me not knowing about the new things; the second part is being overly cautious once I do find out about them and so not taking action. The solution is clear.

Learning from my mistakes

Recognising trends late is something I’ve got to change - my plan of action is to become more of a trendsetter by taking more risks and getting involved with emerging technologies as soon as I hear about them. In order for this to be effective, I need to look for new technologies, instead of waiting for them to come to me.

The target

My aim is to become a potential adopter immediately, with a view to becoming an early adopter over time.

…Potential adopters look to early adopters for advice and information about the innovation. The early adopter is considered by many as the “individual to check with” before using a new idea. This adopter category is generally sought by change agents to be a local missionary for speeding the diffusion process. Because early adopters are not too far ahead of the average individual in innovativeness, they serve as a role model for many other members of a social system. The early adopter is respected by his or her peers, and is the embodiment of successful and discrete use of new ideas… the role of the early adopter is to decrease uncertainty about a new idea by adopting it, and then conveying a subjective evaluation of the innovation to near-peers by means of interpersonal networks.

Zona Latina - description of early adopters

Resources

The best way to stay ahead of the pack, is to keep yourself informed and then act on that knowledge.

Review the resources in my sidebar, including really useful blogs, the authors of which are frequently found setting the trends for the rest of us. I particularly recommend my site - All Things Bright - and Steve Pavlina’s Personal Development blog.

See also the useful resources below. You’ll be sure to hear more from me on this topic, so keep visiting Make More Mistakes.

News - especially technology

• The Register (UK), see also The Register (US)
• Technorati

Emerging trends - monitor & influence the popularity of new things

• Digg