Fig. 1. The binning of files in favour of keeping everything online

My wife used Roger’s ‘Diffusion of Innovations‘ in a postgrad marketing course 18 years ago. We got into a heavy conversation about its relevance to ‘e-learning‘ and whether our son is an ‘innovator’ or … a sucker for blitz-like advertising.

He had a full collection of colour iTouch newspaper ads on the wall long before he found a way to buy an iTouch off e.Bay.

He is surely an ‘early adopter’ though, someone who doesn’t/can’t get in first, but certainly motivates others amongst his mates to follow suit.

Without having the book I feel my comments on ‘Difussions in Innovations’ will lack weight. Call me a cynic or sketpic, but I do look at a) its use for marketing undergraduate & postgrad course b) the hidden agenda of publishers to have something ‘fruity,’ such as a concept.

Having worked in advertising I must emphasise the ability of advertisers to persaude people to buy stuff. So is ‘innovation’ in this case down to good adveriting, supply of the product, pricing, & so on?

E-learning, a service, a complex package of costs occuring doesn’t for me equate to being a ‘product’ like a new combine-harvester.

Related articles

• Journal Impact as an Innovation Diffusion Process; five potential dimensions of journal impact; Magnitude, Speed, Prestige, Breath & Reach (rmimr.wordpress.com)
• Networking Opportunities for Postgrads (free refreshment and breakfast) (thinkingoutside101.wordpress.com)