Travelling on the technology curve

The theory of how new ideas, innovations and technology are spread is something we should be well aware of.  In our own organisations, we know it pays to identify those who are 'early adopters' or members of the 'early majority' - and who are influential.   And we also know that sometimes it's as unhelpful to be too far ahead of the curve as it is to be behind it.This week, ReadWriteWeb reports on the latest changes to Gartner's HypeCycle.  HypeCycle seeks to map technological innovations along a timeline from 'technology trigger' and through key stages including the 'peak of inflated expectations'(!) to the 'plateau of productivity', when innovation can be seen to be truly impactful and has been adopted by 20-30% of the potential audience.  The latest additions to the service include 'big data' and 'gamification'.Technologies may follow the curve, but each travels at a different speed.  HypeCycle places eBook readers beyond any disillusionment and at the beginning of the 'slope of enlightenment' and big data climbing up towards the 'peak' (and likely to do so quite rapidly).You can view images and read the reseach summary here.