Gartner Hype Cycle – what it means and why it’s relevant
One of the most fascinating and overwhelming aspects of new technology – be it software, hardware, equipment, or the Internet- is that it changes so fast it’s hard to keep up. There’s so much information coming at you that, at times, you can begin to wonder what makes sense to pay attention to and what is all hype?
Hype plays a huge role in the technology world – after all, buzz is what gets attention, early adopters and funding. How does this relate to women in business, the small business owner, the C-level executive is very simple…by understanding the trends and weeding through the “hype” you can actually make better choices in relation to investments in technology.
This is useful whether you’re managing a $1,000 technology budget that encompasses largely a laptop and what Internet service provider you’re going to choose – or a $100,000 budget plus and major investments.
The Hype Cycle is a product/service/invention of Gartner (http://www.gartner.com)- one of the world’s leading authorities on technology trend research. Verbatim from their web site definition can be found by clicking here (http://www.gartner.com/technology/about.jsp). Suffice it to say – they know their stuff and are worth your attention, at the very least for this annual report. To check out 2010’s Hype Cycle click here (http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1447613) . To view an informative video by Jackie Fenn (VP and Gartner Fellow – not to mention very smart lady) click here (http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/hype-cycles/index.jsp). To find out more about Jackie Fenn, click here (Geek out totally by ordering the book on Amazon – click here(http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Hype-Cycle-Innovation-Gartner/dp/1422121100/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216662511&sr=8-1)
Between you and I – I wish there were a Hype Cycle for fashion – as data presented in that form could be really useful, and prevent horrible, expensive style disasters. The closest thing I’ve found that mimics the hype cycle for technology in fashion (that doesn’t require hours of page flipping or reading of several magazines) is Anna Saconne’s (The Style Diet author) videos on Youtube. She also has a blog – but I prefer the short and sweet videos on Youtube. Check her out (http://www.annasaccone.com) Why this person is an expert, I can’t tell – but over 20,000 views per video can’t be all wrong – and she has a book. But I digress…
Bottom line when you understand trends in technology – you can make better choices for yourself, you can see what your customers might want or be interested in and how you can better serve them.
Check out the Hype cycle (http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1447613) and share your thoughts…