Viewfinder: Do You Know Who You Are?

Readers of special interest magazines have a few things in common. You are all seeking enlightenment. You want the latest information so you can make excellent decisions and become more proficient in your pursuits. As a result, you are extremely well informed about matters within your area of affinity. Readers of special interest magazines tend to be really good at what they do.

The people that you encounter look to you for video leadership. They know how well informed you are. They know that you study the market and purchase the most appropriate products to achieve your goals. You learn about the latest technology before most other people do. Once you purchase these new technology products, you become an "early adopter," a phrase coined by Everett Rogers in his 1995 book, Diffusion of Innovations. In the book, he theorizes that the early adopters of an innovation profoundly influence the innovation-decisions of later adopters.

Early adopters are willing to take risks on purchasing innovative products that are new to the market. Occasionally, this leads to frustration, such as when a product category fails to mature into a solid market niche (e.g. Beta format VCRs). This risk is what thrills you and is also what scares away the faint …