by
Todd Brehe
Every January, trade publications put out lists of predictions
for the coming year. They discuss products, services, and trends
that they think will change the way business is done, labeling some
of these "disruptive technologies."
The
idea of disruptive technologies comes from Clayton Christensen's
1997 book, "The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause
Great Firms to Fail." A disruptive technology is a method,
procedure, skill, device, or material that redefines competitive
standards, and it often forces us to re-examine the way we work.
Also note that the technology doesn't have to be a physical
item.
[skipped a little ...]
At
first glance, it doesn�t appear that blogs would be at all
disruptive. So why all the hype?
If
we look closely at the structure and intent of blogs as a
communications tool, we can see some powerful ideas at work. Blogs
are a direct, one-to-many means of communicating ideas. They expand
an individual�s ability to communicate. They are fresh and timely.
The blogger, to maintain interest, must communicate often. Blogs
enable a single person to share ideas, insights, and useful
knowledge with an audience. Thanks to the web, the audience can be
a global one.
Whenever a new tool or process�such as e-mail�expands
communications, the effects are far-reaching and dramatic. Even
though blogs have been around for 3-4 years, they could be �the
next big thing.� More