cross-posted from http://markruiz.typepad.com

So you’re looking for innovation? Don’t go to the mainstream, chances are you won’t find it there. The truth of the matter is most of the innovation happens at the fringes.
 
Why? It’s because it’s where the experimentation happens, where people are fervently exploring NEW things waiting for commercialization.

This is probably second nature for entrepreneurs, but most corporations JUST DON’T GET IT. They actively look to where the bulk of the market is, not where it’s going. The researches, FGD’s, brainstorming — all efforts are being spent on talking to the major bump in the bell curve, not the edges or the deviations. But the common user is de facto the common follower. They just adopt what the trailblazers discover.

If I were you, I’d dip myself into the world of the wonderfully weird; the out-of-the-mainstream websites, the underground blogs, the alternative new venues where your target market’s lead users are congregating and toying. The extreme hobbyists. The cult fans.

Join. Flirt. Immerse. Chances are, you’ll discover things that’ll bring you a full three steps ahead of competition. And who knows, you might pick up a new hobby or two as well.