Doc Searls
Encyclopedia
David "Doc" Searls co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto
, is an American journalist, columnist
, author and a widely-read blogger, a fellow at the Center for Information Technology & Society (CITS) at the University of California, Santa Barbara
, and a fellow alumnus (2006-2010) of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society
at Harvard University
.
, Searls has been involved with Linux Journal
since it began publishing in 1994. He became a Contributing Editor in 1996 and has been Senior Editor since 1999. His column "Linux for Suits" ran until 2007, and was followed by "EOF" inside each issue's back cover. His work with Linux Journal, and as an advocate of free software
and open source
, earned him a Google-O'Reilly Open Source Award
for Best Communicator in 2005. His byline has also appeared in many other publications, including OMNI
, Wired
, PC Magazine
, The Standard, The Sun Magazine, Upside
, Release 1.0 and The Globe & Mail.
In early 1999 Searls joined Christopher Locke
, David Weinberger
and Rick Levine in writing The Cluetrain Manifesto
, an iconoclastic website that was followed in January 2000 by the book with the same title. The book became a business bestseller and was published in nine languages. A 10th Anniversary edition came out in June 2009. Among Searls' contributions to the Manifesto was its first thesis, "Markets are conversations" -- which is also the title of the Cluetrain chapter he co-wrote with David Weinberger. Weinberger and Searls co-wrote "World of Ends: What the Internet Is and How to Stop Mistaking It for Something Else" (See NEA (internet)
).
Searls has also been a well-known blog
ger since October 1999, when he started blogging with help from his friend Dave Winer
. In an Online Journalism Review article, J.D. Lasica
calls Searls "one of the deep thinkers in the blog movement."
In The World is Flat
, Thomas L. Friedman calls Searls "one of the most respected technology writers in America."
Searls' two academic fellowships both began in 2006. At the Berkman Center for Internet & Society
he leads ProjectVRM, which guides independent software development communities working on Vendor Relationship Management
(VRM). The purpose of VRM is to equip individuals with tools that provide both independence from vendor "lock-in" and better means for engaging with vendors. VRM tools and methods also help individuals engage with government and other non-commercial organizations. At the Center for Information Technology and Society (CITS) at the University of California, Santa Barbara
, Searls is studying both the nature of infrastructure
and of the Internet
as a form of infrastructure.
, and then in Silicon Valley
. Searls' consultancy, The Searls Group, was spun out of HS&S in the early 1990s. He is a frequent speaker at business and industry events, under the auspices of The Searls Group.
Searls, a 1969 graduate of Guilford College
serves on the board of directors for PlanetEye, and on the advisory boards of Ping Identity Corp., SocialText, SpikeSource, B5 Media and Technorati. He is also an avid photographer with a strong interest in geology and geography. Of his 30,000+ photos on Flickr, a large percentage were shot out of the windows of airplanes.
While Searls' permanent home is in Santa Barbara, he and his family currently live most of the year near his work at Harvard.
The Cluetrain Manifesto
The Cluetrain Manifesto is a set of 95 theses organized and put forward as a manifesto, or call to action, for all businesses operating within what is suggested to be a newly-connected marketplace....
, is an American journalist, columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
, author and a widely-read blogger, a fellow at the Center for Information Technology & Society (CITS) at the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, and a fellow alumnus (2006-2010) of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Berkman Center for Internet & Society
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society is a research center at Harvard University that focuses on the study of cyberspace. Founded at Harvard Law School, the center traditionally focused on internet-related legal issues. On May 15, 2008, the Center was elevated to an interfaculty initiative of...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Overview
A longtime advocate for open-source softwareOpen-source software
Open-source software is computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software.Open...
, Searls has been involved with Linux Journal
Linux Journal
Linux Journal is a monthly technology magazine published by Belltown Media, Inc. of Houston, Texas. The magazine focuses specifically on Linux, allowing the content to be a highly specialized source of information for open source enthusiasts.-History:...
since it began publishing in 1994. He became a Contributing Editor in 1996 and has been Senior Editor since 1999. His column "Linux for Suits" ran until 2007, and was followed by "EOF" inside each issue's back cover. His work with Linux Journal, and as an advocate of free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
and open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
, earned him a Google-O'Reilly Open Source Award
Google-O'Reilly Open Source Award
The Google-O'Reilly Open Source Award is presented to individuals for dedication, innovation, leadership and outstanding contribution to open source.-External links:* *...
for Best Communicator in 2005. His byline has also appeared in many other publications, including OMNI
Omni (magazine)
OMNI was a science and science fiction magazine published in the US and the UK. It contained articles on science fact and short works of science fiction...
, Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
, PC Magazine
PC Magazine
PC Magazine is a computer magazine published by Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009...
, The Standard, The Sun Magazine, Upside
Upside (magazine)
Upside was a San Francisco-based business and technology magazine for venture capitalists. It was published from 1989 to 2002. It had a circulation above 300,000.-Beginnings:Upside was started by banker Anthony B...
, Release 1.0 and The Globe & Mail.
In early 1999 Searls joined Christopher Locke
Christopher Locke
Christopher Locke is a widely read blogger, author and the editor of the e-newsletter since 1995. Starting in 2005, he has been writing the blog....
, David Weinberger
David Weinberger
David Weinberger is an American technologist, professional speaker, and commentator, probably best known as co-author of the Cluetrain Manifesto David Weinberger (born 1950 in New York) is an American technologist, professional speaker, and commentator, probably best known as co-author of the...
and Rick Levine in writing The Cluetrain Manifesto
The Cluetrain Manifesto
The Cluetrain Manifesto is a set of 95 theses organized and put forward as a manifesto, or call to action, for all businesses operating within what is suggested to be a newly-connected marketplace....
, an iconoclastic website that was followed in January 2000 by the book with the same title. The book became a business bestseller and was published in nine languages. A 10th Anniversary edition came out in June 2009. Among Searls' contributions to the Manifesto was its first thesis, "Markets are conversations" -- which is also the title of the Cluetrain chapter he co-wrote with David Weinberger. Weinberger and Searls co-wrote "World of Ends: What the Internet Is and How to Stop Mistaking It for Something Else" (See NEA (internet)
NEA (internet)
NEA, in the context of the Internet and computing, is an acronym which stands for the maxim:It was designed originally to explain the nature of the Internet itself; that it cannot be owned by any individual corporation because it is an agreement not a thing, that potentially everyone on earth can...
).
Searls has also been a well-known blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger since October 1999, when he started blogging with help from his friend Dave Winer
Dave Winer
Dave Winer is an American software developer, entrepreneur and writer in New York City. Winer is noted for his contributions to outliners, scripting, content management, and web services, as well as blogging and podcasting...
. In an Online Journalism Review article, J.D. Lasica
J.D. Lasica
J. D. Lasica is the byline of Joseph Daniel Lasica, a social media consultant, online journalist and blogger. He is the author of Darknet: Hollywood's War Against the Digital Generation , a book about the copyright wars and the future of media.Lasica was born in Passaic, New Jersey and graduated...
calls Searls "one of the deep thinkers in the blog movement."
In The World is Flat
The World Is Flat
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century is an international bestselling book by Thomas Friedman that analyzes globalization, primarily in the early 21st century. The title is a metaphor for viewing the world as a level playing field in terms of commerce, where all competitors...
, Thomas L. Friedman calls Searls "one of the most respected technology writers in America."
Searls' two academic fellowships both began in 2006. At the Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Berkman Center for Internet & Society
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society is a research center at Harvard University that focuses on the study of cyberspace. Founded at Harvard Law School, the center traditionally focused on internet-related legal issues. On May 15, 2008, the Center was elevated to an interfaculty initiative of...
he leads ProjectVRM, which guides independent software development communities working on Vendor Relationship Management
Vendor Relationship Management
VRM, or vendor relationship management is a category of business activity made possible by software tools that provide customers with both independence from vendors and better means for engaging with vendors...
(VRM). The purpose of VRM is to equip individuals with tools that provide both independence from vendor "lock-in" and better means for engaging with vendors. VRM tools and methods also help individuals engage with government and other non-commercial organizations. At the Center for Information Technology and Society (CITS) at the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, Searls is studying both the nature of infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
and of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
as a form of infrastructure.
Background
The nickname "Doc" is what Searls calls a "fossil remnant" of "Doctor Dave," his humorous persona at WDBS (now WXDU) radio at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, in the late 1970s. Following his work in radio, Searls co-founded Hodskins Simone & Searls (HS&S), which grew to become one of the top high-tech advertising agencies in North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and then in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
. Searls' consultancy, The Searls Group, was spun out of HS&S in the early 1990s. He is a frequent speaker at business and industry events, under the auspices of The Searls Group.
Searls, a 1969 graduate of Guilford College
Guilford College
Guilford College, founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society of Friends , is an independent college whose stated mission is to: provide a transformative, practical and excellent liberal arts education that produces critical thinkers in an inclusive, diverse environment, guided by Quaker...
serves on the board of directors for PlanetEye, and on the advisory boards of Ping Identity Corp., SocialText, SpikeSource, B5 Media and Technorati. He is also an avid photographer with a strong interest in geology and geography. Of his 30,000+ photos on Flickr, a large percentage were shot out of the windows of airplanes.
While Searls' permanent home is in Santa Barbara, he and his family currently live most of the year near his work at Harvard.
External links
- Berkman Center
- UCSB
- Doc Searls's current blog
- Doc Searls's original blog from November 1999 to August 2007
- Doc Searls's Bio
- Doc’s Podblog where Doc Searls houses personal podcasts and show notes.
- Doc Searls's Flickr.com account
- Linux Link Tech Show interview (audio), 2005
- ProjectVRM
- 2005 Google-O'Reilly Open Source Award Winner for "Best Communicator"