“I really like Alan (Pear’s Founder). He's smart, engaging, helpful, insightful, and a lot of fun to work with. He sees way ahead of the curve, understands markets deeply (publishing for example) and knows how to connect both in person and in the virtual forms.”

 

A digital chameleon and author riding the edge of technology, not following it. In addition to an extensive business development, sales, marketing, evangelism, technical, and software development background, he has appeared in Macworld, MacAddict, and several O’Reilly books. Other appearances include Wired Magazine, The Jim Lehrer Newshour, CNET, Slashdot, The London Observer, Boing Boing, Lockergnome, Linux Journal, and the NY Times Bestseller, “The Nudist on the Lateshift.”

 

He is not the nudist.

 

Alan created his first blog in 2001. Arguably the first Travelblog, VisorAdventure, he travelled 10,000 miles across the US using only a wireless Handspring PDA to document his trip. Sponsored by CompUSA, Handspring, Targus, and Magellan, Alan proved the power and value of mobile computing.

 

In 2002 Alan came up with the idea to create a book based on blogs as literature. The idea was rejected by numerous major publishers:

 

“Blogging is a fad.”

 

“No one cares about a collection of unknown writers.”

 

“It won’t sell”

 

With about 30,000 blog entries read, the book was assembled with the help of co-editor Bonnie Burton and hit bookshelves in 2004. With no marketing money, pr, or publicist...and only using the power of blogs and peer marketing, the book sold out the first printing in the first month.

 

In his 15 year career, Alan has worked with Better Homes & Gardens, Paramount Pictures, Fiskars, Feedster, Apple Computer, Sausage Software, ICentral, & Excite@Home to name a few.