Recognizing The Maker Movement The World Maker Faire opens in Queens this weekend, in the second annual New York City event for the formidable faire. That was perfect timing for having a conversation with Dale Dougherty, the father of the movement, about why Making is bigger than just tinkering or crafting, but actually represents an important social, cultural and political force. If you have twenty minutes, I'd love for you to watch the video below and to share your thoughts on the implications of the Maker Movement. It was an incredible privilege to get to talk at length with the person most responsible for making it happen, and my greatest hope is that we can kick off a conversation around this weekend's Faire that helps many people realize just how significant and important this fun, engaging and welcoming event can be. Related Links
Maker Movement Gaining Recognition There have been a number of stories in mainstream media recently recognizing the “Maker movement” exemplified by our own magazines Make: and Craft: and online sites like Etsy and Instructables. (Disclosure: O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures is an investor in Instructables.) This past week’s article in Business Week, Arts and Crafts Find New Life Online is a great example. (There was also a great article in the NY Times a few weeks ago, entitled Handymade 2.0.) Many of these companies say they trace their lineage to the open-source technology movement formed in the ’90s by computer programmers who wanted to create software anyone could build upon. One of the things that the article didn’t pick up on, though, was the crossover between technology and craft. I still remember my surprise and delight at the first Maker Faire. That’s a big tent! I wrote about this idea in detail in 2000 in an article entitled Remaking the Peer to Peer Meme.