FORA.tv & The New Republic join up on live events

On June 5 FORA will join TNR, host the 6th & I Synagogue and co-sponsor Politics & Prose in Washington DC to host the first event in what will become a series. The description is below. We're really pleased to be working with such quality partners to create this sort of genuinely meaningful live event.

There's also something of a personal element here. The event (and the eventual series) is named for Nelson Polsby, a Berkeley political scientist and early FORA advisor who passed away last year. Nelson was a giant in terms of scholarly achievement, personality and human goodness. Brian and I had multiple breakfast and lunch meetings with him in FORA's early days and I sometimes went out of my way to grab a hot chocolate with him. His insight was impeccable and his sense of humor was always worth the price of admission.

"The inaugural Nelson Polsby Congressional Conversation will be hosted by Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute and feature Representatives Barney Frank and Tom Davis. It will be a candid conversation between prominent Congressional leaders of opposing political interests on finding ways to build bridges, find solutions and govern effectively in a highly partisan environment.

The Polsby series, sponsored by FORA.tv and The New Republic, aims to honor the late Berkeley Congressional scholar Nelson Polsby by enabling substantive discussion between politically opposed leaders. Polsby was noted for his ecumenical approach to divisive political issues and his efforts over many decades to expand our understanding of political institutions and to make them work better."

Joie de Vivre

Just attended an extraordinary weekend workshop at Esalen with Chip Conley, founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality. I've stayed at his Bay Area hotels over the years and always noticed its unique customer orientation. Chip discussed his application of Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to business planning and management.

There were great small group sessions that allowed for some musing on the development of the FORA concept. One attendee asked me about FORA, and she responded, "Oh, a selective, gourmet YouTube." Another discussed an experience she had with a TED Talks video and we got into a discussion of online video as a source of inspiration and big ideas. That struck me as an essential element of what we do, and how we might drive our editorial process. Stories that inspire from the world's great public forums. Like Esalen, a place of brilliant ideas, inspiration and free thinking.

Welcome to the new FORA.tv

Kudos to Allan Claghorn and the entire FORA team on the launch of the new site, features and tools. What's new to see?

At the top of the home page you’ll see tabs to visit the primary categories on the site:
Politics, Business, Tech & Science, The World, and Culture. Notice each category has subcategories; it’s all there for easy navigation to the videos of greatest interest to you.

On the right-hand side of the page you can check out Today’s Top Programs – the current most popular videos on FORA.

After choosing a program, you’re directed to the FORA player, featuring video highlights…
…the full program……DVD style chapters…a transcript with built-in search functionality....a brief description……speaker bios...diverse options to share and download…associated links…and related programs.

Right below the program you can weigh in on the conversation…or by giving other users a thumbs up or down.

Register and create your own online channel with MyFORA. Here, you can build your own library by bookmarking your favorite chapters or full-length programs and starting your own "Think Tank" discussions by uploading content you've created.

Keep track of your recent comments and viewed programs. Customize your profile further with a personal bio, add other users to your "Friends" list, share your favorite links, and manage your subscriptions.

We'll be giving you more tips and background on the new site in the days ahead. Please share your comments with me and the team at fora-ceo@fora.tv. Thanks for visiting,

Brian Gruber
President and CEO
FORA.tv