A blurring, buzzing week at COP 15 for me and my colleague Kyle Crawford. And while the Australian in the Koala Bear suit doesn't quite reflect the gravity of the event, it hopefully illustrates some of the (mostly positive) circus atmosphere.
Kyle and I arrived on Sunday evening and things have been nearly non stop since. FORA has captured video of world leaders addressing climate negotiations and held its own interviews with journalists and thought leaders including Naomi Klein, Bjorn Lomborg, Chris Mooney and Mark Hertsgaard. We also worked with our partners at the German Marshall Fund to produce an event with Duke University.
The action wraps up tomorrow but it seems very far from over.
FORA.tv will provide exclusive live, interactive video streaming of select programs from this first-of-its-kind conference. Attending the event will be 300 leaders from government, industry and academia, including members of the U.S. administration, the Canadian government, the European Union, NATO and other nations. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will be in attendance along with a U.S. congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Senator Mark Udall (D-CO).
FORA.tv will publish video programs from this important event in the days to come. In the meanwhile, watch GMF video programs on FORA.tv!
We're pleased to invite our community to watch a live conversation with Vinod Khosla, venture capitalist and cleantech evangelist. The conversation begins at 1:30 PST.
Yesterday, the conference featured presentations from John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins and James Rogers of Duke Energy. This seminal conference is devoted to the Smart Grid, and is bringing together leading entrepreneurs, investors, utilities, technology executives, and policymakers. The aim: To accelerate the development of a leaner, more efficient electrical grid.
FORA.tv will be publishing video programs from the event in the days to come.
We're pleased to invite our community to watch a live interview with Tim Armstrong, AOL Chairman and CEO. The conversation begins at 3:15 ET.
We're proud to be partnering with the Paley Center for Media’s International Council, a worldwide forum of leading international media and communications executives. This marks the first time that conference proceedings will be streamed live.
The schedule for the conference sessions live online via FORA.tv from the Paley Center is as follows:
Wednesday, November 18 at 2:00-2:15pmET Welcoming Remarks by Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hearst Corporation, and Chairman, The Paley Center for Media
Wednesday, November 18 at 3:15-3:40pmET Live interview with Tim Armstrong, AOL Chairman and CEO
Thursday, November 19 at 11:15-12:30pmET The Hunt for the Next Big Thing: This session will highlight a handful of up-and-coming digital media companies vying to become the Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace of 2010. Moderated by Quincy Smith, Chief Executive Officer, CBS Interactive with Avner Ronen, Chief Executive Officer, Boxee; Doug Knopper, Cofounder, CoChief Executive Officer, FreeWheel; Justin Shaffer, founder and Chief Executive Officer; Andrew Lacey, Cofounder and Chief Operating Officer, Tapulous; Mike Dougherty, Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder, Jelli; Kristian Segerstrale, Chief Executive Officer, Playfish.
Thursday, November 19 at 2:10 -3:15pmET ThinkSocial Awards Presentation followed by Social Networking and Media Conversation Moderated by Jamie Daves, Executive Director, Think Social with panelists Tom Arrix, Vice President, Facebook; Seth Sternberg, Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder, Meebo; Peter Land, Senior Vice President, PepsiCo.
Friday, November 20 at 9:45-10:45amET Conveners Session: A conversation with Ivan Seidenberg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Verizon Communications and Philippe Dauman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Viacom Inc. with moderator Becky Quick, CNBC.
We're pleased to announce that FORA.tv is now available on the iPhone.
Thanks to all of you who have written in requesting an iPhone app. Your wish was truly our command. So, visit the Apps Store, download the FORA.tv app, and enjoy the web's largest collection of smart videos in the palm of your hand. Watch your favorite program and let us know what you think. Get smart on the go!
Not an iPhone user? Point your mobile browser to http://m.fora.tv. And yes... FORA.tv will be appearing on more platforms soon.
On November 5, FORA.tv is proud to be the media partner of LuxuryLab and NYU Stern's Luxury & Retail Club as they hold their first-ever Innovation Forum, an unprecedented event addressing the rapidly changing luxury marketplace. The event's sponsor is Halogen Network, with whom we are proud to partner on sponsorship and advertising sales.
The conference will be held at TheTimesCenter in New York, and feature thought leaders sharing never-seen-before research, trends, best practices, and a passion for ideas. FORA.tv will be there filming the event and bringing it you next week.
Greg Shove, founder and CEO of Halogen Network, will give a presentation on “Fresh Web” which will touch on FashionTweek, Halogen's digital brand application for New York Fashion Week.
Other speakers include Henry Blodget, CEO of The Business Insider, Francois-Henry Bennahmias, CEO of Audemars Piguet North America, Chandler Burr, perfume critic for the New York Times, Scott Galloway, founder of Luxury Lab and NYU professor, and John Demsey, group president at Estee Lauder, among others. For more information and a complete list of speakers visit LuxuryLab or register for the event.
Today we join the wireless world with the launch of our mobile site. Now you can watch your favorite video programs while waiting in line at the bank or riding public transit. Point your mobile phone's browser to http://m.fora.tv and enjoy the world of smart video in the palm of your hand.
As always, please send along any feedback or suggestions. And stay tuned for more mobile offerings!
FORA.tv favorite Adam Savage appeared on yesterday's Diggnation talk show and gave a nice shout-out to our site. Hosted by Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht, the weekly program covers technology and web culture stories culled from Digg.
In the episode, Adam tells Kevin and Alex that in addition to working on MythBusters, he's also been giving talks at places like EG and Maker Faire. His EG presentation, which was devoted to obsession and the Maltese Falcon, was a huge Internet hit. Savage laughs, "I'm now about 40% of the Google noise" around the Maltese Falcon.
On behalf of the FORA.tv community, a huge thank you to MythBusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman.
We're not aliens, but ... we've joined an evil plot to destroy the world. Today, we're proud to announce that FORA.tv can be found on Hulu.com. As Alec Baldwin says in the commercial for Hulu, "Enjoy."
This is the latest measure in an effort to make our smart video available to smart audiences everywhere. Working with the great folks at Hulu, we've launched our "network" with more than 20 programs in science, environment, and technology.
Watch FORA.tv favorites like MythBuster's Adam Savage on colossal failure, Amory Lovins on energy efficiency, and Neil deGrasse Tyson on killer asteroids. Stay tuned as we add more programs and let us know what you think.
FORA.tv, the leading destination and distributor of smart video programs, has been selected by TIME.com editors as one of the 50 Best Websites 2009 and featured in the 5 You May Not Know category.
“Whoever said television makes you stupid never saw FORA.tv,” writes TIME.com’s Adam Fisher. “Fora TV is the place to turn to after you've seen your nth viral video and realize your brain itself is in danger of becoming infected.”
FORA.tv is “one site that has really caught our eye this year,” says TIME.com’s Shea Hess in a short video program describing web sites that “are just waiting to blow-up.”
"It's an honor to be recognized for gathering the best video programming from top universities and conferences," says Blaise Zerega, president and CEO of FORA.tv. "We will continue our rapid innovation to serve an engaged, intelligent audience."
TIME.com's 50 honored websites include YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, and BoingBoing among others.
With strong content partners ranging from the Aspen Institute to Georgetown University to EG to the Chautauqua Institution, FORA.tv has assembled the Web’s largest library of smart, issues-oriented video and is reshaping the way audiences discover and engage with media. The company is helping drive the transformation of online video as it evolves from the mass appeal of user-generated clips to a broad range of highly-segmented offerings. In this new world of vast content choices, 70 percent of online viewers are watching video from the news and current events category.
If smart audiences want smart content, then our job at FORA.tv is to satisfy that need -- on any device, anywhere, anytime. And thus we're delighted to be partnering with Boxee.tv to better serve you.
If you've ever wanted to experience FORA.tv on that lovely LCD in your living room, now's your chance. "On a laptop or connected to an HDTV, boxee's free software lets you navigate all your personal movies, TV shows, music and photos, as well as streaming content from websites like MLB, Netflix, Pandora, Last.fm, and Flickr from one screen with a remote." Visit Boxee, download the free software and you'll be hooked.
FORA.tv programs will be in good company, joining those from other like-minded sites: OpenCourseWare, UK's Open University, TED, and PBS. Who said smart video can't be a lean-back experience? I'm confident you'll enjoy FORA.tv on Boxee.
This morning, hundreds of FORA.tv members joined the audience inside the Chautauqua Institution's famed amphitheater for a presentation by former NASA administrator Daniel Goldin. Dozens more followed the conversation on twitter using #chqlive.
This was the first of four live events we'll host this week. Tomorrow, we'll feature Microsoft's Andrea Taylor on philanthropy. On Friday, we'll have George Kembel, head of the Stanford Institute of Design, exploring human creativity, followed by Karen Armstrong, renowned lecturer and author, on religious faith and compassion. If you haven't yet done so, please sign-up to participate in these interactive discussions.
Echoing Plutarch's comments about the human mind, Mr. Goldin's talk was titled, A Fire to be Ignited. He provided colorful examples of creativity overcoming bureaucratic and scientific challenges from his experiences with the Space Shuttle, Mars Pathfinder, and Hubble Telescope. He also had the audience laughing with his description of meeting Pope John Paul II. "What's NASA?" the Pope asked. Goldin's jaw dropped and he began to sweat. Then the Pope cracked a smile and tittered with glee, delighted to have pulled a fast one on Goldin. The two proceeded to have a thoughtful discussion about space exploration.
We posted the full-length program, A Fire to Be Ignited shortly after it concluded. We will have the entire program complete with chapters, highlights, and share features ready in a few days.
Hope you'll join us tomorrow at 10:45 am EDT for Andrea Taylor!
We're delighted to be working with the Chautauqua Institution to bring you, the FORA.tv community, the Chautauqua 2009 Digital Sessions. Next week, we'll produce a series of live stream events featuring Daniel Goldin on the future of space, Andrea Taylor on Microsoft and America, Karen Armstrong on compassion, and George Kembel on life, design, and ideas. Even if you can't be there in person, we invite you to join the conversation.
Founded in 1874, the Chautauqua Institution is famous for presenting the world's top thinkers from the fields of art, education, religion, and recreation. On Chautauqua's Amphitheatre stage, Susan B. Anthony argued for women’s suffrage in 1892 and Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his "I Hate War" speech in 1936. Margaret Mead, Amelia Earhart, Thurgood Marshall, Freeman Dyson, Jane Goodall, Sandra Day O’Connor and Kurt Vonnegut have all spoken here.
Participate in the twitter discussion getting underway at #chqlive and be sure to sign-up now to receive event reminders!
Yesterday our channel on YouTube surpassed 13,000 subscribers, growing steadily around 1,000 subscribers over the past few months. In fact, this time last year we were just shy of 4,000 subscribers! Congrats to our manager of syndication Nick Ryan for leading the charge, and helping to build a growing, engaged community of FORAns on YouTube.
If you’re not a fan, sub today and join the conversation:
Yesterday FORA.tv streamed a live event from the Open Society Institute: Food Security and Climate Change, joining together the power of social media and online video.
The provocative discussion was moderated by Ross Gelbspan, author of two acclaimed books on climate change: Boiling Point and The Heat is On, with participation from Sara Scherr, president and CEO of Ecoagriculture Partnersand journalistMark Hertsgaard. Hundreds of online viewers joined a full-house in New York, commenting in realtime and submitting questions for discussion. Thanks to everyone who joined the conversation.
We'll have the program posted within a few days. In the meanwhile, stay tuned for upcoming FORA.tv Live Stream Events!
Today we emailed our subscribers a newsletter entitled: FORA.tv this week - Health, Wine, and Life in Outer Space.
As always, the community response has been terrific. Our Big Question: Beer or Wine? tickled many people's fancy. Undoubtedly the thought of drinking an ice-cold beer or sipping a glass of life-giving elixir is top of mind as the Fourth of July approaches.
If you haven't yet become a registered user then you're missing the fun. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and join our community. It will fuel your enlightenment and may even quench your thirst!
The fast-growing demand for online video long ago revealed a problem: Unlike text, searching video is very, very difficult. Simply finding the program you want can be a challenge, let alone finding a certain moment of a program.
At FORA.tv, we're constantly improving our search capabilities to keep you watching. We also get help from partners who are dedicated to make video search as easy as using Google. In an excellent New York Times Magazine article, Virginia Heffernan calls this quest finding an Image in a Haystack. She cites VideoSurf, as a young company whose image recognition technology may crack the code of not just finding a desired program, but that sought after moment within a program.
We're delighted to have added our programs to VideoSurf. Please visit the search site and let us know what you think.
Love makes the world go 'round. We're tickled to write that The Daily Beast has listed us as one of their "Sites We Like," a shoutout carousel on bottom left of their homepage. And over the weekend, the Daily Beast featured the stand-out video of Michael Lewis, where he questions the logic of Obama's readiness to continue the pro-Wall Street policies of the Bush Administration. We're delighted to help feed the beast.
Here's further proof that the world is thinking. We're thrilled to learn that our loyal fans have created an entry about FORA.tv on Wikipedia. Best of all, they tackled the one question that we often get: Why the name "fora?"
The name "fora" is the Latin plural of "forum", meaning
1. The public square or marketplace of an ancient Roman city that was the assembly place for judicial activity and public business. 2. A public meeting place for open discussion. 3. A medium for open discussion or voicing of ideas, such as a newspaper, a radio or television program, or a website.
Apparently there was some buzz on Twitter during its creation, so a huge shout-out from all of us at FORA.tv to all of you who were involved in its production. Thank you!
The conference will focus on several critical areas of marketing including the power of social media, maximizing opportunities in a cluttered market space and marketing accountability. Presenting will be a diverse group of top executives like Bill Pearce of Del Monte Foods Company, Umberto Luchini of SKYY Spirits, and Suzie Reider of YouTube.
Our role: To videotape the conference and distribute the content to the FORA.tv site and throughout our network. By doing so, we present the programs to a larger audience than is physically present at the event. Smart people across the Web can enjoy, discuss, and share.
Be sure to check back in a few days when we've posted the programs.
Abolish Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings? That was the title of of a Huffington Post FORA.tv blog entry that was published over the weekend. It's the latest example of our burgeoning relationship with the Huffington Post, and of our distributing provocative programs to intelligent, engaged viewers across the Web.
The provocative title drew a smart audience to a panel discussion from last summer's Aspen Ideas Festival, and generated a raft of insightful comments on Huffington Post. and on Digg. Most interesting was the notion that ending confirmation heairngs would weaken our separation of powers. The program features former Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Yale law professor Stephen Carter. Watch it and let us know what you think:
I started uploading videos to FORA.tv's YouTube channel way back in August of 2006 with this video of Madeleine Albright. Back then, a clip breaking 1000 views was considered an unequivocal success (our numbers are a bit better nowadays). By the time we finally landed our 100th subscriber I was positively reeling in what I imagined to be the rarefied air of FORA.tv's growing YouTube stardom.
I've been thinking about those early days quite a bit lately, because today - May 1, 2009 - FORA.tv became the 26th Reporter channel on YouTube to hit 10,000 subscribers. I'd like to give a sincere thank you to each and every one of our friends and fans who have subscribed to our channel and contributed to our vibrant community over there. I'm constantly humbled by the kind words we receive for FORA.tv's mission and the enthusiasm I see for our best video content. I don't know what else to say except that you're all great.
On another note, I'd like to give a special thanks to my friend Jaime, who waited until the count hit 9,999 before signing up to follow our channel. As promised, she wins the prize I'd tweeted about for our 10,000th subscriber: a free animated GIF of a smiley in a party hat. Jaime, enjoy your emoticon. You've earned it.
You can now log-in to FORA.tv using Facebook Connect. By logging-in with your Facebook username and password, you can choose to have the comments you make and the programs you save to your profile on FORA.tv also shared on your Facebook wall.
Cool, right? You can keep all your Facebook peeps in the loop about what you're enjoying on FORA.tv.
Very soon, you'll also be able to see all your Facebook friends who also log-in using Facebook connect when you're on FORA.tv. We'll tell you all about that when it's ready.
Here's the step-by-step: Click on the "Login using Facebook" button on the top right-hand side of FORA.tv Enter your Facebook username and password Choose whether you want to your your Facebook name or create a FORA.tv nickname and voila - you're logged-in to FORA.tv with your Facebook credentials and privacy settings
More deets about Facebook connect are available here on their developer page if you're interested in learning more about this automagic way to bring your Facebook identity and privacy settings around the web with you.
San Francisco Chronicle Editor at Large and FORA.tv contributor, Phil Bronstein, stood toe to toe with Stephen Colbert. Phil even brought out his sardonic side suggesting that folks should go to jail for viewing news for free.
We like to say 'Twanks' – our thanks to FORA.tv’s wonderful Twitter friends. This week we want to give shout-outs to three great tweeps; @willpate, @TRICIAGOTTESMAN and @jeremiahcsmith. Will Pate is an impressive entrepreneur who founded Raincity Studios in Vancouver, served as community ambassador at Flock, hosts the technology video show commandN and has just joined the Board of Visible Government. To top it all off, he has a ridiculously cute dog named Beta. You can read more about Will on his blog.We noticed this tweet from willpate yesterday:
Just discovered the brilliance that is FORA.tv
That is so darn nice of you Will. And we are thrilled you feel that way.
New to twitter this spring, Tricia Gottesman from New York City has begun tweeting insightful comments about the state of media and the economy. A quick search on the google indicates that she has had a long and distinguished career in product and marketing for cablevision. She humbly describes herself as a
Media exec with a great husband, four great kids and three great dogs
And loving fora.tv--a rewarding low-key video news source.
Thanks Tricia. We look forward to hearing more from you and getting to know you better.
Jeremiah Smith is a marketing consultant and SEO specialist from Atlanta who runs his own freelance consulting agency, which you can learn more about on his blog. @jeremiahcsmithtweeted:
@gregbond Great video, I love TED Talks. I accidentally found this one a few days ago: http://fora.tv/ BIG thinkers, I love it!
Thanks Jeremiah. We heart big thoughts too :) And most of all, we heart our FORA.tv fans.
How fitting that we connected with Mike Grishaver, the talented entrepreneur behind the SocialSite widget system, on twitter. Mike has developed a very cool widget that reaches out through the interwebs and brings back dynamic updates on where people are mentioning us, from twitter, to digg, delicious, YouTube, flickr and inbound blog posts. It's a great way for us to get to know our FORA.tv fans even better, and we heart any tool that helps us do that.
Mike is a delight to work with and we think he has a great thing going with Thingfo's SocialSite widget. It's easy to implement, customizable, free (!) and as he says:
With SocialSite, you can leverage the extended social network for your blog, your website and your interests. Get great content. Connect with great content creators.
We knew we needed to put SocialSite here on our blog where we could be continually amazed by all the fantastic and far-flung places that FORA.tv programs and conversations turn up. Check it out.
At last week's Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco, FORA.tv sat down with Tim O'Reilly (O'Reilly Media, Founder and CEO), Joshua Ruihley (Sunlight Foundation), Sarah Milstein (Co-Author, The Twitter Book), SEO Expert Vanessa Fox, Jen Pahlka (Web 2.0 Expo Conference Co-Chair), Alexander Kolpin (Berlin Partner), and Brady Forrest (Technical Evangelist and Web 2.0 Conference Chair),
In a rapid fire-style Q&A session, several on-the-fly questions were asked of these brilliant industry insiders. The results are spontaneous, fun, surprising, smart, and very interesting answers. Check it out:
Lots of late night whiteboard sessions while brainstorming our newest iteration, Fwitter. Our crack team of talented product developers really stumbled onto a truly innovative and game changing product!
In the spirit of transparency, check out this iPhone pic documenting what will surely prove to be a defining moment in the FORA.tv success story.
Yesterday, the FORA.tv audience saw what happens when a 166 year-old media giant joins forces with a fast-growing online video start-up. The result: The Economist and FORA.tv publishing videos from The Economist Marketing Forum.
The Economist, in the words of one of its legendary editors, is famously dedicated to throwing "white light on the subjects within its range." In this case, the subject was marketing in the midst of an incredibly challenging economic environment. And given the brainpower present at the event, much white light was thrown. But the chief marketing officers and executives also discussed such news topics as the fate of AIG.
We leave it you, FORA.tv members, to continue the conversation:
twitter your top 3 websites that some may not have heard of. Mine: www.ted.com, www.fora.tv,www.thedailybeast.com
Casey has a whopping 17,105 followers (yowza!) and is Washington, DC-based. Casey, we share your good taste.
The next Tweet that caught our attention, by @okamisensei (Henrī Ōkami):
I am in love with FORA. "FORA.tv helps intelligent, engaged audiences get smart." Think TED, but far more broad in scope. http://fora.tv
Henrī lives in Tokyo, Japan and is behind a very cool project, Sunrise NEWS, which is English news for students in Japan. We like!
And last, but certainly not least is a loyal FORA.tv friend, @ kulpreetsingh. In addition to giving @foratv other #FollowFriday shoutouts, he Tweeted this not long ago:
#followfriday Like TED but even smarter @foratv !!!!!
Among other things, Kulpreet is a volunteer, almost vegan, marketing manager, and is into eBusiness, and Social Media. A busy mind – just the kind we like.
Twanks to you all! We love getting to know you, and are thrilled that you are enjoying FORA.tv.
Brainiacs rejoice! FORA.tv is now live on iTunes' academic wing, iTunes U. We're proud to rub elbows with some of the nation's top educational institutions in what looks to be a very exciting new forum for online classroom media.
If you have iTunes installed on your system, you can visit our new course tracks by clicking the links above, or by looking us up in the iTunes U Beyond Campus directory (we're under "F"). And while you're over there, don't forget to check out our popular podcast series, if you haven't yet.
Compelling new programs ranging from videos from the Entertainment Gathering Conference in Monterey, to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to a fascinating series on Hollywood Between the Wars have vaulted FORA.tv into the major leagues of online video viewer rankings.
According to Compete.com, a media-industry standard in online traffic measurement, FORA.tv bested Charlie Rose in traffic in December and January and came very close in February.
Last week at a BEET.tv roundtable in San Francisco, FORA.tv's CEO Blaise Zerega talked about programming and why the site getting so much attention. Blaise emphasized that while traffic numbers to the website are a leading indicator of success, most of the programs are viewed off site, via YouTube and an embeddable player, and through syndication arrangements with major web destinations such as Wired.com.
On Thursday, David Grann, a New Yorker staff writer and author of the new bestseller The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, joined Phil Bronstein, San Francisco Chronicle editor-at-large, at the new FORA.tv Studios to engage in a spellbinding discussion about one of the most harrowing, adventure tales of the 20th century. In 1925, British explorer Percy Fawcett's obsession for the mythic El Dorado – which he code named City of Z led him deep into the unexplored heart of the vast Amazon jungle, never to return. A member of the Royal Geological Society, Fawcett's doomed quest marked the end of discovery by amateur scientist-explorers. Fawcett and others were replaced by highly-trained archeologists and anthropologists, going the same way of the lost civilizations they sought.
Optioned as a full-length feature film starring Brad Pitt, Grann tells Bronstein of Fawcett's encounters with deadly reptiles, fish, and insects, to say nothing of cannibalistic tribes, six-foot-long poison-arrow attacks, starvation, mutiny, and ultimately, of his mysterious disappearance.
With this debut program, FORA.tv Studios will begin hosting frequent interviews with the world's great innovators and authors.
Getting To Know You. We are a curious bunch, we FORAns. While we realize the last thing you might want to do is to create yet another online profile, we do ask only for the basics (but always want to hear more!). Like other social spaces, FORA.tv is even more interesting when you have the chance to connect with like-minded (and sometimes opposing-minded) others.
No Wheel Reinvention, Here. How to friend-connect? If you like what people are saying in the conversations on FORA.tv, add them as a friend by clicking on their username and adding them from their profile. That's it. You're done.
What You Add Is Up to You. Hometown, schools, and whatever you’d like to add about yourself. (but we always want to hear more!)
Real-time. If you’d like to IM, let people know how to find you across the social web on skype, AIM, twitter, Google Talk, YM, ICQ.
What Have I Been Doing on FORA.tv Lately? Your recent activity will remind you of the comments you made, programs you watched, friends you made and clips you saved. You can choose to show this information about yourself to anyone, your friends, or keep it to yourself through the privacy settings.
Nifty Gifty: Follow the Conversation. You can bookmark any conversation on FORA.tv which gives you a handy shortcut to get back to it, plus the ability to be notified by email or on your profile only, every time there’s a new comment.
Save Your Faves. And, finally: next week you’ll be able to save any program to your profile so you can find it again, and build as extensive a video library as you like. For those of you who saved your faves before the re-launch, we hope you’ll be happy to see them re-appear.
Once you register (it takes 3 minutes), find me here!
Each day, we are amazed by the amount of connectivity, sharing, and discovering happening on Twitter. And, after seeing the incredible love for FORA.tv being expressed, we decided it was time to give it right back. So, we've decided to dedicate a weekly post to one or more Tweeple who have made us smile (and who we think you might find interesting).
This week, we've got @BWelford, @RuudHein and @Brittneybean on deck.
Outside of Twitter, @BWelford, aka Barry Welford, writes a blog called Senior Money Memos, which we find is chock full of wisdom and timely financial tips. More tidbits about Barry: he has extensive international business experience with major multinational corporations, particularly in marketing. He has degrees in Mathematics and Statistics from Cambridge and London. He now lives with his wife, Vivianne, and their dog, Sherri, in the beautiful Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Barry says, "it’s great country for outdoor pursuits and birding, whenever time allows." Sounds great to us.
Actually, it was a ReTweet by @RuudHein - our second Twanks recipient. Ruud Hein is a rock star programmer, web publisher, and developer in his professional world. On the 'who is Ruud, really' side, he is (as self-described):
Hard-core family man. Loyalty. Strength. Dedication to one another. A love of words, writing, reading, listening, singing, praising, rejoicing. Comfort the frightened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Couldn't have said it better ourselves.
And last, but certainly not least, is @Brittneybean. Brittney is one of our new friends from London who wins the prize for best Twitter background! Also, we loved when she Tweeted:
Just when we thought the celebratory environment was settling down, there's even more exciting (and way cool) news to share: FORA.tv now has a channel on Wired.com! Stealing a quote straight from the press release (you have to admit, it’s worthy:-)
FORA.tv is what you'd get if Youtube went to Harvard, said WIRED.com editor in chief Evan Hansen. This deal will give WIRED.com readers front row access to some of the smartest people on the planet.
Yesterday, I received a delightful, completely unsolicited piece of news from one of our FORA.tv members. It seems he’s so excited about the site, that he started a Facebook group called FORA.tv awareness, where he’s inviting people to post the videos that have had the most impact on them. From the group's description:
If the opinions of some of the most intelligent minds on earth do not interest you, disregard this group invitation. Fora.tv is a video website where brilliant people discuss their most recent publications and their point of view on past and present issues.
Shoutout to the group's creator, Matt Crimi, who says: I am a recent member and am very excited with the potential of this site!
Writing this post, admittedly I feel a little like the guy who is not only the spokesperson for that hair restoration company – he's also a customer. Yes, I have been with FORA.tv since the beginning days. But I also watch at least one video every day on the site, on my own time.
As a customer, I'd have to say that I'm finding the new design really inviting. And apparently, so are many of you out in cyberland. So I wanted to give a shout out to all the dedicated FORA.tv members, and also recognize you new people who have signed up the last couple of weeks. You guys rock! Since the new design launched, our registration has really picked up - and our per week newbies have just about doubled.
It's not yet ten days since the relaunch of FORA.tv, and we're ready for more change. Nothing drastic, but in places where we (and you) saw room for improvement. Here's a sampling of what you'll soon find:
Movin' On Up We’re working on getting tags above the page fold on all the topic and tag pages, right where they belong. I know, we went and switched our navigation model on you. It's true. But tags will allow us to be more specific about what our thousands of pieces of media are really about. Way more than a traditional old sub-nav. They may take a little getting used to, but they really work. Please give them a try. On the tag pages, the programs can be sorted alphabetically, chronologically, by number of views, and number of comments.
Sexier, Smoother, and More Shareable --To make sharing even easier, we're moving all of the share options into the player control area and streamlining all the other player controls - Share a highlight or a full program, it's now up to you
I want more -- When a short video highlight ends, we’ll present you with three options: to 1) continue watching the program from where the highlight left off; 2) watch the full program from the beginning; 3) replay the highlight. - On the player page we'll be communicating more about how to move between the program highlights and the full program.
Where's my stuff -- While we were busy creating the brand-new look and feel, a better viewing experience, and more ways to share videos, we had to temporarily disable access to MyFORA and the friends and videos you've saved there. Don't worry - they'll be back and better than ever in no time. None of your saved videos, ThinkTanks or friendships will be lost in the transition.
It's all about you -- More robust profile pages are on the way. We know you want more personalization and so do we. Soon you'll be able to save programs, save discussions, friend people and tell those friends how to contact you to talk about your favorite FORA.tv programs.
We're going to be continuously monitoring the FORA.tv experience, improving it along the way. That means we'll be making tweaks and additions each month in order for you to have the best experience of smart video on the web.
As always, we love to hear from you. What do you love? What bugs you? Give it to us straight! Thanks again.
In case you missed it, or were waiting for President's Day on Monday, February 12 is Abraham Lincoln's birthday. And Charles Darwin's birthday. Same year, too. 1809, two hundred years ago. Which caused the New Yorker's Adam Gopnik to write a book about that coincidence and the effect of their lives on Western thought. I talked to Adam backstage at City Arts & Lectures about why Darwin continues to incite, why he delayed publishing his theories of natural selection, and whether Obama has the capacity to introduce a new framework for viewing the world.
This is an evening of celebration (and testing of nerves). At last -- at long last -- we will be relaunching FORA.tv with a bold new design, and more robust social features.
We've hinted about it on Flickr and Twitter, and are mere hours away from flipping the switch. Here's just a taste of the new FORA.tv:
- You'll find the top and featured videos on the homepage and topic pages, and an ongoing series devoted to the biggest issues of the day
- We've reduced the number of categories to six. And, the winners are: The Economy, Technology, Green, Politics, Science, and Culture
- Video sharing made easier: get yer video and RSS feeds now by topic, tag and series
- Join the Conversation! We've incorporated comment threading, and the ability to subscribe to receive an RSS feed of your favorite conversations on the site
- Wanna take it with you? FORA2Go is just for you. Here you'll find iTunes podcasts in both long and short form, all the RSS for your feeding needs, an iGoogle widget showing what's new, most watched, most commented, highest rated, and our best-selling weekly newsletter
What hasn't changed is who we are. Unmediated media. That is, people speaking in their own words, about their own areas of expertise, knowledge, research and experience. And, the web's largest aggregation of smart video online. Heavy!
Stay tuned for more nuggets in the coming days. As always, we'd love to hear what you think.
In New York, meeting with ad agencies and content partners, with a noontime stroll through Times Square to watch the Inauguration. Lots said, but how about this as an inaugural goal from President Obama: "feed hungry minds."
We like that.
And while meeting with the fabulous Nancy Donner and Matt Sussman of FORA partner The New School, Nancy dropped the news that the First Lady's dress was designed by former Parsons The New School For Design student Jason Wu.
We like that too.
Monday, January 19, 2009
It has been a remarkable two years covering the hundreds of events, discussions and debates that culminate on Inauguration Day. On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I give you the interview of the man standing next to me at the end of Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field in Denver. Phildell, a young, charismatic African American minister, and I talked throughout the speech. At the close, candidate Obama referred to a young preacher from Georgia and closed with words that, on this holiday, I'll reproduce below. The audience erupted and, little Flip video camera in hand, I turned to Phildell and asked what he was feeling. He said, "Tonight was awesome, because it put so many more people on the map. I know being African-American, I feel a part of this country…I feel that today… I don’t have to just get jaded or bitter anymore... I feel a part of this. This is an awesome time in history. And so, go Obama. Change we need for America. For real." Enjoy the short video and watch a man's sheer joy.
Happy Martin Luther King Jr.. Day. And Happy Inauguration Day.
"And it is that promise that, 45 years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.
The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustrations of so many dreams deferred.
But what the people heard instead -- people of every creed and color, from every walk of life -- is that, in America, our destiny is inextricably linked, that together our dreams can be one.
"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."
America, we cannot turn back...
... not with so much work to be done; not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for; not with an economy to fix, and cities to rebuild, and farms to save; not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend.
America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone.
At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise, that American promise, and in the words of scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America."
Mike Rowe, the host of Dirty Jobs,gives a rousing talk about the most humane way to castrate a lamb at the EG 08 conference. I have watched a few of these programs on the Discovery Channel and find them mildly amusing. During this event, Mike exudes intellect, knowledge and speaking skills. But the most entertaining thing is his comedic timing.
I don't expect to watch video on FORA for a laugh, at least not usually. But this had me cracking up.
Viral video sensation Matt Harding responds to the video from his Entertainment Gathering appearance where he shatters the hearts of millions and proclaims Where the Hell is Matt? was just an 'elaborate hoax' for a marketing company.
UPDATE: Watch Matt's response at MacWorld 2009 here.
I sensed Harding's facetiousness early on and my intuition was confirmed after the introduction of Larry the animatronic robot. Though, the real deal sealer is the last slide breaking down the budget:
What’s all the fuss about? Watch the EG video embedded below:
I received a delightful email from Trevar Mazza, our head of media production, just after midnight. We surpassed a million monthly pageviews for the first time, minutes before the clock turned midnight on the final day of the month, and year. "What a fantastic way to ring in 2009, the year of the FORA. Happy New Year!"
Whether the world recognizes 2009 as the year of the FORA is to be seen, but the raw enthusiasm of the team as we exchanged text messages and emails round midnight was a joy, and a portent of things to come.
What can you expect from us in 2009?
Well, judging from recent activity, there will be many more of you. We brought video from the world's great public forums (FORA = the plural of forum) to lots more people in recent months, growing at a rate exceeding 50% per month. With a half million people enjoying the site, we are reaching a million FORA-lovers across our growing platforms from YouTube to iTunes to Amazon and satellite TV. Our new chief marketing officer Val Landi innovates daily, and has a slate of social network programs rolling out in January that will bust through new audience records.
Expect an eye popping new design and interface in early February from senior director of product development Sarah Kennon, who amazes daily with big ideas and smart thinking. Everything will be more fun and easier to access, new information architecture and new ways to customize, share and self-publish. Allan Claghorn, our first employee who single-handedly built the FORA platform in 2006, is leading the engineering effort, alongside Colin Fein.
The content will just keep on getting deeper and better, building on our library of thousands of thought leaders. New conferences like the just completed EG: the Entertainment Gathering, more international events, innovative partnerships with universities and content creators. And new editorial presentation, reflecting the leadership of FORA's new president and CEO Blaise Zerega.
Amongst the flurry of messages last night was Stuart Schulzke, our director of content development, mentioning how much he was enjoying re-discovering the wealth of favorites in our library over the holidays. I have been doing the same. So, I wish you and our growing, million strong cadre of intellectually curious FORA viewers a happy new year with these gifts:
Forgot to get spiritually inspired over the holidays? Your antidote is Karen Armstrong, former nun and now spiritual provocateur, found speaking at City Arts & Lectures, Books Inc, the National Press Club via C-SPAN, and the fabulous Chautauqua, where Karen spoke daily during last year's opening week in the Hall of Philosophy.
Hot new author Andrew Sean Greer speaks with other hot Bay Area author Michael Chabon at City Arts & Lectures. When you check out the extraordinary new Brad Pitt film 'Benjamin Button,' also buy a copy of Greer's "The Confessions of Max Tivoli," a variation on the theme of reverse aging. I talked to Andrew backstage about his new book, "The Story of a Marriage," and the author conceit of speaking in the first person of a character of a different gender, race and time after the CA&L video (chapter 4).
There are too many highlights from EG, but it's hard to beat this from the New York Times' David Pogue, replete with Broadway style techno-showtunes.
