FORA.tv Gets WIRED

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.

w00t!

FORA.tv Fan-Created Facebook Group: We Appreciate You

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!

We <3 you, Matt -- and all of our fans!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=81962575992

New and True, FORA.tv Members Rock

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.

Much thanks.

You Are Making Us Better. Rawk.

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.

Happy Birthday Lincoln and Darwin

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.

Smart Just Got Sexier

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.

LINKS:

Flickr
Twitter