Friday, June 27, 2008

A Demonstrion of the ThinkTank Feature on MyFORA

Check out the video I just posted on how to upload a video blog and assemble a ThinkTank using MyFORA.

A ThinkTank enables MyFORA users to assemble and publish a playlist of bookmarked chapters and uploaded video to the rest of the FORA.tv community.

Get up on your soapbox today and utilize the vast library of FORA.tv content to create and broadcast your own ThinkTank!

Enjoy the vid and have a great weekend...








Friday, June 13, 2008

The FORA.tv Summer Reading List

The heatwave here in San Francisco may have finally gotten to us, because we decided to cut loose FORA-style and assemble a video blog. Hey, 77 degrees is scorching when you're used to damp fog and chilly nights.

Our Manager of Syndication Nick Ryan assembled a video of staff picks for summertime reading. I think you'll find it both informative, and entertaining. If you have something to add to the list, we encourage you to submit a comment. Bonus points if the author is on FORA!

We are aiming to make this a weekly tradition, so if you have any ideas for material please submit them via Contact Us or in the Feedback Forum.

As always, thanks for tuning in and have a great weekend!

I've embedded the video below:








Monday, April 28, 2008

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."

Monday, April 21, 2008

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.

Friday, April 18, 2008

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

Monday, March 31, 2008

Chatham House Announces FORA Channel

Chatham House - AKA the Royal Institute of International Relations in London - reached out to its membership last week to publicize its FORA.tv channel. CH is one of the world's oldest and most esteemed forums for public discussion (and the originators of the famous "Chatham House Rules").

The press release posted to the CH website can be viewed here.

In the relatively early FORA days of 2006 Brian and I had a great meeting with Keith Burnet (Head of Communications at Chatham). I followed with them in London in November of 2007. In between we filmed multiple events with world political leaders and some of the best minds in the international community.

Commenting on the development, Keith had this to say: "For decades, Chatham House members have had access to some of the best, most high-profile international speakers debating significant developments in global affairs. We are delighted that these events will now be available to audiences around the world."

We share that sentiment.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

FORA.tv Now Broadcast on Link TV

FORA.tv has partnered with Link TV to broadcast our programming!

The airdates can be found by visiting the following link:

http://www.linktv.org/programs/foratv

About Link TV:
Link TV broadcasts programs that engage, educate and activate viewers to become involved in the world. These programs provide a unique perspective on international news, current events, and diverse cultures, presenting issues not often covered in the U.S. media.