FORA.tv…I’ve Been Wanting Something Like this for a Long Time

Take a moment and think about a Video on Demand site like Hulu.com.

Now think about if it offered 20 times more content, had no expiration dates or 5-episode rolling conditions, and had no commercial breaks inserted within the programs.  Pretty sweet right?

Now imagine replacing shows like The Bachelor and The Biggest Loser with discussions on politics or the economy by some of the premiere thinkers and authorities on the subject.  Even though these are mostly videos of lectures from professors, philosophers, and academic think tanks, the purpose is not necessarily to teach, but to inform and discuss.  This is a very subtle differentiation, but it is a significant shift from a student-teacher relationship to a participant-participant model.

And some of these topics are directly relevant to the internet culture too.  For example, this 5-minute video explaining why people shouldn’t have more than 150 friends on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or in real life.