WorkFastTV Video Show Review

Fast Company TV launched back in March and when I reviewed the initial launch, I had some comments about the technical side of the house. Most of my comments still stand today, especially the one about getting a better video player. It would be great to see segmented shows where I can jump to sections that I might be interested in or comment inside the video or tag the video where needed.

WorkFastTV is a live show that Fast Company TV added to the lineup last month. The show features Robert Scoble and Shel Israel and a variety of guests. This week they had author Timothy Ferriss on the show. Shel asked for feedback on the show, so here’s my two cents.

They are partnering with Revision3 on the show so they have great video equipment. The set is actually quite nice as well. Robert says it’s plain but it’s ok as-is. I think putting up posters or photos would be a distraction more than anything.

Here are some other critical thoughts:

• Don’t show the guest until you introduce him or her – it creates a lot of awkwardness when you show the guest, then refer to the person in the 3rd person as if they weren’t there.
• Cut the intro banter down – people are coming to hear your guests, not you (no offense!) – the intro on today’s show was way too long and it didn’t work. Test your jokes ahead of time! And never talk about the budget – no one cares :)
• Work on your chemistry – there really seems to be no chemistry between Robert and Shel. The two of you should be spending many hours a week together working on the chemistry (maybe you are already). When I compare your show to the GigaOm show, that show started off boring but Om and Joyce had chemistry from the beginning – I hope they bring that show back because it was quite good at the end.
• Until you have the above worked out, I’d almost suggest a GigaOm style layout and have Shel run the computer
• Play a commercial in the middle of the show – this will give a play for SAP plus it will give you 30-45 seconds to reset – this is an important piece of time for both the advertiser and for the show guests
• I don’t know if the chat you have after the live show is over is recorded or posted somewhere, but it should be. The user questions and the guest’s responses are great content that I’ve missed now because I wasn’t in the Kyte chatroom.
• Last thing is to figure out if the show is a business show or a geek-tech show. If business, drop the stickers and keep the suit. If geek tech, keep the stickers and lose the suit. It feels like a weird mix – like spaghetti and ice cream. Great on their own, not so great in one bowl. If you stick with the suit on Scoble, Shel should be in one too.

With Robert’s connections, he will be able to get great guests for the show and I am sure the show will be tweaked over time. I look forward to learning from the show’s guests over the next episodes and hopefully learn how to work faster.

Here’s the interview with Timothy Ferriss: