LocateTV Blog

Although the belief that Al Gore claimed he invented the Internet may simply be a modern urban legend, Read/Write/Web fill us in on the ex-Presidential hopeful’s latest initiative that could indeed earn him to right to genuinely make such ambitious claims with regards to Internet TV.

Current.com, founded by John Hyatt and Al Gore and launched back in 2005, is the most innovative and original approach to web-based TV we’ve seen so far – incorporating elements of video blogging, social bookmarking and social networking. The concept is based on the belief that ‘young adults’ (the target demographic) are becoming more accustomed to multi-tasking, with many people watching TV while simultaneously browsing the web. This is achieved through the use of pods.

A pod represents a chunk of user-submitted content related to a particular programme. In essence, the idea encourages people sharing their opinions and views on a given show, and then allows users to vote up or down such content in a typically web 2.0 manner. To illustrate, imagine you’re watching a documentary about the Iraq War. By jumping onto Current.com you can support what you’re watching on TV by following what other people across the ‘net think are submitting online. The creators suggest that this opens up a world of views, opinions and related content as chosen by other viewers.

Cool.