TED Launches TED Conversations

Social media platform fosters meaningful, in-depth group conversations; introduces time limit on conversations

NEW YORK, February 16, 2011 - TED (www.ted.com), the nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading,
announces today the launch of TED Conversations, a new social media platform
on TED.com that connects people for conversation, collaboration and debate.
The platform gives people access to engage notable TED speakers, and the
broader TED community, in conversations that - for the first time on a social
network - have a time limit.

TED Conversations was designed and built from the ground up to foster
meaningful conversation among the global community - more than 15M monthly
users - who visit TED.com and watch TEDTalks online.

    The highlight features of TED Conversations include:
    -- Conversation categories - Questions, Debates and Ideas. By asking a
       question, you can tap into the expertise of the TED community. By
       proposing an idea, you can elicit constructive feedback. And by
       initiating a debate, you can lay out a key issue for spirited
       discussion.
    -- Conversations with TED notables - At launch, TED Conversations
       includes discussions with TED speakers such as behavioral economist
       Dan Ariely (Author, "Predictably Irrational"), entrepreneur and
       marketer Seth Godin (Author, "Permission Marketing", "Tribes"), game
       designer Jane McGonigal (author "Reality Is Broken"), Rhode Island
       School of Design President John Maeda (author, "The Laws of
       Simplicity") and many more.
    -- Time limits on conversations - Whether it's one day or one month, TED
       Conversations are assigned an expiration date to keep the discussion
       sharp and on-topic. Designed to promote participation among
       time-pressed users, including TED speakers and conference attendees,
       the conversations will end on a pre-set date, at which time the user
       who initiated it can summarize the discussion with a closing
       statement.
    -- Link conversations to one of the 800+ TED Talks on TED.com - Users can
       ask a question, debate an issue or propose an idea that was sparked by
       watching one or more TED Talks. This allows a thoughtful exchange
       among a global community with a shared experience and knowledge base.
    -- Tagging by subject - To ease navigation, users can search for specific
       topics such as "architecture," "alternative medicine" or "clean
       energy."

The launch of TED Conversations marks a major step in TED.com's evolution
as a social platform. Through the popularity of TEDTalk videos - which have
surpassed 400 million views - TED.com has amassed a vast global audience of
engaged, intellectually curious members who are eager to participate in
meaningful conversation and action. TED Conversations aims to capture the
passion of these visitors and get the entire community - speakers, fellows,
translators and global audience members - talking, brainstorming and
collaborating in real time.

"What's missing from social media today is a forum for in-depth
conversation, particularly among a diverse, international audience," said
June Cohen, Executive Producer of TED Media. "We've built technology from
scratch that fosters collaboration, sparks spirited discussion and allows the
global TED community to more easily share ideas. A TED Conversation is like a
dinner party - with a great group of diverse participants, provocative
topics, and - importantly - a limited amount of time."

TED Conversations was made possible by support from TED partner GE, who
provided underwriting as well as product inspiration. One new feature of TED
Conversations is that it allows a partner to engage in a conversation
directly with the TED community. At launch, GE will hold a conversation
soliciting the TED community for insight on sustainable energy solutions,
which will inform GE's Ecomagination Challenge.

"GE has been increasingly engaged in open platforms that drive
conversations around big issues such as clean energy and affordable health.
TED Conversations represents a place for authentic dialogue that engages
multiple voices around innovation and the future," said Beth Comstock, Senior
Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of GE. "As a company committed to
innovation and technology, our mission aligns closely with TED's. Together,
we're creating the kind of technologies that help further spread great
ideas."

Later this spring, TED Conversations users will have the ability to start
or participate in conversations in any language, track them over time with
email notifications, and see what conversations their friends are
participating in.

About TED

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started
as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support
those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world's
leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18
minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have
included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson,
Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and
former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each
year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California
(along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal
is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED's media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted
daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED
fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and
interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be
translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals
with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes
into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local,
self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping
world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED
community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects
and activities.

TED2011, "The Rediscovery of Wonder," will be held February 28-March 4,
2011, in Long Beach, California, along with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm
Springs, California. TEDGlobal 2011, "The Stuff of Life," will be held July
11-15, 2011, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Follow TED on Twitter at twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/TED

Contact: Taryn Langer, Group SJR, tlanger@groupsjr.com, +1-646-495-9721

Taryn Langer, Group SJR, tlanger at groupsjr.com, +1-646-495-9721