TED stands for technology, entertainment, design: a hint at the wide-ranging topics at the heart of this long-running, invitation-only conference hosted each spring in Monterey, California. In 2006, TED approached Method to help them bring the experience and content of the conference online. This would allow TED to make the amazing talks presented at its conference available to the public. Under the motto "Ideas worth spreading," we began the task of making TED a brand that belongs to the public rather than the select few able to wrangle a ticket to the always-sold-out conference. Method helped TED imagine how they could democratize their brand by shifting it from, exclusive and elite to open and of the people. We created a variety of scenarios for how a website could make this transition and how an organization like TED could navigate the transformation. Issues such as community access rights, sponsorship versus advertising, and questions of editorial control versus user generated content were all evaluated. The final design is simple in its structure but innovative in all its features, creating an experience worthy of the talks it presents. Controls on the home page allow visitors to change its contents, showing the themes and attributes (such as "most discussed") they are most interested in. A single click on a video preview takes them to a video, displayed in an in-page player, which can quickly and gracefully grow to fill the screen. The first-of-its-kind "chaptering" feature lets users jump directly to specific parts of the talk, as well as view content related to individual segments. Community discussions and one-click controls for downloading the videos or posting them to other sites provide the engine for spreading the powerful ideas presented in the talks. Method developed the site using CSS, Javascript and HTML, drawing on Flash 8 for the video player and animations. We also developed a robust content management system that TED managers could use to quickly update the content as new videos become available. The site has quickly become a centerpiece of the Internet. TED.com is a destination for the most sophisticated, thought-provoking - and accessible - content available. In its first year, the site received 15 million visits and over 46 million page views, and the numbers have continued to grow. According to Curator Chris Anderson, "This is an important moment in TED's history. With the launch of our new website, we're really saying to the world: We want to share with you our best content for free, and we want you to connect with like-minded people inspired by these talks. In other words, we see the site as a way of dramatically expanding our community from the 1000 people who attend the conference to millions of knowledge seekers around the globe." TED Talks Technology Entertainment Design Conference ted.com