Writer and new/social media guru Shel Israel announced this morning that he will be joining his Naked Conversations co-author Robert Scoble (late of PodTech and former Microsoft blogger) at FastCompany.TV.

Israel’s new video podcast, GlobalNeighbourhoods TV (GNTV), debuts March 3. The program will detail “social media’s impact on culture and business.” Israel comments, “While my primary focus will be business, I’ll also look at government, academia, education, youth and assorted institutions.”

While Israel is new to the medium of video, he is a well-respected voice in blogging and new media. By hiring two high-profile bloggers to dedicate themselves full-time to video blogging, Fast Company is signalling both a shift in its focus and a dedicated commitment to video.

As for Israel’s commitment: “We are bringing reality back into video, at least in many cases. We are more like the [print] reporter of my youth than the TV guy. But we add yet another asset. We don’t intrude on the scene but we participate in it. We use our cameras to extend it. To let others who are geographically seperated participate and as I am about to demonstrate, almost anyone can do it.”

(photo via JDLasica’s flickr pix)