Yesterday, in trying to talk and think about a new entertainment service that we’ve been asked to create a variety of concepts for, I proposed a simple thought experiment.

Imagine that QVC.com existed before QVC, the television channel, did. And that, at some point after its initial, highly successful run as an online retailer, someone had the idea to take their “store” onto basic cable systems.

The question for QVC.com is this: How do you change a lean-forward, interactive experience so that it works in a traditionally lean-back, passive entertainment medium like television? What’s going to make it compelling? What’s going to make people want to watch – and buy – what QVC.com is now offering on their TVs? Is it the graphics and camera work? The hosts and co-hosts? The dialog with callers?

Framing the question like that really helped us think about what makes television so television-like, and online experiences so unlike television. And so far, we’ve had some very fruitful discussions.