Last week at Mesh08, Scribblelive joined the ranks of web-based live blogging tools.  Interestingly, this one is also out of Toronto like CoverItLive.  While, granted, this is brand new and there a more features coming like a widget to embed, I don’t share Download Squad’s (ScribbleLive: Liveblogging doesn’t get much easier – Download Squad) or Techcrunch’s (ScribbleLive: Two Guys In Canada Launch Sweet Liveblogging Platform) assessment that it is better than CIL.
Like CIL, Scribblelive is web-based and is easy to get started with your live blog.  You can add additional authors and because it’s AJAX it does seem a bit …read more

As I arrived in Vancouver on Wednesday, I got an email from Keith of CoverItLive giving me a heads up on some new features that are now live…and these features rock!
If you’re a CIL user you might have received the email from Keith, but if you didn’t here are the new features:
New Features:

Quick Launch:  If you are covering breaking news or just need to start live blogging ASAP, Quick Launch (in the My Account section) let’s you launch a live blog immediately.  Just paste the Viewer Window on your blog and start.
Panelist/Producer (multi-authored live blogging):  A much requested feature, …read more

Checking out the list of the Webware 100 Finalist list I noticed several familiar names…
ConceptShareProductivity
CoverItLivePublishing & Photography
Dabble DBProductivity
FlickrPublishing & Photography
FlockBrowsing
MobivoxCommunication
StumbleUponSocial
WordPressPublishing & Photography
Source: All the Webware 100 finalists in one place | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone

Okay I know that Flickr, Flock, StumbleUpon, and WordPress aren’t Canadian per se, but Flickr and SU were born here and both Flock and WordPress have folks up here.
Still this list is very impressive.  CoverItLive is one of my new fav online apps.  If I have a solid net connection at a conference, be sure I’ll be using it to cover the sessions.
There …read more

While I was a CoverItLive skeptic, I was totally won over at DEMO.  Rafe Needleman is taking CoverItLive to another level with a weekly live blogging “ask the editor” chat:
Ask the Editors is a live text show. You ask, and I answer (or fake it). Tune in on Thursday to ask me about Web applications. I’ll field how-to questions, make product suggestions, discuss new business models, anything. In the course of my too-long technology journalism career, I have reviewed and used more products than I can count. I have interviewed more than 1,000 start-up CEOs and evaluated their business prospects. …read more

Why?  Because I don’t want to test CoverItLive for the first time in a session!

/* Main Holder, adjust width to suit your page. */
.cil_mainholder {
font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
width: 470px;
background: #ffffff;
border: solid 1px #333333;
}
/* Adjust the height to best suite your page */
/* Remove height property to have all text show without scrollbars. */
.cil_blogholder {
position: relative;
overflow: auto;
height: 600px;
}
.cil_title_liveblog {
font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 14px;
font-weight: bold;
color: #323232;
}
.cil_title_date {
font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
font-size: 10px;
color: #323232;
}
.cil_title_date a {
border:none;
text-decoration:
underline; color:#E85D00;
}
.cil_title_date a:hover {
text-decoration:none;
}
.cil_chatmsg {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #999999;
width: 100%;
vertical-align: top;
}
.cil_msgtime {
font-weight: bold;
width: 40px;
height: 100%;
background: #E8E9E0;
padding-left: 3px;
padding-top: 5px;
margin: 0px;
}
.cil_msgtext {
padding-left: 10px;
padding-right: 10px;
padding-top: 5px;
padding-bottom: …read more

Wow, what a journey to get here.  Now, I didn’t have the roller coaster flight in that the folks from San Fran did (I’ve been hearing stories all night), but I had my own struggles.
Regardless the DEMO08 mixer was tonight and it was great re-connecting with my usual peeps here.
Tomorrow the real fun begins.  Okay I have my badge and bag, but tomorrow I start blogging in earnest.  In fact, I’ll be giving CoverItLive a real-world test.  Why? Because I heard from Keith today that after the post is “done”, it can be transferred to your blog!
Now that rocks.  Rafe …read more