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 more responsive, however I just don’t see it as the next shiny thing or the second coming of live blogging.

I’ve done a ton of live blogging in the past three plus years.  It’s something I’ve done with a wide variety of tools, online, offline, web-based.  When I first looked at CIL, I wasn’t convinced (I’m still waiting for the AIR app, btw), but I was won over.  So why not Scribblelive?

It just seems too simple.

Now here’s what I’d like.  A live blogging tool that bridges between CIL, Scribblelive, and an offline editor.  Something that let’s me post quickly, through the web or AIR app, but also uses XML-RPC to post right to my blog at a set interval (every 5 mins if there are updates).  I’d like to be able to set categories and tags.  I like the polls and live commenting that CIL has.  Media sharing is interesting but generally I’m taking scads of pictures and posting to Flickr, so maybe putting a Flickr stream on there.

Hope I’m not asking too much.  Perhaps someone could just whip something up for me.

Post from: EveryJoe

Scribblelive: Easy it is, CoverItLive it is not

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, “Can I have more than one author on my live blog?”.  Now, it’s as simple as sending an email to your Panelists (people who will ONLY write commentary) or Producers (people who can do everything you can do including approve reader comments and launch multimedia).  Very useful for live blogs with big readership or for running a Q&A session.
• ‘Always Allow’ Reader Comments:  Another popular request was to allow some reader comments to automatically publish without moderation.  Great for trusted readers or new readers who have great insights to share with everyone else.  This takes some of the burden off the writer of the live blog.  A maximum of 10 readers can be classified as ‘Always Allow’ per live blog (because more than that, and the live blog will become unwatchable for all of the disjointed commentary).
• Standby Mode:  Instead of launching several different live blogs to cover multi-day or long events, users can now put their live blog into Standby Mode.  This lets them take long breaks and disconnect, then come back any time within 48 hours to continue.  While in Standby, their readers can catch up on what has happened so far.  A great feature for conference attendees or ‘all day sports’ live blogs.  When you combine this feature with the new Panelist feature, round the clock coverage becomes simple.  Standby Mode will also automatically activate if a user has been disconnected for 30 consecutive minutes.
• Edit Completed Live Blogs:  Great for fixing typos or deleting unwanted entries.  Go to My Account/Completed Live Blogs and clean up your completed live blog.  All changes are immediately published in your Instant Replay.
• Download Completed Live Blogs:  For those who would rather store their live blogs locally, go to My Account/Completed Live Blogs and download your live blog for posting on your site.
• Syndication:  Although CoveritLive live blogs could always be syndicated to other sites and blogs, we have never really talked about this feature.  If you have other sites willing to ‘carry’ your live blog, simply give them the embed code (the code you paste on your site) to paste on theirs.  This lets them keep their readers on their own site while opening up your live blog to a wider audience.  Imagine sharing live blogs across a blog network or across multiple newspaper sites.

Chatting with folks at SXSW about CIL–I never pass up a chance to talk it up–some folks didn’t know that you could download the code and others wanted to be able to edit the post later.  Well the editing is there.  The download is there.  The multi-author capabilities, wow, that adds a whole new aspect to live blogging.  Imagine having a group of people live blog the same session or panel.  Talk about a range of perspectives!  I think I have to try this at my next conference.

CoverItLive just keeps raising the bar, imho, for live blogging.  Also in the email from Keith is some techie facts that their pure AJAX interface is now augmented with some HTTP streaming so they can handle hundreds of thousands of connections to your live blog (oh I wish I were that popular).

There are hints at the end of the email that they are working on ways to integrate CIL with popular apps and blogging platforms.  I’m hoping for a WP and WLW plugin to make the Quick Launch even quicker.

One of the misconceptions that I think people have about CIL and live blogging is that you have to write short bits, stream of consciousness blogging.  Totally not true.  I mix it up when I blog with stream of consciousness and more thoughtful things.

At SXSW blogging the online advertising panel, I found another really cool part of CIL…questions for the panel/speaker from readers!   Sam Harrelson asked several questions through CIL that I was able to ask for him, and type back the answers.

Keith was keeping the future plans close to his vest, but I’m sure I can drag something out of him soon enough.

What are you waiting for to try CIL?

Post from: EveryJoe

CoverItLive raises the bar on live blogging with killer new features

ConceptShare
Productivity

CoverItLive
Publishing & Photography

Dabble DB
Productivity

Flickr
Publishing & Photography

Flock
Browsing

Mobivox
Communication

StumbleUpon
Social

WordPress
Publishing & 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 are also several companies on the list who aren’t Canadian, but are ones I really like:

BlogTalkRadio
Audio

Carbonite
Utility & Security

Delicious
Social

Feedburner
Publishing & Photography

FeedHub
Browsing

Firefox
Browsing

Gmail
Communication

OpenDNS
Utility & Security

Picnik
Publishing & Photography

Scrabulous
Social

Skype
Communication

Techmeme
Browsing

Technorati
Search & Reference

ThinkFree Online
Productivity

Twitter
Publishing & Photography

Congratulations to all the finalists … this is a great time to try a new app or three.  Sure some of the folks (IE, Yahoo, and all the Live services) are nothing terribly new or innovative, but they do influence the Internet and how we use it.

Update: Thanks to Greg at TechVibes for pointing out that I missed Toronto-based Octopz in my list of Canadian companies.  Cool, another company to check out!

Post from: EveryJoe

Canadian companies in the Webware 100

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. One could say that I have some perspective. Source: Go ahead, ask me anything (reminder) | Webware : Cool Web apps for everyone

I was thinking about how to use CoverItLive in more innovative ways.  I really like what Rafe is doing.  Lots of potential there.  Talk about a great way to do a roundtable or augment a live interview … yeah.  Hey if you’d like, I’d be happy to host a weekly session here too … but you know I don’t want to just be typing here by myself.

And don’t forget, Rebecca “Miss604″ Bollwitt will be live blogging DemoCampVancouver05 tonight … I don’t know if my kids will let me focus on the computer, but I will certainly try.  Of course I’ll be able to read back when she’s done too.

Now if they get that AIR app written …

Post from: EveryJoe

Expanding uses for CoverItLive

Live Blog:

In the press room at DEMO08

(01/29/2008)  Powered by: CoveritLive

  

Close

7:56	I’m testing CoverItLive for real now.  Here early in the press room (got here at 7 AM)

7:57	Just met Claude from extra-normal (from Montreal) … getting my booth list together.

7:57	Really wish this had something to hit return and post … yeah this is still early

7:58	Okay this might be boring, but when the sessions start … well I might be ready to keep up with Rafe Needleman!

7:59	I was thinking this morning that we need a beards of Web 2.0 press … seems like we all have them … Dan Farber, Shel Israel, Marshall Kirkpatrick, Walt Mossberg, Rafe Needleman, Me …

8:01	[Comment From Keith from CiL] some people like the carriage return…some don't…ctrl+enter works but we don't tell people about it..

8:02	Sweet cntrl-enter does it!

8:03	www.flickr.com/photos/tris/sets/72157603812860596/ This is where my DEMO pics are going to be … on Flickr. I think I beat Brian Solis to upload!

8:05

[Poll]

What do you, fair readers, think of this? Good, keep it  ( 100% ) Dude, write about real stuff  ( 0% ) Ugh, please  ( 0% ) Wait and see..  ( 0% )

8:06

[Be Right Back Countdown]

5 minutes

8:09

BRB …

8:10	[Comment From Keith from CiL] instant…instead of sending people to flickr (for those MUST have now pics…obviously flickr great for the total catalog)

8:10	Okay the opening talk starts in about 20 mins …

8:11	Being a newbie at this I a) grabbed too many press materials and b) left my DEMO bag at the hotel (why carry three bags!).  Doh!

8:13	I’ll be doing Intruders video later … more pics to come.  Nice press room, lots and lots of power, hardwire if you need it. Solid WiFi… and snacks.  Coffee, is key of course!

8:15	Time for me to wrap this test post up, take pics of the crowd, and get my seat next to Shel for the openner … so glad that this is a one-track conference!

8:16	This Live Blog has now ended.

Post from: EveryJoe

In the press room at DEMO08 Live!

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 Needleman and I will be giving it a shot together I think.

The way it will work is that I will put some special code in a page and it will update live.  Including polls, etc.  When I’m done, I’ll get code for the final post to “live” here.

Pretty darn spiffy.  Chatting with Rafe about it tonight, I talked about the next step being a little app that chat handle intermittent network trouble (it always happens are conferences).  One step at a time.

For tonight .. well I have a couple more posts in me, then I’ll get into things double time tomorrow.  Yes, I didn’t get the Standout Jobs announcement out today, even though Ben gave me a demo last week.  Traveling just kills my blogging schedule.

Also don’t forget Marshall Kirkpatrick’s great RWW DEMO Toolkit post.  If it isn’t published from one of the places he cited … it isn’t news!

Post from: EveryJoe

Greetings from DEMO08!