What is it?
CoveritLive is a free, web-based service that provides a publishing platform for live blogging. A “live blog” is basically a series of short blog posts devoted to covering a live event. Any blog can serve as a live blog, but CoveritLive has designed its content managment system to fit the needs of fast paced publishing while providing online readers with a positive user experience. And they have added a number of interactive features that make the platform conducive to hosting online conversations between publishers and the audience.
A number of public media stations are regularly using the CoveritLive platform to interact with their audience, including WNYC, WBUR, and Minnesota Public Radio. Here is an example of how WNYC and The Takeaway used the service during one of the 2008 Presidential debates.
CoveritLive can be a useful tool to engage your online audience and increase the interactivity of your H1N1 coverage. By providing a forum to address questions and concerns about the swine flu pandemic, local public media stations can promote the dissemination of accurate health and prevention information in your community.
Suggested uses for CoveritLive:
- Moderate an online question & answer session with local health officials about the status of the pandemic in your community
- Offer an online forum to discuss a recently broadcast segment on H1N1. Have the local host, health reporter, or producer behind of the broadcast host the online discussion.
How it Works
CoveritLive’s display window
Live blogging entails multiple short posts that, when read in succession, provide up-to-the-minute coverage of a live event or topic. Opening the live blog to input from the audience creates a real-time conversation platform. It’s like using a group instant messenger, but you control the flow of content that gets published.
CoveritLive provides a embed code to display a live blog directly on your station website. To conduct the blog, you login to CoveritLive and use an admin dashboard on their site to write and edit your posts. As you publish updates within the dashboard, they will appear in the display window embedded on your website.
You can choose to keep the live blog closed to only the entries from your staff and selected guests, or you open the session to questions and comments from your readers. When open, your audience can submit questions and comments to the moderator from within the CoveritLive display window on your site. These questions will only be published to the live blog based on the discretion of the moderator.
CoveritLive allows the live blog moderator to manage and organize reader comments. Using the admin dashboard, moderators are presented with all audience comments before they are published. The moderator selects which comments to publish and the order in which they appear on the live blog. There is an option to block individuals who have submitted offensive or abusive comments. You can also auto-approve specific users, such as station producers, a panelist, or scheduled guest for the live blog. That way, the comments from these selected guests will appear automatically without the moderator having to find and publish them among the entire field of incoming questions.
CoveritLive also allows you to integrate Twitter posts into your live blog. Within the admin dashboard, you can search the Twitter website based on specific user accounts, by search term, or hashtag. You can select to have these tweets publish automatically during the live blog or to moderate the tweets as you do with audience comments and questions.
The moderator can also add important headlines, messages, or breaking news to the live blog display window. Theses message will appear in the display window and remain visible until you choose to remove them.
When you have finished the live blog, the session is automatically archived by CoveritLive and you can keep the display window up for your audience for replay. Visitors who missed the live will be able to play back the chat and experience the conversation as it happened.
The CoveritLive website has a full list of features and a number of video tutorials for new users.
CoveritLive Editorial Tips:
When considering adding live blogging to your H1N1 coverage, it’s useful to plan out your editorial approach. While easy to get started and use, remember that CoveritLive is a just platform and is only as good as the content you produce within it. Here are some editorial tips for live-blogging
- Treat the live blog as you would a broadcast talk show. Have a specific topic to cover – whether it’s a public event, an interview with a health expert, or a conversation on the H1N1 vaccine. Focus the conversation and your goals and it will be easier to execute and promote your vision.
- Choose someone within your organization familiar to your audience to serve as the live blog moderator. Having a health correspondent or a regular talk show host at the center of the conversation will attract more of your on-air audience and provide a sense of trust to the event.
- Book guests for the conversation. Even if the host of the live blog feels comfortable with the topic and interacting with the audience, it’s important they have someone to turn to when there is a lull in audience participation. This is especially important during your first forays into the live blogging, when your audience is less familiar with the format.
- Don’t forget to make time for questions and comments. Online audiences expect to have a voice. If you have questions coming in, weave them throughout the conversation.
- Promote the chat. Treat it as you would a special broadcast special. Run broadcast promos and encourage mentions by your on-air hosts. Run banner ads on your home page. More awareness means more participation and a better end product.
- Staff the live-blog as you would a broadcast program. Use a producer present to screen and moderate questions and comments. This will allow the host to focus on the content and interacting with the audience.
- Set a time duration and stick to it. Have an exit plan for ending the live blog.
- Keep the CoveritLive session available on your website for a period of time after it takes place. Not everyone who is interested the live blog will be able to attend during the scheduled time.
