I mentioned in an e-mail

to the NABJ forum on Friday, April 10 about a live chat/blog software called "Coveritlive."

My paper started using Coveritlive in January 2009 to enhance our sports coverage in the Jersey Shore area. In just three short months, the live chat and live blog sessions are a huge hit with our basketball and lacrosse fans.

As readers have told me in person, on the phone and via e-mail numerous times, the days of waiting for stuff to appear in the newspaper the next morning are over. I tell myself every morning to "Think Web First" and that is how I approach my sports coverage. The live chats and live blogs sessions give readers more access, instant feedback and it shows them that you care about their opinions. It also helps to grow your web visitors and also your web page views.

Here are examples of live chats





Here is an example of a live blog



I posted all of this to say there is new technology out there, like Coveritlive, that you can use in your newsrooms to better communicate with your readers/viewers (no matter what speciality you cover) and that NABJ can use in a way to increase interaction with its members.

For example, I would love to see a bi-monthly or at least a monthly live chat with the NABJ President moderated by the NABJ Secretary. I would love to see a live chat or even a live blog on how to fill out the NABJ chapter audits and the NABJ chapter applications properly. If visual evidence is needed for the demonstration, an NABJ webinar would probably be more appropriate. If someone has a questions about the NABJ Chapter audits or NABJ chapter applications, they can get an answer on the spot. I'm sure the NABJ staff would appreciate its local professional and student chapters doing the audits and chapter applications, the correct way, the first time. This scenario can happen right now. It takes a minute to create a Coveritlive account and once Coveritlive generates the html coding all you have to do is cut and paste the coding into a blog entry. All the readers/viewers have to do is come to the blog and click on the start button to interact with the moderator and the featured panelist of the day/night. If you missed the chat, you can always catch it on replay at your own convenience

Speaking of blogs, I would love to see the NABJ President's Corner transformed into a blog. Once that is done, you can have live chats on the NABJ President's Corner blog with ease. I would also like to see the NABJ President's Corner blog updated with regularity on what the NABJ President is doing on behalf of NABJ members. A monthly NABJ President's agenda would be nice and of course updates on important deadlines would be better.

In closing, I'm saying the NABJ secretary can be an essential asset to the organization and to the NABJ President specifically. If I get the privilege to be your next NABJ secretary, I'm confident that I can get this done and have NABJ "Thinking Web First" all the time.