Live video blogging for journalists

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YouTube is ubiquitous, its ease of use and because it was one of the first video sites to run a flash player and allow embedding of video content elsewhere it has become a byword for video on the web.

Advances in the way it dynamically wraps advertising around a video has meant YouTube is becoming increasingly attractive to news providers as a broadcast outlet, but for reporters it is less than perfect.

Despite its obvious appeal it doesn't suit all the needs a journalist may have. It doesn't, as yet, offer anything other than very simple search - making it hard and slow to track down very specific content – and perhaps of greater importance, the strictly upload service doesn't offer a live video blogging angle.

YouTube may be avoiding the live blogging route for good reason, it could encourage a proliferation of adult content on the site. However, there are alternative platforms offering this technology.

So online reporter, if you're tired of live blogging those long conferences, getting a repetitive strain injury from bashing out thousand-upon-thousand of sharp similes, help is at hand. BlogTV launched in May and claims to have 60,000 users of its free service. It allows members to broadcast live video blogs through its platform - by either using an external camera or an internal webcam.

Live broadcasts can also be recorded and archived on the site, although frustratingly, you can't edit them.

BlogTV has another couple of neat tricks: users can embed both live broadcasts and archived material on their blogs and websites.

Broadcasts also have a community function where users of the site, invited guests and general browsers can use a messenger system to communicate with the host of the live blog.

These messages then scroll up the screen so that those watching the broadcast, when it is embedded on third-party websites, can see the comments and questions that are being put to the host.

It's a tool that could be useful for audience reaction to a newsworthy event or to post questions or comments during an interview.

One drawback is that it seems that those watching the live broadcast on sites other than BlogTV can't send messages in.

However, this could be easily overcome with a simple link under the player directing people to the site so that they can post messages.

Another function that has a potential use for news sites is the ability to invite a member of the community around the broadcast to join in as a co-host.

This technology offers a very cheap, narrowcast version of the old TV format of halving the screen so the co-host appears in a video box next to the main video.

Potentially, breaking news events could be covered in a news blog while comment from a host, co-host or community member appear in the second window.

Have a look at my experimental (and very poor) test of the technology in this recorded version of a live video blog:

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(In the video I say that you could possibly record yourself and other action at the same time by turning the co-host system on - that is probably unlikely unless you have two computers, as it would necessitate two log-ins)

There are other services that do similar things. Ustream.tv and Livevideo are pretty similar.

Livevideo also allows comments, with the addition of letting the user embed all their videos in one player, which has advantages and disadvantages.

The site is still in a beta version and as a result lacks the slickness and ease of use of BlogTV, but things may change.

It also allows 'mature content' on the site - so expect it to be inundated.