While Matt is taking a forced vacation from his weblog (this adds a - short - delay to the otherwise imminent release of liveTopics 1.0), I've added an optional expandHits parameter to the liveTopicsGoogleJazz macro. Check the last line of this post.

I've inserted the following in my item template :

<%liveTopicsGoogleJazz ( <%itemNum%>, "Checkout what Google suggests:", expandHits:"collapsed" ) %>

As a result, since I have activeRenderer installed, Google's hits list, related to the topics I've specified, is hidden until I expand it by clicking on the outline wedge.

Another legal value for expandHits is "expanded", in which case the list is immediately visible. If expandHits is not specified, the hits list is displayed without an 'active' wedge.

Paolo and his team are releasing a first beta version of sharedOutlines, a Radio tool that enables several persons to collaborate on a project, making modifications to the same outline document.

Editing is done in Radio, using a variation of Radio's outline editor.

Outlines are visualized in Radio, or in your favorite web browser - sharedOutlines uses activeRenderer to perform this trick if you have it installed as well.

I've found outlines invaluable to organize ideas in single user mode (they are also great to present source code - but that's another story). They are actually even better if you can share the same outline with others.

Radio's instant outliner is a step in that direction. sharedOutlines, or sharedOutlines + activeRenderer is the next.

I reckon we're all still in search of a market, and a business model for this great idea. But regardless, if eVectors is game, I'll continue to explore ways to mix outline web publishing with outline sharing. In my opinion, it's an enpowering combination.