Your first comment in 5 minutes

Choose your path

From the dashboard, you'll see three options:

• Write a Comment — opens the compose form. Best when you already know what you want to say.
• Study an Article — import an EPUB, browse your library, or paste article text. Best when you have study material to work from.
• Record a Talk — capture and transcribe a live talk (requires internet).

The compose form

The form is designed to be simple but complete. Here's what each field does:

• Question — What question are you answering? Optional, but helps Hoot give more focused coaching. Always visible at the top.
• Comment — The main textarea. Write what you'd actually say, in your own words. As you type, you'll see a live word count and estimated speaking time. Green means you're within a comfortable window.
• Source material — Click to expand. Paste a paragraph or article, submit a URL to fetch content, paste a Bible chapter, upload an audio file or PDF, or do a live audio capture. Optional, but improves coaching relevance.
• Label — A short label like "Paragraph 3" or "Key thought." Helps you identify this comment later.
• Subject — Type a subject name or pick from your existing subjects. If left blank, one is auto-created with today's date.
• Date — Defaults to today. Change it if you're preparing for a future meeting.
• Tags — Add tags to organize your comments across subjects. Type a tag and press Enter or , to add it. If you forget to press Enter, tags are saved automatically when you click Save or Generate Ideas. Tags appear as colored chips in the outliner and power the tag filter bar. You can also add tags later from the outliner's + Tag button or the tools menu.

Write your comment

Write what you actually think. Even one sentence is enough. Don't worry about making it perfect — that's what coaching is for.

Save and go to outline

Click Save to save your comment. You'll land in the outline view where your comment is ready. From there, click Coach to get Hoot's feedback on Clarity, Conciseness, Depth, and Relevance, plus specific suggestions.

If you just want to save without coaching, click Save instead. You can always coach later from the outliner.

Understanding Scores →

Revise and finalize

Read the coaching suggestions, revise if you want, then coach again. Most comments reach their best version in 1-2 rounds.

When you're satisfied, click Ready. Your comment gets a green checkmark — it's prepared and ready to deliver. You can still edit, translate, or refine anytime.