The culture of laptop improvisation has grown tremendously in recent years. The development of personalized software instruments presents interesting issues in the context of improvised group performances. This paper examines an approach that is aimed at increasing the modes of interactivity between laptop performers and at the same time suggests ways in which audiences can better discern and identify the sonic characteristics of each laptop performer. We refer to software implementation that was developed for the BLISS networked laptop ensemble with view to designing a shared format for the exchange of messages within local and internet based networks.