Liveblogging: an ecosystem, not a product

Adam Tinworth
Adam Tinworth

Daniel Bennet’s posted some thoughts about the art of liveblogging. It’s an interesting read but I would like to suggest that there’s a false underlying assumption in the post. He seems to be assuming that a liveblog is, once the event is done, a finished product. And in my experience as a liveblogger, that not how it actually functions.

It’s pretty rare that a live-blogger is the only source of coverage. When I’m live-blogging a conference, I’m usually part of an ecosystem of bloggers, both live and analytical, people who are tweeting what’s being said, Twitter discussions, and then analytical posts that follow on from the liveblog. But that requires a viewpoint that sees *all the coverage*, not just the coverage on your own site. And not just that that appears on your own site. This is a viewpoint many in the traditional media seems to struggle to adapt to. 🙂
In essence, a liveblog is not a finished product – it’s the first step towards a record of the event, part of a large pool of raw material that will be collated, aggregated and analysed after the event.
It’s all about the ecosystem…
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Adam is a lecturer, trainer and writer. He's been a blogger for over 20 years, and a journalist for more than 30. He lectures on audience strategy and engagement at City, University of London.

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