The return of the liveblog?

photo credit: Stephen Cummings

It’s been a relatively long while since I have liveblogged the way I used to in 2008 and 2009, but I have always (well, at least since I began dipping my toes into the social media world) thought that there is value to having an event liveblogged. I no longer have the luxury of enough time to liveblog events and thus have been really happy whenever someone else takes on that role.

For example, at a recent event that the Social Media Club Vancouver (Social Media 101 with Tris Hussey, Guacira Naves and Kemp Edmonds) had liveblogged, I took over from Sascha Neth (who was the designated liveblogger) as soon as I arrived to the event (but I would have not been able to do that if Sascha hadn’t volunteered to start it!). Unashamedly, I’m well-seasoned in transcribing (as I type close to 100 wpm), and I’m proud of the liveblogs I’ve done.

I was intrigued today by a tweet sent by Jeremiah Owyang (now with Altimeter), someone who is very well respected in the social media sphere. See his tweet below. He indicates that folks should think long-term and not rely solely on Twitter, particularly if they are live-tweeting conferences.

What *I* do is create iFrames (I have experimented with CoverItLive and ScribbleLive and have chosen to stay loyal to CiL) and grab the tweets that are hashtagged with a particular keyword. I then download the content locally as HTML and that way I preserve both my liveblog and all associated tweets. I am a bit puzzled to see Jeremiah’s tweet because, well, I thought *everyone* did what I do. But it seems they don’t.

For a recent example of a combined liveblog-incorporating-livetweetage you can see my coverage of Convergence’s Corporation 2.0 panel.

Three factors I suggest people consider when pondering whether you need to have your event/conference liveblogged:

1. Liveblogging requires valuable skills (not only typing, but ability to summarize content, find links and add your own commentary). Don’t expect your events to be liveblogged for free. This is a service that is important, and thus should be rewarded monetarily
2. Tweets are fleeting. If you are going to use CoverItLive or ScribbleLive, consider downloading your liveblog locally
3. Make sure you link and credit your sources.

I think that as more people realize just how fleeting tweets are, people will return to liveblogs. At least, I hope so!

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1. On @Translink as a case study in public service delivery and interactivity in social media platforms
2. Liveblogging vs. live-tweeting in social media events
3. Alexandra Samuel (@awsamuel) on Coping with Social Media #nv10 liveblog
4. CBC contest for Mother’s Day #cbcgiver
5. Northern Voice 2009 – Nora Young on Buried Hatchets and Better Tomorrows (Liveblog)