Liveblogging
Encyclopedia
A liveblog is a blog
post which is intended to provide a rolling textual coverage of an ongoing event, similar to Live television
or live radio
. Liveblogging has increased in usage by news organizations and blogging establishments since the mid-2000s, when they were initially used to broadcast updates of technology conferences in the absence of or alongside streaming video captures, and like microblogs, have gained currency as an online publication format which performs the same function as that of live television news coverage.
The BBC uses the word "live text" for its own liveblogging events.
(which are continuously updated but are also used widely as a short-form liveblogging platform), a liveblog is a single post which is constantly updated by one or more authors (usually on-location correspondents) with up-to-the-minute logs
of the goings-on, and are usually performed during specific types of events rather than as regular features. Furthermore, during longer-running events beyond the length of twenty-four hours (such as civil, political or military events), a liveblog post will be ended after a 24-hour period and followed by a successive liveblog post for the next 24 hours.
ed micro-updates which are placed above previous micro-updates.
During liveblogs, a wide number of media, including video, audio, images and text, can be incorporated in order to explain what is going on at a specific location. Such content may be posted from external sources, such as other press agencies and non-employees, if such content is only available from those sources (i.e., a live blog of an event by Al Jazeera English may post embedded video from CNN
or YouTube
if such video is centrally relevant to a recent occurrence within the scope of the event and is credited to authors affiliated with such organizations).
Live blogs are usually ordered from top-to-bottom so that the most recent updates appear at the top of the post. Posts may also be automatically updated using JavaScript-based auto-refreshes (by the minute) which do not reload the entire webpage.
s tend to provide almost 24-hour live studio broadcasts in audio and/or video format without necessarily focusing dedicated coverage on specific current events except when necessary.
The format, having first been applied by websites such as Gizmodo
, Engadget
, Techcrunch
and Macworld
in 2003-2005 for coverage of technology-related events (such as the Macworld Expo's series of Stevenote
s and the WWDC) first gained notoriety among news organizations during the coverage of the 2009 anti-government protests in Iran.
Further enhancement of the medium by organizations such as The Guardian
accompanied later events such as Cablegate and the 2010-2011 Middle East and North Africa protests. The Guardian had been publishing "minute-by-minute" reports of local sports events since April 2001, but had first begun to publish official "minute-by-minutes" in the Politics blog in August 2008 (posts titled as "LIVE" or formatted to give time-stamped updates on events extend to as far as 2003), followed by more Guardian blogs adopting minute-by-minute formats for special events afterward.
Localized news organizations have become increasingly adoptive of such platforms as CoverItLive and ScribbleLive, which allow for a dedicated box in which to publish short-form and mid-form updates with automatic, dynamically-generated appearances of the most recent posts.
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
post which is intended to provide a rolling textual coverage of an ongoing event, similar to Live television
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
or live radio
Live radio
Live radio is radio broadcast without delay. Before the days of television, audiences listened to live dramas, comedies, quiz shows, and concerts on the radio much the same way that they now do on TV. Most talk radio is live radio where people can speak about their opinions/lives....
. Liveblogging has increased in usage by news organizations and blogging establishments since the mid-2000s, when they were initially used to broadcast updates of technology conferences in the absence of or alongside streaming video captures, and like microblogs, have gained currency as an online publication format which performs the same function as that of live television news coverage.
The BBC uses the word "live text" for its own liveblogging events.
Operation
Incorporative of microblogsMicroblogging
Microblogging is a broadcast medium in the form of blogging. A microblog differs from a traditional blog in that its content is typically smaller in both actual and aggregate file size...
(which are continuously updated but are also used widely as a short-form liveblogging platform), a liveblog is a single post which is constantly updated by one or more authors (usually on-location correspondents) with up-to-the-minute logs
Minutes
Minutes, also known as protocols, are the instant written record of a meeting or hearing. They typically describe the events of the meeting, starting with a list of attendees, a statement of the issues considered by the participants, and related responses or decisions for the issues.Minutes may be...
of the goings-on, and are usually performed during specific types of events rather than as regular features. Furthermore, during longer-running events beyond the length of twenty-four hours (such as civil, political or military events), a liveblog post will be ended after a 24-hour period and followed by a successive liveblog post for the next 24 hours.
Content and appearance
A live blog is a single post which is continuously updated with timestampTimestamp
A timestamp is a sequence of characters, denoting the date or time at which a certain event occurred. A timestamp is the time at which an event is recorded by a computer, not the time of the event itself...
ed micro-updates which are placed above previous micro-updates.
During liveblogs, a wide number of media, including video, audio, images and text, can be incorporated in order to explain what is going on at a specific location. Such content may be posted from external sources, such as other press agencies and non-employees, if such content is only available from those sources (i.e., a live blog of an event by Al Jazeera English may post embedded video from CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
or YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
if such video is centrally relevant to a recent occurrence within the scope of the event and is credited to authors affiliated with such organizations).
Live blogs are usually ordered from top-to-bottom so that the most recent updates appear at the top of the post. Posts may also be automatically updated using JavaScript-based auto-refreshes (by the minute) which do not reload the entire webpage.
Comparison with live broadcasting
Because of their synchronous nature, live blogs have been compared to live broadcasting on television and radio in their immediacy and currency. However, such blogs are almost always used for coverage of, and commentary on, one-time or specialized events, and live blogging is not yet widely considered a regular section-specific feature for most online news services, while news specialty channelNews broadcasting
News broadcasting is the broadcasting of various news events and other information via television, radio or internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or television studio newsroom, or by a broadcast network...
s tend to provide almost 24-hour live studio broadcasts in audio and/or video format without necessarily focusing dedicated coverage on specific current events except when necessary.
Usage
The format is most regularly used for blow-by-blow coverage of concurrently-occurring events, such as sports competitions. Other events which are increasingly regularly live-blogged are:- Sports games
- Elections
- Ceremonies
- Conferences, conventions and gatherings
- Protests and conflicts
- Natural events and disasters
The format, having first been applied by websites such as Gizmodo
Gizmodo
Gizmodo is a technology weblog about consumer electronics. It is part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton and is known for its up-to-date coverage of the technology industry, along with topics as broad as design; architecture; space and science....
, Engadget
Engadget
Engadget is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. Though on appearance Engadget functions much like a blog and may be defined as such, much of its editorial content takes the form of an online magazine...
, Techcrunch
TechCrunch
TechCrunch is a web publication that offers technology news and analysis, as well as profiling of startup companies, products, and websites. It was founded by Michael Arrington in 2005, and was first published on June 11, 2005....
and Macworld
Macworld
Macworld is a web site and monthly computer magazine dedicated to Apple Macintosh products. It is published by Mac Publishing, which is headquartered in San Francisco, California...
in 2003-2005 for coverage of technology-related events (such as the Macworld Expo's series of Stevenote
Stevenote
"Stevenote" is a colloquial term for the keynote speeches given by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs at events such as the Worldwide Developers Conference and previously the Macworld and Apple Expos. Jobs' vibrant speaking style and manner of exciting the crowd was often referred to as inducing a...
s and the WWDC) first gained notoriety among news organizations during the coverage of the 2009 anti-government protests in Iran.
Further enhancement of the medium by organizations such as The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
accompanied later events such as Cablegate and the 2010-2011 Middle East and North Africa protests. The Guardian had been publishing "minute-by-minute" reports of local sports events since April 2001, but had first begun to publish official "minute-by-minutes" in the Politics blog in August 2008 (posts titled as "LIVE" or formatted to give time-stamped updates on events extend to as far as 2003), followed by more Guardian blogs adopting minute-by-minute formats for special events afterward.
Localized news organizations have become increasingly adoptive of such platforms as CoverItLive and ScribbleLive, which allow for a dedicated box in which to publish short-form and mid-form updates with automatic, dynamically-generated appearances of the most recent posts.
Impact on journalism
The live blogging format is controversial for readers of news websites in that the presentation is a clear departure from more traditional methods of news gathering and presentation, both on- and offline. Matt Wells, blogs editor for The Guardian, contended that live blogs, rather than being the "death of journalism", will actually be the "embodiment of its future."See also
- CoverItLiveCoverItLiveCoveritLive is a web-based service for blogging events in real time, or 'liveblogging'. Developed by a Toronto, Canada-based company of the same name, established in 2007, the application is used extensively by individuals and companies - journalists and media in particular - to provide live...
- ScribbleLive
- G-Snap
- Wordfaire
- Arktan
- Chatroll