There is no better way to report an unfolding story – especially a story that is full of drama, twists and turns. The cricket buffs were the first to discover the power of live blogging. The Guardian in England turned live blogs into an art.
It had a reason to do so. Live blogging was bringing more visitors and page views than the conventional way of telling a story.
What’s a live blog?
A live blog is a storytelling tool developed by web editors to tell a developing story in real time using text, images, audio, video and social media postings.
The user does not have to wait. Every new development is posted instantly. The thread becomes a conversation in which not only the reporters and editors participate but also readers.
Characteristics of a live blog
1. Headline and summary text: A live blog starts with a headline that describes the event that has to be live blogged. This headline remains the day through the duration of the live blog.
The headline is supported by a brief summary of what the event is about and what the readers can expect as the event unfolds.
2. Posts in real time: All posts are published in real time. Each post carries a time stamp so that the reader can follow the story from its inception.
3. Updates in reverse chronological order: The latest post comes first in the live blog. The earlier posts keep getting pushed down. This ensures that the live blog showcases the latest story first, and the reader gets the current information.
4. Integrates social media posts: The best posts made by social media users on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook or Instagram are integrated into the blog. Readers are therefore able to get an all-round and rich perspective of the event.
5. Reports in all formats: The blog integrates photographs, text reports and videos sourced from the media company’s own team as well as from social media users. This makes it truly multimedia in character.
Advantages of live blogging
1. Bite-sized postings: Most posts are short and to the point. They are easy to follow and sum up the development.
2. Simple language: Live blogs use simple language — language that can be understood by all.
3. Raw stories: The reporter reports the story from the site. There is no editing. The story is published raw. This makes it so refreshing, so natural.
4. Social Media integration: Tweets by eyewitnesses are integrated into the account, giving the live blogs a bigger perspective.
5. Multimedia posts: Live blogs make it possible to publish photographs, audio and video from the site – and all in real time.
6. Constant updation: Live blogs, as the name suggests, is live coverage. The conventional form of storytelling cannot match the speed at which love blogs update stories.
(Editor’s note: This post was first published in July 2013 and has been updated.)
Read also: 12 mistakes that most newbie bloggers make and you should not
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