liveblogging at the liverpool daily post
DESCRIPTION
How, and why, the Liverpool Daily Post liveblogged a day in the newsroomTRANSCRIPT
Going live with the
Why we liveblogged a day in the life of a newspaper
The Aim
• To trial some new and varied ways of engaging with readers
• To increase interactivity between the newsroom and our audience
• To experiment with some new technology
• To give everyone on the LDP the chance to get involved
• And…
... because we could!!
The Practicalities
• Convince Editor why wild idea should become reality
• Create liveblog with free software – LDP used coveritlive.com (www.scribblelive.com or backnoise.com are alternatives)
• Ensure clear internal communication
• Tell the world – several times!
Crowdsourcing• Interaction takes various forms - our liveblog allowed us to run polls throughout the day.
• One poll on bottled water helped us plan a new campaign
• This poll shows what people thought of the liveblog.
Views and news
Plan B in action
What we learned
• Interaction and engagement – and entertainment – boosts audiences (1,500 people on liveblog section through the day)
• Some posts develop may threads of their own without LDP involvement
• Liveblogging is exciting; immediate communication and reaction engages staff
What we learned (cont)
• Online users expect to interact and share their opinions, questions and experience
• How you tell the story is vital; text and photos are just the start
• Liveblogging takes time and effort but a busy blog means readers will stay for more
Final thoughts
• Prepare… but don’t plan too rigidly
• Something(s) will go wrong: Technology + newsroom = meltdown
• Don’t censor unless it’s essential
• Give all staff the opportunity…but don’t force them to take part
• Live-blogging is addictive for everyone involved!
(Some) Industry Views