I don’t need proof that the blog is alive and well. I don’t support the theory microblogging in its various forms has overtaken the blog with its bite sized, rapid fire delivery.
I don’t need to look any further than the live blog as an entity to prove that not only is the trusty web log still an essential piece of any social media marketers toolkit, but also that it’s still a dynamic medium capable of extending to incorporate various forms of microblogging to provide inclusive, up to date content (contributed by multiple authors no less).
Research Reveals Popularity of Live Blogging
This isn’t my headline or my research – it’s simply the title of a great article I read back in November and tweeted about.
I love Roy Greenslade’s definition of live blogging:
Live blogs provide commentary and analysis alongside breaking news rather than summarising the event after it is over. It’s a transparent format in which the writers are able to update and amend their commentaries in easily digestible paragraphs.
I should note here that live blogging isn’t new….it’s been used for some time on international news sites (it’s often been used as the only available form of communication during natural disasters). The reason I am writing about live blogging now is because I’ve seen it become more widely used for all forms of breaking news, especially the recent US Presidential Election. And because I’m curious….will it extend further into other areas? Comments please.
The medium as the message
While I don’t need convincing that the blog is not dead, I often come across headlines that indicate people do – case in point: Why Blogging is Dead – And What’s Next.
This is an excellent article that raises some good points. Half way through I realised I didn’t actually disagree with any of it – the way we compose and deliver content on the internet has changed drastically due many factors including the increasing availability of sophisticated mobile devices.
But I don’t equate this with the death of the blog and I do feel the blog’s extension into “live blogging” goes to show its adaptability as a platform. Sure, sometimes my posts are a an amalgamation of linked tweets, Evernote snippets and embedded videos….but at some point I do tie them all together and I won’t hesitate at the end of that to call it a blog post…..which lives within (you guessed it) my blog.
As Marshall McLuhan maintained, the medium is the message. But McLuhan made these comments during a time of limited media, a time where the idea of “platforms” didn’t really exist.
These days the medium is changing to accommodate our ever mobile lifestyle. We are spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing the platform on which you can deliver your message via your given medium.
Choosing your blogging platform is surely a good example and entities such as the live blog go to show that once you’ve gone through the technicality of choosing your platform, the blog itself is still a viable framework to house not only the original comment-structured content, but also many other video, audio and microblogging related streams.
And so……
As Hardaway says, the key is avoiding becoming wedded to old platforms. I completely agree. But the web log as an entity is not dependent on platforms – the sheer variety of blogging platforms you can choose from is proof of that. And the live blog is one more bit of proof that if you think blogging is dead, you really need to think again.
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