Guide to Event Live Blogging

GUIDE TO EVENT LIVE BLOGGING

Using social media to increase the impact of your event

Remco Timmermans | @timmermansr | December 2012


• The value of social media• What is live blogging?• How to: Strategy• How to: Planning• How to: Event• How to: Evaluation• How to: Tools• Examples

CONTENTS


• Increase your audience• Involve your audience• Interact with your audience• Increase (free) publicity• Create a live report of your event• Measure the impact of your event• Attract attendees for future events

LIVE BLOGGING AT AN EVENT WHY?


• Create a report of your event while it happens

• Add an interactive channel to your event

• Use social media tools• Combine photo, (live) video, short

and long written reports to reach a live audience

• Aim at your online and in-room audiences

• Bottom line: an additional strategic and interactive communication channel

WHAT IS LIVE BLOGGING?


• Long term• Incorporate social media into

corporate communication strategy• Dedication (not just for just event)• Set goals and measurement

system

HOW TO: STRATEGY


• Select #hashtag for the event 2 weeks

• Inform the audience through social and traditional media (press release)

• Select methods (blog/twitter/video) and tools

• Select dedicated team to live blog at event

• Consider livestreaming the event online• Ensure connectivity at the event (test!)• Set up Twitterwall and/or live blog

monitor(s)• Start capturing social media activity at

least 1 week prior to the event

HOW TO: PLANNING


• Have a list (handout to bloggers) of all relevant social media accounts (Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Blog) and website locations relevant to the event

• Have a list (handout) of Twitter names of all event speakers and other live bloggers

• Announce #hashtag and accounts used in attendee handouts and introduction speeches

• Invite the in-room audience to participate

• Test all equipment and connectivity! especially when streaming live

HOW TO: BEFORE EVENT

#hashtag


• Ensure tweets and blog posts are good summary of the event (quality versus quantity)

• Use a good mix of live blogging tools

• Use photo/video clips to support message

• Show twitterwall and live blog at the event

• Interact with online audience (as well as off line audience)

• Retweet each other’s messages

HOW TO: DURING EVENT


• Summarize tweets, highlighting ‘key’ tweets and messages, in stories and reports

• Publish live blogs and summaries on social media and event website(s)

• Publish live blog results (KPI’s and tag clouds) as soon as possible

• Keep monitoring #hashtag until at least one week after the event

HOW TO:POST EVENT


• Ensure reach and impressions are calculated, as ROI basis and comparison to traditional media

• Monitor effectiveness of live blogs by analyzing timelines for (timing of) interactions, website visits, follow-up on links, etc.

• Include these results in press releases

• Ensure ROI targets are met and adjust strategy accordingly (close the loop!)

HOW TO: EVALUATION


Live blogging on a blog site:– On dedicated part of your corporate

or event organizer website– Supported by social media (Twitter,

Facebook) to attract audience to the event blog

– Add photos to your corporate Flickr account, videos to your corporate YouTube channel (and link them into blogs)

– Wordpress is a common live blogging tool

HOW TO:TOOLS


• Use both PC/laptop and mobile devices• Live micro blogging (Twitter):

– Twitter (web client) on mobile devices– Hootsuite or Tweetdeck on PC, better

suited to follow #hashtag

• The Archivist for archiving all tweets• Storify to highlight key tweets and

photos• Hashtracking to measure reach and

impressions• Google Alerts to follow news on the

event• Twitterwallr or Twitterfall for live

twitter wall

HOW TO:TOOLS


The next slides contain a few examples of live blogging at events:

EXAMPLES


ESA’s ISS Symposium Blog –

Live blogging event highlights at a dedicated

website


ESA’s ATV Blog – Live blogging key events in the ATV

program at a dedicated website


@Stirn live blog of the ESA

Ministerial Council event at personal

blog website


Storify of key tweets after live tweeting from

NVR and SpaceNed event

Use Tweetdeck or Hootsuite to track

#hashtag live during an event

Live blogging and tweeting at ILA Event in Berlin

Guide to Event Live Blogging

Documents

event live blogging

event blog

event guide

live guide

examples of live blogging

live blogging andtweeting

event test

event websites