Starting a liveblog

A liveblog is one page that grows with an event. You post short updates in order, readers watch them arrive without refreshing, and you mark the key moments as you go. At the end you close with a summary, so anyone arriving late learns in one read how it went.

When do you use one?

• A debate or an election night you follow closely.
• A court session, a council meeting or a hearing.
• A match, from kick-off to the final whistle.
• An event you are reporting on first-hand.

If it is one thought, a bubble is better. If it is one question you want to think through with others, a debate is better. A liveblog is for something that lasts.

Getting started

1. Open the posting menu (the plus button) and pick Start a liveblog — or go to Live and tap the button there.
2. Give your liveblog a title and, if you like, a short intro with the context.
3. Tap Start liveblog. Your page is live straight away, and you can begin.

During the event

• Write an update in the What is happening now? field and tap Post update. Every update gets a sequence number and a timestamp.
• Use Add a photo to put an image in an update. Do not skip the alt text, so people who cannot see can still follow along.
• Is something important enough to stay at the top? Tap Mark as key moment. Together, the key moments form the timeline at the top of your page.
• A typo or a correction? You can edit an update after posting; it will visibly say (edited). That is deliberate: a liveblog that quietly changes is no longer a record.

Linking it to a statement

When you are on a debate, you can pick Start a liveblog on this statement there. The vote split for that statement then moves live in the header of your liveblog, and a link back appears on the debate. That way someone reading the statement sees that it is being covered right now.

Closing it

When it is over, tap Close liveblog. You write a closing summary — or you leave the field empty, and the key moments take that role. A closed liveblog stays readable; it just stops taking new updates.

How many can you start?

You can have two open at a time and start five a day. That is not distrust but upkeep: a liveblog claims a prominent spot for as long as it is open, and an abandoned liveblog lies — it says LIVE while nothing is happening. Close one and you have room again immediately.

What if something goes wrong?

Readers can report a liveblog or a single update, just like any other post on Debaty; that report reaches the moderation team. The house rules apply here just as much as anywhere else — especially when things move fast.