Blogspotter: Live blogs bring the party to your PC
Tina Fey no longer anchors “Weekend Update,” but she was live from New York last week posting real-time blog entries during the premiere party for her NBC sitcom, “30 Rock.” Playing the creator of a sketch-comedy show wasn’t a stretch for the former “Saturday Night Live” head writer, but Fey also made an impressive blogging debut Wednesday evening.
Between chicken wings, she composed 23 posts in just over 100 minutes. Fey deftly answered viewer questions about everything from upcoming guest stars (look for SNL alum Chris Parnell in episode six) to how well GE took the lampooning of its executives (“I’m still waiting to get a free washer/dryer,” she deadpanned).
Her audience outreach was a hit, with one post drawing more than 1,100 comments from thoughtful armchair critics and hangers-on. (Fey attracted her share of haters as well, with one writing, “In the entire half hour I did not laugh once nor could I tell where the jokes were even supposed to be.”) Veteran bloggers know such interactivity is critical to a successful real-time event.
That’s why live blogging often focuses on big games, election nights and TV series with devoted followers. Reading a live blog of a “Lost” episode, NFL game or awards-show broadcast is akin to showing up at a bar full of like-minded fans. Only instead of shouting witty comments into the din, you type them beneath the latest posts. Also, you have to mix your own drinks.
An offshoot of the communal-experience live blog is one in which someone attending a closed event – such as a TV network’s fall “upfront” presentation to advertisers, or a video-gaming conference – gives the world a glimpse of the proceedings as they unfold.
The latter type of live blog feels more like cable news or C-SPAN event coverage you can talk back to. Commenters might prompt bloggers on the inside to find out more about a certain topic (“Ask those pinheads why they canceled ‘Arrested Development’ “) or simply revel in gaining virtual access (“Dude, it’s like I’m hanging out with the ‘Grand Theft Auto’ guys”).
NFL fans can get in on game day live-blogging action at the Tacoma News-Tribune’s Seahawks Insider and AOL’s FanHouse. Some weeks, Huskies and Cougars games get the live-update treatment at FanHouse as well.
TVSquad recently live-blogged the season premiere of “Lost,” and previously gave the treatment to events ranging from the Emmys and Golden Globes to the launch of space shuttle Discovery and the Michael Jackson trial verdict.
And humor-columnist-turned- blog-star Dave Barry has been known to provide live running commentary on episodes of Fox’s “24.” Sample post: “Bierko just ripped his Band-Aid right off. That is a manly terrorist.”
Speaking of national security, election junkies should make a date to haunt their favorite political blogs Nov. 7 for live analysis of the returns, commentary from candidate parties and critical takes on televised coverage.
For rolling election updates with a Washington state focus, Sound Politics (on the right), Evergreen Politics and HorsesAss.org (both on the left) should be good bets. With mail-in ballots now the norm, haunting these sites as winners and losers emerge is a good way to recapture the communal voting experience.
Why talk back to the TV when people will actually read — and maybe even react to — your running commentary on a live blog?
Drilling down
Too busy to keep track of “Saturday Night Live” and the two NBC series now based on the comedy franchise — “30 Rock” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”? NBC.com provides weekly two-minute recaps of the latter shows, as well as select SNL segments. Watch them all and you’ll be ready for the water cooler in under 10 minutes flat.