A Search Engine Land Column is a good piece of content, but if you skip it and go to the comments, the discussion, you will see a really interesting debate going on about live blogging conference sessions.

You have Shari Thurow, a long long time speaker at SEO/SEM conferences, call live bloggers plagiarizers and a “bad habit” that has to stop. Yea, it is insulting but really, is what we do really stealing and plagiarizing content?

(1) We always attribute, always.

(2) We never are able to write it word for word, we summarize what they are talking about.

(3) We miss a lot of what they say because it is almost impossible to cover it all.

Plus, we don’t live blog because it brings us crazy amount of money and makes us rich and famous. I personally do it because it gives back to the community who aren’t able to go. In fact, the event organizers encourage us to live blog through press passes and front row reserved seats with power. They do it for:

(1) Publicity for their conference.

(2) Speakers, 99% of them, love the coverage.

(3) It gives the event organizers great feedback on speaker talent and content.

Like I said, most speakers love that we live blog them. Heck, I speak a lot as well, and I so appreciate it when there are live bloggers capturing what I say. I also run conferences and try to get live bloggers to attend. I want live bloggers there.

Image credit to Tamar Weinberg

Yea, that is a picture of Rand Fishkin hugging me while at a conference. A speaker who is in high demand around the world, hugging a live blogger! How dare he!

Again, I organize conference, I moderate panels, I speak at events (both keynote and normal speaking) and I live blog. I have done it all. Organizing conference is by far the hardest. But I would say live blogging is harder than speaking or moderating panels. Why? Well, 3-4 day conferences, 8+ hour days, it is exhausting and sometimes boring, covering the topics. Live blogging is just not a fun job and is really tiring. I put a ton of time organizing live blogging schedules and live bloggers before and during the conference. And then the non stop listening, typing and publishing is tiring.

Shari Thurow is someone I respect but I disagree, as a speaker and event organizer, on her views of live bloggers. She wrote:

So let me quote event holders:

Danny Sullivan who runs the SMX shows said:

And in terms of other speakers complaining about live bloggers? Danny would know, he said:

Chris Sherman who runs a ton of the SMX shows said:

Image credit to Search Engine Land

I’ve been insulted before when it comes to live blogging and asked if I should give it up. I really should because it is tiring and honestly I dislike doing it. But I know there are so many people who can’t afford to come to a conference that do get a bit of help from the live blogging I, Lisa, Marty and others do. We don’t do it to rip off speakers, we do it to form a bond in the community and help the industry just a little bit.

That being said, I welcome live bloggers to the iSEO panel at SMX Advanced, which I am moderating and to SEMSEO Conference in Germany which I am keynoting at.

Forum discussion at Search Engine Land Comments.

Image credit to ShutterStock for skull and cross.