The B List: Ten Tips for Live Concert Tweeting

[Originally Posted: January 10, 2013]

Live tweeting a concert is one of the great functions of Twitter. For those not in attendance, following along on Twitter is, short of a webcast, the next best thing to being there. I’ve live tweeted for @Hidden_Track and for @YEMblog and while I don’t claim to be an expert, I thought I’d compile some tips to serve as a guide to live tweeting a concert. Some of this is admittedly somewhat basic stuff, and most of it boils down to: be smart and don’t be an annoying jerk. This list is also most certainly not exhaustive so please add your tips for anything I missed in the comments.

10. Announce: Before the show give your followers a heads up that you’re going to be flooding their timeline with live tweets. It also doesn’t hurt to send a tweet to the band – they might help promote you with a retweet.

9. Hashtags: Do some research before you head out to the show so your tweets will be easily searchable among other similar ones. Try and find commonly used hashtags and add them to your phone’s dictionary for faster typing during the concert.

8. Battery Life: Set your phone’s display to dim to avoid annoying others around you with an overly bright screen and to save battery power. It’s dark enough in during the show that a dimmer screen shouldn’t hamper your tweeting.

7. Pictures: Have your phone’s camera settings ready for maximum quality in dark lighting and prepared for instant tweeting through whatever image sharing service you prefer.

6. Dictionary: Like with hashtags, enter the names of song titles, band members or any other associated but uncommon words to your phone’s dictionary ahead of time so you don’t get embarrassingly auto-corrected during the concert.

5. Timing: If you plan to shoot pictures, be courteous to those near you who paid to see the show too. Discreetly take a couple shots at the very beginning of the concert and (if you must) at the very end. Don’t snap pictures from your seat all show long, that’s annoying to everyone around you. If something of particular note takes place during the show go ahead and snap a quick shot (if you must).

4. Space and Place: If you plan to shoot video be aware of those in the space around you, especially those placed behind you. The light from your phone is distracting to others so try and stay to the sides or hold the phone close to you to lower impact on others. Do this sparingly and discreetly during the show.

3. Interact: Retweet others also live tweeting at the show. This helps add color and gives multiple angles to the live review. You may also get new followers this way.

2. Report: Be descriptive and not just opinionated. It’s great that you think “X Song” is “awesome” but it’s far more informative to detail the various aspects of the venue, crowd, stage set up, band attire, and other details that make up the whole show experience.

1. Remember: It’s about the music – if someone is tuning in to your live tweeting it’s usually because they want to experience the concert from afar, so be certain to focus on the music and as best you can help your followers understand what they can’t hear themselves.

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