There have been some great live trip reports on this forum. Thank you all for taking us into the World with you and giving us the chance to escape our cubicles a little bit each day!
For my upcoming family trip over Halloween, I’m planning to limit my phone use and stay in the moment with the kids as much as possible. However, I’ll be in the World again in January for the Marathon, and I’ll do a live report then (even during the Marathon if that is possible!).
So, I’m wondering if you live reporters (@Randall1028, @sanstitre_has_left_the_building, @OBNurseNH, @Ericaleah) learned any tips or tricks while doing your reports, or just have some general advice for prospective reporters. Maybe I’m overthinking this, but I’m a Liner after all…
No no, having a strategy for live-trip reports is good. Cause if you’re not careful, there are draw backs.
Bring a charger. Photos + internet + gps (MDE) + posting = dead battery pretty quick.
DON’T get sucked into the report. It’s a supplement, it’s not why you’re there. Post things you find interesting, and absolutely participate in your own discussion, but definitely don’t make it a priority. You’re on Vacation, not us. If you need a moment to just put it all away, go for it.
Post lots of photos (but be mindful of your data). The Wifi in WDW has been exceedingly awful, so switching to my cell data was helpful. But I did eat through 4GB for the week (would’ve been more if i wasn’t always trying to be on the wifi)
Get weird angles of things in your photos. We’ve all seen the castle 10000x. it’s beautiful, but a different angle will make it feel new. So get weird angles that you don’t normally see of your favorite things. Again, don’t make it a priority if you don’t have time, but if you can snag something you don’t often see, you’ll likely be happier with it.
To go along with that, if you’re not used to taking photos, maybe read up on some tips and tricks to make your photos stand out. Rule of thirds for example, or dutch angles.
Don’t stop in the middle of a walk way!!! Always be mindful of your surroundings, and most importantly, who’s behind you. Last thing you want is to do a sudden stop and then have a stroller destroy your ankles. “Pull over” to the side and take your photo or respond to a post.
have fun with it. There’s no rules. It’s a live discussion that’s mostly great for killing time during down moments.
I think @Randall1028 has covered it. The main thing to keep in mind is his second point which is that it is supplemental to your experience and should not become the actual experience. I have always enjoyed live posting as a way to share with people who will “get it” in a way that people seeing my FB or Insta just won’t. I particularly love seeing something and thinking, “Oh my gosh they’ll love this!” or “Oh i remember when this brought up a whole crazy thread of a conversation.”
I enjoy it as a way to burn down time and waiting. And I enjoy updating at the end of the day (or in the early morning, if I pass out too fast!) to recap.
I find posting photos only when I’m with family is best and easiest and really doesn’t detract from my time with them as I time it well and would never make it my priority.
During my first trip I had a system I really enjoyed. I was staying off-property in a lovely house. I’d get a bagel and some creme cheese, and a glass of orange, and I’d sit at the dining table and write my report of the previous day. It was, as much as anything, a nice way to process the previous day and think about the day ahead.
I got into live-blogging on my second trip, partly because it was my first fully solo trip and it was a way to avoid feeling lonely. It was fun bringing everyone along.
But there is a danger that you start thinking about your audience too much. You think “ooh, I better take a photo of that and post it”.
I feel somewhat out of love with TP earlier this year after some unpleasant experiences here and I live-blogged my trip on a private Facebook Messenger thread. That was much easier for me — uploading photos is much quicker and cleaner — but some participants felt overwhelmed by the number of posts. I started writing daily reports, too, and posting them in a private Facebook group, but for some reason I only wrote one and still haven’t gone back to finish the trip.
I’m not sure how I’m going to play it in December. I’m constantly cross with myself for rushing my trips. Though being alone can feel scary, it may make me be more in the moment. We’ll see.
I started out trying to live blog in December; but I couldn’t keep up. My family got sick of me being on my phone. If I were solo, though, I would have enjoyed it more. I second @Randall1028’s tips.
Just adding that it makes a solo trip a little less lonely. I also got some great suggestions during my live report last summer of additional things to try that I wouldn’t have thought of.
I’m going in December and I may post updates at night. That said, is it really live posts or bust?
I don’t think I’ll be able/willing to live post as I’m really the only planner in the family and if I don’t steer people it will be chaos… four generations of chaos.