AMP support comes to Liveblog

We are pleased to announce the release of Liveblog v1.9 which introduces support for the AMP project, alongside our popular AMP for WordPress plugin. In addition to AMP, v1.9 includes:

  • Improved performance for high-traffic liveblogs
  • Implementation of the LiveBlogPosting schema
  • Support for cross-domain updates
  • A number of bug fixes

Clients are invited to upgrade and test this new version.

Upgrading on WordPress.com

Moving from 1.4+

We encourage all VIPs using Liveblog v1.4 and above to upgrade to this version by specifying the version parameter of wpcom_vip_load_plugin() like so;

wpcom_vip_load_plugin( 'liveblog', 'plugins', '1.9' );

Moving from 1.3

Please open a ticket with our support team to arrange your upgrade.

Upgrading on VIP Go

For VIP Go, you can take advantage of the new version by adding the latest reviewed version (v1.9) to your plugins folder. The plugin can be downloaded from WordPress.org.

If you have any questions please open a ticket where we’ll be happy to assist your transition to the newest version.

Bugs, feature requests, and contributions are more than welcome on Github. Keep an eye on the projects board for the future roadmap, and let us know what your priorities are.

Liveblog 1.8 introduces media library integration

We are pleased to announce the release of Liveblog v1.8 which introduces media library integration along with a number of enhancements to the editor interface.

New features:

  • Allow multiple authors for each Liveblog entry
  • Entries no longer have to have an author
  • Share entries with entry-specific permalinks
  • Media library integration in the entry editor
  • Edit entry HTML within the editor

Bug fixes:

  • Bug with some installs using the correct REST API base URL
  • Various coding standards issues

With thanks to our development partners Big Bite Creative we’re inviting clients to test the new version and upgrade.

Upgrading from 1.7

We encourage all VIPs using Liveblog v1.7 to upgrade to this version by specifying the version parameter of wpcom_vip_load_plugin() like so;

wpcom_vip_load_plugin( 'liveblog', 'plugins', '1.8' );

Upgrading from 1.3

Please open a ticket with our support team to arrange your upgrade.

Upgrading on VIP Go

For VIP Go, you can take advantage of the new version by adding the latest reviewed version (v1.8) to your plugins folder. The plugin can be downloaded from WordPress.org.

If you have any questions please open a ticket where we’ll be happy to assist your transition to the newest version.

Bugs, feature requests, and contributions are more than welcome on Github.

Liveblog v1.6 now available

A new version of the Liveblog plugin is now available to WordPress.com VIP clients. 1.6 is a feature & bugfix release and is intended to replace v1.5 and includes;

  • REST API support
  • Performance improvements to lazy loading
  • Auto-archiving of Liveblogs
  • Removed copied core functions
  • Improved test coverage
  • Bugfix for edited comments appearing on archived Liveblogs
  • Bugfix for multiple edits issue
  • Bugfix for deleted key events appearing after edits
  • Bugfix for shortcodes within key events
  • Bugfix to allow editing entries more than once

Upgrading from 1.5

We encourage all VIPs using Liveblog v1.5 to upgrade to this version by specifying the version parameter of wpcom_vip_load_plugin() like so;

wpcom_vip_load_plugin( ‘liveblog’, ‘plugins’, ‘1.6’ );

Upgrading from 1.3

This also means that we are now deprecating v1.3 and intend to remove the plugin in 1 month, on Monday, 30th October 2017. This upgrade will require us to assist you so please open a ticket with us when you have tested and are ready to upgrade.

Upgrading on VIP Go

For VIP Go, you can take advantage of the new version by adding the latest reviewed version (v.1.6) to your plugins folder. The plugin can be downloaded from WordPress.org.

If you have any questions please open a ticket where we’ll be happy to assist your transition to the newest version.

Bugs, feature requests, and contributions are more than welcome on Github.

Liveblog v1.5 is Now Available!

We’re very excited to announce that not only is Liveblog v1.5 now available for you to use, but it’s now included in shared plugins! This upgrade is intended to replace v1.3 and is a substantial feature release, including;

  • Key Events
  • Hashtags
  • Custom commands
  • Custom templating
  • Lazyloading

We strongly recommend taking a look through the Readme to learn all about the new features and the possibilities within.

Just like other plugins you can now activate Liveblog with:

wpcom_vip_load_plugin( 'liveblog', 'plugins', '1.5' )

We’ll still need to enable it for you, as per the docs, so open a ticket if you’d like to use Liveblog.

If you’re already using Liveblog v1.3, and want to upgrade to v1.5 there’s a one-time change we need to make to enable that for you. Please open a ticket about upgrading Liveblog and we’ll work with you to get that sorted.

New Add-On: Liveblog

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Your readers want your updates as quickly as possible, and we think we provide the easiest and the most flexible publishing environment to make that happen. Sometimes though, that’s just not enough.

When you’re covering a fast-paced event — the latest Apple unveiling, an F1 Grand Prix, or the Super Bowl — a full blog post for each individual update is a poor experience for your authors and your audience.

The WordPress.com VIP Liveblog Add-On was purpose-built to address these issues specifically.

Here’s what makes it special:

  • Post updates right from the front-end of your site (no need to use the /wp-admin dashboard)
  • Viewers of your Liveblog get new entries served to them instantly and automatically, without needing to refresh their browser.
  • Your authors can drag-and-drop photos right into the Liveblog area, without needing to navigate to separate browser tabs or windows.
  • There’s no need for a separate site dedicated to liveblogging: every post can be a liveblog, even existing ones.

Here are some screenshots of it in action:

The Liveblog Add-On is $500 USD per month with an annual subscription. This includes unlimited liveblogs, and an unlimited number of users visiting, viewing, and receiving updates — all powered by our massive WordPress.com cloud infrastructure. If you’re interested in using the plugin or learning more, please get in touch.

If that’s not enough, we’ve also completely open-sourced the Liveblog code for self-hosted WordPress. You can find it in the WordPress.org plugin repository and on github.

We’re really excited to be able to finally provide this as a service, and look forward to your feedback and contributions!

(Special thanks to GigaOM and Local TV for helping us beta test this new add-on.)