Storify

Storify, a term borrowed from the journalistic practice of "fleshing out" ^[1] a story in greater detail, is a free web-based content curation and digital storytelling platform that allows users to aggregate and curate[a] social media posts dealing in a specific event or set of events from a variety of social media platforms, creating a “story” that includes varying perspectives on one topic. Popular social media outlets from which to select posts are Twitter[b], Facebook[c], Instagram[d], Youtube[e], and Flickr[f]. Users can also utilize posts to Google Plus[g], App.net[h], Giphy[i], SoundCloud[j], Zemanta[k], Disqus[l], StockTwits[m], Tumblr[n], and Getty Images[o]. In addition, Storify provides an importer for GIF files and URLs. In its patent application, Storify describes[2] itself as “curated scrapbook pages through source attribution of embedded content”.

History

Storify launched in beta at 2010’s TechCrunch Disrupt event [3, 4]. and was available to the public in April 2011. Storify won[p] South by Southwest’s[q] (SXSW) Startup Accelerator Prize in 2011 and the SXSW’s Interactive Award in 2012[r]. In 2013, Storify was acquired by Livefyre[3, s].

Methodology

In order to create a Storify, users must first create an account and select a topic. After narrowing the scope of their search, a user will then select which social media outlets from which to pull content, and use the built-in search function to find posts. The builder allows users to select applications for their individualized workspace, customizing the experience to the user’s needs. Storify then instructs users to drag the “best elements”[Note A] of the content they select into the story-creating workspace. Content cannot be uploaded without its source linked. It is also encouraged for users to “add [their] own content”[Note A], oftentimes text to frame the narrative. Users may also choose to add photos or videos taken with their cameras or mobile devices. Many users choose to structure their Storify with chronological posts, as a completed Storify page will scroll from top to bottom. When finished, users are left with a subjective picture of one event. Each user also has a public profile, which includes a grid of all created Storifies and links for other users to share them. Storify publishes user content on the site and also allows users to embed stories elsewhere.

Uses

Though Storify’s content aggregation service was designed with news media in mind[5], users other than journalists have made themselves evident as social media proliferates[6] the Millennials’ news consciousness.

News Uses

In his talk[t] at TEDxBrussels[u], Storify co-founder and CEO Xavier Damman[3, v] foregrounds the journalistic uses of the application, especially in times of political and social unrest[w]. He claims that putting news reporting back into the hands of the public makes all people reporters, and that citizens have the duty to report news to “keep democracy running”. “The best thing about the internet is that everybody has a voice,” Damman states, “The worst thing about the Internet is that everyone has a voice”. He claims that journalists are the individuals who sort and “make sense” of the social web, and that Storify was created to facilitate that process. Quoted in a New York Times article[7], co-founder Burt Herman[x] states of the intent behind Storify, “We’re really trying to put together computer science plus storytelling and journalism to think creatively about how you can blend the two worlds”. News outlet Al Jazeera America[y] created a Storify regarding reforms and revolutions in Egypt[z] and Tunisia[aa]. From September 2011 to 2013, Storify user Josh Stearns curated a page[ab] about the Occupy Wall Street crisis, winning the 2011 Favorite User-Generated Story award[8] from Storify. Publications such as Mashable[ac], the New York Times[ad], and The Atlantic[ae] make use of the Storify platform to curate and storytell on their websites.

Academic Uses

Public school and university systems use Storify as a component in journalism and English classes when teaching lessons on content curation, media sourcing, information dissemination, and other social media-based writing concepts[9]. The pedagogical shift from the traditional essay-writing approach allows students[af] to update in real time and from a variety of sources the information they wish to present, highlighting the multimodality of their sources and argument. A student in a K-12 classroom could use Storify as a new way of considering a book report, a lesson on a historical figure, or a an element of the natural world[10]. It is also possible to use Storify to create an interactive CV[11], especially for journalists or digital writers.

External Links

References

[1] Cohen, James and Mihailidis, Paul. "Storify and News Curation: Teaching and Learning about Digital Storytelling". Second Annual Social Media Technology Conference & Workshop: Social Media and Intersections between Politics, Culture and Law. ed. Langmia, Kahbuma et. al. 27-8 September 2012, Howard University and Bowie State University. http://socialmediatechnologyconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/SMTCProceedingsFinal2012-1.pdf#page=27
[2] Herman, Burt, and Xavier Damman. Sharable Curated Scrapbook Pages through Source Attribution of Embedded Content. Burt Herman, Xavier Damman, assignee. Patent US 20130024519 A1. 24 Jan. 2013. Web. https://www.google.com/patents/US20130024519
[3] “About us” 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015. https://storify.com/about
[4] TechCrunch. “There Are Stories Out There On Twitter, Flickr, YouTube — Build Them With Storify” 27 September 2010. Web. http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/27/storify/
[5] Damman, Xavier. (15 November 2012). How Social Media is Changing the News: Xavier Damman at TEDxBrussels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Puro_L7O4eY.
[6] Pew Research Center. “Social Networking Fact Sheet”. 2015. Web. http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/
[7] Miller, Claire Cain. “Filtering the Social Web to Present News Items”. The New York Times. 24 April 2011. Web. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/technology/internet/25storify.html?_r=0
[8] Hernandez, Brian Anthony. “Storify Reveals its Favorite User-Generated Story of 2011”. Mashable. 29 December 2011. Web. Retrieved 20 March 2015. http://mashable.com/2011/12/29/storify-story-of-the-year-occupy-journalists-arrests/
[9] Cochrane, Thomas; Antonczak, Lauren; Gordon Averill; Helen Sissons, and Andrew Withell. “Heutagogy and mobile social media: post Web 2.0 pedagogy”. n.p. Ascilite 2012: future Challenges | Sustainable Futures. 25-8 November 2012. Wellington, New Zealand. http://ascilite.org.au/conferences/wellington12/2012/images/custom/cochrane,_thomas_-_heutagogy_and_mobile.pdf
[10] Daniels, Meghan. “4 Ways to Use Storify in the Classroom”. Knewton. 13 July 2011. Web. Retrieved 13 April 2015. http://www.knewton.com/blog/knerds/4-ways-to-use-storify-in-the-classroom/
[11] Zak, Elana. “How to Use Storify to Make an Interactive Resume” AdWeek. 19 December 2011. Web. Retrieved 16 April 2015. http://www.adweek.com/fishbowlny/how-to-use-storify-to-make-an-interactive-resume/250292

Notes

[A] This text is in Storify’s content creator, only open to users with accounts in the creating space.

[1]

Hannah robbins draft one

From DigitalRhetoricCollaborative

Contents

Storify

History

Methodology

Uses

News Uses

Academic Uses

External Links

References

Notes

Views

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