Web 2.0 Storytelling: Introduction NITLE workshops 2008 Bryan Alexander

What is it? An emergent set of storytelling practices, growing out of Web 2.0 technologies and cultural forms.

An emergent set of storytelling practices, growing out of Web 2.0 technologies and cultural forms.

Caveats This framework might be larger than your project Much emerges through exploration

This framework might be larger than your project

Much emerges through exploration

Who are people in this? Roles Producer Consumer Scholar Teacher Consultant Supporter Questions Why these platforms? How to discover and participate? How to support?

Roles

Producer

Consumer

Scholar

Teacher

Consultant

Supporter

Questions

Why these platforms?

How to discover and participate?

How to support?

But wait, what's storytelling? “The last man on Earth sat alone in a room.”

“The last man on Earth sat alone in a room.”

But wait, what's storytelling? “The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door.” (Fredric Brown, “Knock”, 1948)

“The last man on Earth sat alone in a room.

There was a knock on the door.”

(Fredric Brown, “Knock”, 1948)

But wait, what's storytelling? Beginning, middle, end The Freytag triangle Delight and instruct

Beginning, middle, end

The Freytag triangle

Delight and instruct

Put another way What are stories about? What is content? About someone important About an important event About what one does Center for Digital Storytelling, Digital Storytelling Cookbook. http:// www.storycenter.org/cookbook.html

What are stories about? What is content?

About someone important

About an important event

About what one does

Put another way What are stories about? What is content? Personal versus impersonal Creative fiction vs nonfiction composition Curricular vs campus vs personal vs etc. (storyteller, Ripton Vermont, 2008)

What are stories about? What is content?

Personal versus impersonal

Creative fiction vs nonfiction composition

Curricular vs campus vs personal vs etc.

Web 1.0 storytelling What can we learn from it? Hypertext Multimedia Browser-focused Offline, analog content (textbooks) Evanescent

What can we learn from it?

Hypertext

Multimedia

Browser-focused

Offline, analog content (textbooks)

Evanescent

Web 1.0 storytelling Example: Dreaming Methods (2000ff) http:// www.dreamingmethods.com /

Example: Dreaming Methods (2000ff)

http:// www.dreamingmethods.com /

Example: “Ted’s Caving Journal” (circa 2001) (one copy, from http://www.angelfire.com/trek/caver/page1.html )

Example: “Ted’s Caving Journal” (circa 2001)

Features: Multilinear Multimedia Very Web Serial structure

Features:

Multilinear

Multimedia

Very Web

Serial structure

Digital storytelling roots Digital Storytelling movement Digital Storytelling at Ukaiah, 2006

Digital Storytelling movement

Digital storytelling roots Educational projects growing Community Curricula Support ( http://connect.educause.edu/Library/Abstract/StorytellingintheAgeofthe/42327 )

Educational projects growing

Community

Curricula

Support

Digital storytelling Transmedia storytelling (Henry Jenkins) Multiple platforms Commercial Fan base…

Transmedia storytelling (Henry Jenkins)

Multiple platforms

Commercial

Fan base…

Digital storytelling …Franchise or brand Control across sites Diffuse boundaries

…Franchise or brand

Control across sites

Diffuse boundaries

Digital storytelling roots Email chain letters, jokes Social Boundaries fuzzy Microcontent Virtual community facilitation (1980s on) (Snopes.com)

Email chain letters, jokes

Social

Boundaries fuzzy

Microcontent

Virtual community facilitation (1980s on)

Digital storytelling roots One theory http://www.unfiction.com/compendium/2006/11/10/undefining-arg/2/ Chaotic fiction , including ARGs

One theory

Chaotic fiction , including ARGs

What's web 2.0 about? Quick recap Microcontent Social software Multiply authored content within content located externally Perpetual beta Boundaries can be hard to find All issues still on the table

Quick recap

Microcontent

Social software

Multiply authored content

within content

located externally

Perpetual beta

Boundaries can be hard to find

All issues still on the table

Platforms Blogosphere and character “ As one day’s posts build on points raised or refuted in a previous day’s, readers must actively engage the process of “discovering” the author, and of parsing from fragment after fragment who is speaking to them, and why, and from where whether geographically, mentally, politically, or otherwise.” -Steve Himmer, “The Labyrinth Unbound” (2003)

Blogosphere and character

“ As one day’s posts build on points raised or refuted in a previous day’s, readers must actively engage the process of “discovering” the author, and of parsing from fragment after fragment who is speaking to them, and why, and from where whether geographically, mentally, politically, or otherwise.”

-Steve Himmer, “The Labyrinth Unbound” (2003)

Platforms Blogosphere and time “ You know what's funny? I bet if I posted this email message on my blog, as a story, I'd get two dozen emails from readers — the ones who know how clueless I can be — telling me to get a clue, that you're obviously taking someone else. A bagel .” -Postmodern Sass http://www.postmodernsass.com/blogger/2005/04/my-baby-she-wrote-me-letter.html

Blogosphere and time

“ You know what's funny? I bet if I posted this email message on my blog, as a story, I'd get two dozen emails from readers — the ones who know how clueless I can be — telling me to get a clue, that you're obviously taking someone else. A bagel .”

-Postmodern Sass

http://www.postmodernsass.com/blogger/2005/04/my-baby-she-wrote-me-letter.html

Blog as story diary Or several blogs: Dionaea House and Loreen Mathers ( http://www.dionaea-house.com/default.htm ) “ The LiveJournal of Zachary Marsh”

Or several blogs: Dionaea House and Loreen Mathers ( http://www.dionaea-house.com/default.htm )

Blog as story diary Futureblogging: “Harvey Feldspar's Geoblog” ( http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/15-07/local ) -Bruce Sterling, Wired , 2007

Futureblogging: “Harvey Feldspar's Geoblog”

Bookblogging http://www.pulsethebook.com/ - “networked book” (Institute for the Future of the Book) And others http:// simonofspace.blogspot.com /

http://www.pulsethebook.com/ - “networked book” (Institute for the Future of the Book)

Bookblogging "a networked book is an open book designed to be written, edited and read in a networked environment.“ (IFTFTB) See also Googlization of Everything and Flightpaths ( http://www.googlizationofeverything.com/ and http:// www.flightpaths.net/blog/index.php/about / )

"a networked book is an open book designed to be written, edited and read in a networked environment.“ (IFTFTB)

See also Googlization of Everything and Flightpaths ( http://www.googlizationofeverything.com/ and http:// www.flightpaths.net/blog/index.php/about / )

Republish content via blog Pedagogy Social feedback Publicity Pepys Diary Dracula Blogged Ulysses and da Vinci per day ( http://wwar1.blogspot.com/ )

Republish content via blog

Pedagogy

Social feedback

Publicity

Pepys Diary

Dracula Blogged

Ulysses and da Vinci per day

Bookblogging Extended networks Support wikis (example: Pynchon) William Gibson lost his Node ( http://www.nodemagazine.com/ )

Extended networks

Support wikis (example: Pynchon)

William Gibson lost his Node

Microbloglosphere Twitter: a single narrative Good Captain http://twitter.com/goodcaptain http://loose-fish.com/

Twitter: a single narrative

Good Captain

http://twitter.com/goodcaptain

http://loose-fish.com/

Microbloglosphere Twitter: aphorisms Jenny Holzer http://twitter.com/jennyholzer

Twitter: aphorisms

Jenny Holzer

http://twitter.com/jennyholzer

Microbloglosphere Twitter: class en masse http://twitter.com/manyvoices

Twitter: class en masse

http://twitter.com/manyvoices

Wikistorytelling The Penguin novel ( http://www.amillionpenguins.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page )

The Penguin novel

Wikistorytelling Can a collective create a believable fictional voice? How does a plot find any sort of coherent trajectory when different people have a different idea about how a story should end – or even begin? And, perhaps most importantly, can writers really leave their egos at the door? “ About”, http://www.amillionpenguins.com/wiki/index.php/About

Flickr and storytelling Tell a story in 5 frames group “ Gender Miscommunication” (Nightingai1e, 2006)

Flickr and storytelling

Tell a story in 5 frames group

IV. Web 2.0 storytelling

IV. Web 2.0 storytelling

IV. Web 2.0 storytelling

IV. Web 2.0 storytelling “ Gender Miscommunication” (Nightingai1e, 2006)

Flickr and storytelling In the Tell a story in 5 frames group, 'Alone With The Sand' (moliere1331, 2005)

Flickr and storytelling

In the Tell a story in 5 frames group, 'Alone With The Sand'

Social photo stories Example: « Farm to Food », Eli the Bearded (2008)

Social photo stories

Social photo stories

Social photo stories Flickr, Tell A Story in Five Frames group ( http://www.flickr.com/groups/visualstory/ ) Example: "Food to Farm", Eli the Bearded (2008)

Flickr, Tell A Story in Five Frames group ( http://www.flickr.com/groups/visualstory/ )

Social photo stories Example: "Food to Farm", Eli the Bearded (2008)

Social photo stories Pedagogies: Remix Archive work Social presentation Visual literacy ( http://www.flickr.com/groups/visualstory/discuss/72157603786255599/ ; http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/ )

Pedagogies:

Remix

Archive work

Social presentation

Visual literacy

Social photos Social image hypertext: Mission stencil story ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/9793231@N05/sets/72157600706628117/ )

Social image hypertext: Mission stencil story

Social photo storytelling pedagogy: USF digital journalism class (David Silver) ( http://silverinsf.blogspot.com/2007/02/digital-journalism-flickr-project.html )

Social photos Pedagogy Shifting work across venues Archiving Personal and private ( http://usfblogtastic.blogspot.com/ )

Pedagogy

Shifting work across venues

Archiving

Personal and private

Social slides Barbara Ganley, “Into the Storm” (2007) ( http://www.slideshare.net/bgblogging/intothestorm http://bgexperiments.wordpress.com/2007/07/13/into-the-storm/ )

Barbara Ganley, “Into the Storm” (2007)

Embedded within Slideshare Web platform apparatus

Embedded within Slideshare Web platform apparatus

Embedded within blog

Embedded within blog

Storytelling by p odcast The Yellow Sheet , by Librivox team (2007) Text then podcast http://librivox.org/the-yellow-sheet-by-librivox-volunteers/ More: Podiobooks, http://www.podiobooks.com/

The Yellow Sheet , by Librivox team (2007)

Text then podcast

http://librivox.org/the-yellow-sheet-by-librivox-volunteers/

More: Podiobooks, http://www.podiobooks.com/

Web video storytelling Connect with I ( http://www.connectwithi.com/ ) Serial video Fan content Physical content

Connect with I ( http://www.connectwithi.com/ )

Serial video

Fan content

Physical content

Web video storytelling lonelygirl15 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonelygirl15 ) YouTube serial video content Local fan content Distributed response Hoax plot

lonelygirl15 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonelygirl15 )

YouTube serial video content

Local fan content

Distributed response

Hoax plot

Storytellerster MySpace, Facebook as platform Example: Silver Ladder (Two of Clubs character on Myspace)

MySpace, Facebook as platform

Example: Silver Ladder

Untapped or supplementary? Folksonomies? for description: http://www.pulsethebook.com/ ManyEyes http://services.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes ; cf also Wordle

Folksonomies?

for description: http://www.pulsethebook.com/

Untapped or supplementary? Social Bookmarking: s upplementary? Wrangle information about Web 2.0 storytelling

Social Bookmarking: s upplementary?

Wrangle information about Web 2.0 storytelling

Multiplicity of platforms Actually, none exist in isolation some projects are based in multiple platforms aura of social interaction based wherever people feel like it can start in one, then expand

Actually, none exist in isolation

some projects are based in multiple platforms

aura of social interaction based wherever people feel like it

can start in one, then expand

Multiplicity of platforms New forms combining categories into one? Voicethread Storybox ( http://www.story-box.co.uk/index.php )

New forms combining categories into one?

Alternate reality games Permeability of game boundary (space and time) Focus on distributed, collaborative cognition Increased ephemerality (Perplex City, 2003-2006)

Alternate reality games

Permeability of game boundary (space and time)

Focus on distributed, collaborative cognition

Increased ephemerality

Political ARG (World Without Oil, May 2007)

Political ARG

ARG pedagogy Creation for constructivism Information literacy Object of study (Nine Inch Nails game, 2007)

ARG pedagogy

Creation for constructivism

Information literacy

Object of study

Non-digital roots Epistolary novels Victorian serials Pulp serials Radio Soaps (Dickens, Bleak House installment, PBS site)

Epistolary novels

Victorian serials

Pulp serials

Radio

Soaps

Practices and principles How to start Idea germ - maybe a character, a concept to explain What audience? Which platform tends to lead to the kind of results you’d prefer?

How to start

Idea germ - maybe a character, a concept to explain

What audience?

Which platform tends to lead to the kind of results you’d prefer?

Practices and principles How to start : preparation Lessons from ARGs Preload lots of material before release Art of lack of control Basic PM Build in risk control Timeline (maybe milestones, maybe gates)

How to start : preparation

Lessons from ARGs

Preload lots of material before release

Art of lack of control

Basic PM

Build in risk control

Timeline (maybe milestones, maybe gates)

Practices and principles Digital Storytelling’s 7 principles Point of view Dramatic question Emotional content Voice (style) Soundtrack (and other media) Economy Pacing “ Digital Storytelling Cookbook”

Digital Storytelling’s 7 principles

Point of view

Dramatic question

Emotional content

Voice (style)

Soundtrack (and other media)

Economy

Pacing

“ Digital Storytelling Cookbook”

Practices and principles Time Wilkie Collins: "Make 'em cry, make 'em laugh, make 'em wait" keep it coming (cf ask a Ninja) Big time: serial Little time: accretive

Time

Wilkie Collins: "Make 'em cry, make 'em laugh, make 'em wait"

keep it coming (cf ask a Ninja)

Big time: serial

Little time: accretive

Practices and principles Space Accretion Linear Rhizomatic Subtraction Deletion (wiki, comment) Link rot

Space

Accretion

Linear

Rhizomatic

Subtraction

Deletion (wiki, comment)

Link rot

Practices and principles Character You: persona Creative or historical character Blog as character (Kathleen Fitzpatrick) Twitter as character (Eric Rice)

Character

You: persona

Creative or historical character

Blog as character (Kathleen Fitzpatrick)

Twitter as character (Eric Rice)

Practices and principles Setting Sometimes ambient Or use linked services (maps)

Setting

Sometimes ambient

Or use linked services (maps)

Practices and principles Triangular desire (Rene Girard, Eve Sedgwick) Connections between characters Watch for connections between audience members Check platform and aura

Triangular desire (Rene Girard, Eve Sedgwick)

Connections between characters

Watch for connections between audience members

Check platform and aura

Practices and principles Fab your lexia chunks Recap/summary of story Cliffhanger Internal organizing statement Discrete argument point Shift in Lego pieces POV Timeline Embedded story Meta, help, disclaimer (And they move without you.)

Fab your lexia chunks

Recap/summary of story

Cliffhanger

Internal organizing statement

Discrete argument point

Shift in Lego pieces

POV

Timeline

Embedded story

Meta, help, disclaimer

(And they move without you.)

Practices and principles New practices emerging: hoax She's a Flight Risk http://esquire.com/features/articles/2003/030922_mfe_isabella_1.html Conservapedia? lonelygirl15

New practices emerging: hoax

She's a Flight Risk http://esquire.com/features/articles/2003/030922_mfe_isabella_1.html

Conservapedia?

lonelygirl15

Futures Web 2.0 story content might privilege mysteries, since there needs to be a hook to drive readers from piece to distributed piece. Note, for instance, the predominance of mysteries in alternate reality games.

Web 2.0 story content might privilege mysteries, since there needs to be a hook to drive readers from piece to distributed piece. Note, for instance, the predominance of mysteries in alternate reality games.

Futures Web 2.0 stories are likely to focus on time as a major structural element. smaller Web 2.0 stories which don't do this are Web 2.0 stories always in beta?

Web 2.0 stories are likely to focus on time as a major structural element.

smaller Web 2.0 stories which don't do this

are Web 2.0 stories always in beta?

Futures Stories about Web 2.0 storytelling Alex Payne, “They Stopped Calling It Rendezvous” (2005)

Stories about Web 2.0 storytelling

Alex Payne, “They Stopped Calling It Rendezvous” (2005)

Futures Await the backlash. First will come the Rosens and egostorytelling. Next will be the scary Web update: news media, marketing.

Await the backlash.

First will come the Rosens and egostorytelling.

Next will be the scary Web update: news media, marketing.

Futures Quality Some are lame Emerging standards, aesthetics? Reputation as a whole

Quality

Some are lame

Emerging standards, aesthetics?

Reputation as a whole

Futures Could Web 2.0 storytelling be a minor literature? Eastgate hypertext MUDs, MOOs IFiction

Could Web 2.0 storytelling be a minor literature?

Eastgate hypertext

MUDs, MOOs

IFiction

Futures Or could it be a transition stage to new things? Eastgate hypertext -> WorldWideWeb MUDs, MOOs -> Croquet, Second Life IFiction -> gaming

Or could it be a transition stage to new things?

Eastgate hypertext -> WorldWideWeb

MUDs, MOOs -> Croquet, Second Life

IFiction -> gaming

Caveats Project versus piece versus principle Framework is not your project

Project versus piece versus principle

Framework is not your project

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -blog commentators Andy Havens, Steve Kaye, H Pierce, D'Arcy Norman -Alan Levine! -all Web 2.0 storytellers and participants -ELI 2008 conference workshop participants (Photos uncredited are mine)

-blog commentators Andy Havens, Steve Kaye, H Pierce, D'Arcy Norman

-Alan Levine!

-all Web 2.0 storytellers and participants

-ELI 2008 conference workshop participants

(Photos uncredited are mine)

National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education (NITLE) http://nitle.org http://b2e.nitle.org

National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education (NITLE)

http://nitle.org

http://b2e.nitle.org