Web 2.0 Storytelling: Principles ELI Annual Conference January 28, 2008 Bryan Alexander, NITLE

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 No time: archiving

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

No time: archiving

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: breaking the fourth wall driven by social nature, and beta nature Rely on ST Coleridge

New practices emerging: breaking the fourth wall

driven by social nature, and beta nature

Rely on ST Coleridge

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

Practices and principles New practices emerging: ARG ( http://www.worldwithoutoil.org/ ) -ARG.edu

New practices emerging: ARG ( http://www.worldwithoutoil.org/ )

-ARG.edu

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

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

-Alan Levine!

-all Web 2.0 storytellers and participants

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