social media & narrativesHow two innovations are changing the waywe create, curate and use information.

News example shows the power of social media and the specific use of our first

innovation, Storify.

breaking news redefined

BOSTON MARATHON, BOSTON, MASS., APRIL 15, 2013

web, social work together

• News distributed: live blogs, Storify, Instagram, Vine, Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, apps (news, social, etc.) …

• Tweet searches are able to collect all tweets sent from address of explosions; social media used to offer aid.

• Boston police ask social media users to spread word of street closures, street sweeping, etc.

• Boston Globe website goes down due to overload in traffic – uses Hootsuite to provide updates

mashable as curator

• Within half an hour, Mashable had posted a link on its website that curated photos, tweets and Instagram content to create a chronological narrative (using Storify) of the Boston Marathon bombing.

• Contributors include professional journalists, citizen reporters, on-the-scene witnesses, ordinary citizens.

a different approach

• Storify: curating tool that allows users to create a story using content posted on social media.• Thinglink: using a static image as the

central starting point, users embed content to add layers of information or, again, create a story.

Storify (up close)

• Question: Who is using Storify?• Answer: News sources, government

agencies, universities, companies, conferences and clubs, individuals ...• Question: How are they using it?• Answer: From as simple as a

compilation of chronological tweets to an in-depth report.

getting started

• Go to storify.com and create an account• Create your first story:• Select a topic• Write an introductory paragraph• Use search function on right side to find content for

your story. • Drag and drop into your story. • Use text blocks to create transitions between social

media content.

Thinglink

• A powerful (and fun) tool that can be used for:• quick exercises to explore a subject, idea or

image• in-depth exploration of a concept or process

and finally … TimelineJS

• Created by Knight News Innovation Lab• Open-source “storytelling” tool• Available in 40 languages