Nora Paul Christina Fiebich

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Elements of Digital Story Building

• Nora Paul Christina Fiebich
• Institute for New Media Studies New
  Directions for News

www.inms.umn.edu/elements
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Project Goals

• 1. Establishment of a vocabulary.
• 2. Analysis of current practices.
• 3. Measurement of effects.

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Digital Story Building Taxonomy
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Interactivity
Multimedia
Experiential
Non-linear
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Elements of Digital Story Building

• Media
• Action
• Relationship
• Context
• Communication

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Element IMedia
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Element IMedia

• Configuration
• Type
• Currentness
• Time/Space

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Configuration
Element I Media
Is there only one media type used in the
story? Yes - Single Media No - Next Question

Configuration
Single
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Configuration
Element I Media
Are they seamlessly integrated? Yes -
Multimedia No - Multiple Media

Configuration
Single
Multiple Media
Multimedia
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Type
Element I Media
What media are used?
Graphic
Video
Motion Graphic
Animation
Type
Sound Effect
Text
Photo
Audio
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Currentness
Element I Media
Is the media synchronous? Yes - Live No -
Recorded

Currentness
Recorded
Live
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Time/Space
Element I Media
Is the content shown in its entirety without any
editing? Yes - Realtime No - Edited

Time/Space
Edited
Realtime
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Element IMedia
Media
Graphic
Video

• Configuration

Motion Graphic
Animation
Type
Single
Multiple
Multimedia
Sound Effect
Text
Photo
Audio
Currentness
Time/Space
Live
Recorded
Realtime
Edited
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Element IIAction
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Element IIAction

• Content Action
• User Action

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Content Action
Element IIAction
Does the content move? Yes - Dynamic No -
Static
Content Action
Static
Dynamic
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Content Action
Element IIAction
Does the content move? Both - Combo
Content Action
Combo
Static
Dynamic
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User Action
Element IIAction
Do you have to do something to make the content
move? Yes - Active No - Passive
User Action
Active
Passive
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User Action
Element IIAction
Do you have to do something to make the content
move? Both - Mixed
User Action
Active
Passive
Mixed
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Content/User Action
Element IIAction
Content / User Action (examples)
Dynamic / Active
Static / Active
Dynamic / Passive
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Element IIAction
Action
User Action
Content Action
Dynamic
Passive
Static
Active
Mixed
Combo
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Element IIIRelationship
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Element IIIRelationship

• Linearity
• Customization
• Calculation
• Manipulation
• Appendage

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Relationship
Element IIIRelationship
Is the content versatile can you interact with
the content other then just reading/watching/heari
ng the story? Yes - Open No - Closed (if
yes to any of following) (if no to all of the
following)
Determined by 5 questions.
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Linearity
Element IIIRelationship
Can you choose the order of the story? Yes -
Non-linear No - Linear

Linearity
Non-Linear
Linear
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Customization
Element IIIRelationship
Can you choose information related to you? Yes
- Customized No - Standard

Customization
Customized
Standard
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Calculation
Element IIIRelationship
Can you enter/choose something and get a
tally? Yes - Calculated No - Not Calculated

Calculation
Calculated
Not Calculated
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Manipulation
Element IIIRelationship
Can you move content pieces? Yes -
Manipulated No - Set
Manipulation
Manipulated
Set
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Appendage
Element IIIRelationship
Can you add anything to the story? Yes -
Appended No - Finite
Appendage
Appended
Finite
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Available
Element IIIRelationship
Is the alteration (manipulation/appendage)
available to the user only? Yes-Individual
No-Next Question Is the alteration available to
everyone? Yes-All No-Select Group
Alteration
Available
Individual
All
Select Group
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Permanence
Element IIIRelationship
Are the alterations (manipulation or appendage)
permanent? Yes - Permanent No - Temporary
Alteration
Permanence
Temporary
Permanent
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Element IIIRelationship
Customization
Manipulation
Appendage
Linearity
Calculation
Finite
Standard
Customized
Set
Manipulated
Appended
Linear
Non-linear
Computed
Not computed
Available
Permanence
Individual
All
Temporary
Permanent
Select Group
(If all)
Closed
(If any)
Open
Relationship
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Element IVContext
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Element IVContext

• Technique
• Purpose
• Source
• Content

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Context
Element IVContext
Are there any other materials related to the
story available? Yes - Linked No - Standalone

Context
Standalone
Linked
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Technique
Element IVContext
Are there hyperlinks within the story
text? Yes - Embedded No - Sidebar

Technique
Embedded
Sidebar
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Purpose
Element IVContext
What is the purpose of the link? ? material
specific to the story Contextual link. ?
material similar to the story topic
Relationship link ? based on previous story
selections Recommended links.
Linked
Purpose
Contextual
Relationship
Recommended
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Source
Element IVContext
Are the links from the same source as the
story? Yes - Internal No - External

Linked
Source
Internal
External
Mixed
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Content
Element IVContext
Does the link include additional, new
information? Yes - Supplement No - Duplicate

Linked
Content
Duplicate
Supplement
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Element IVContext
Context

Standalone
Linked
Content
Technique
Purpose
Source
Duplicate
Supplement
Embedded
Sidebar
Recommended
External
Mixed
Contextual
Internal
Relationship
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Element VCommunication
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Element VCommunication

• Type
• Configuration
• Mode
• Currentness

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Type
Element VCommunication
Can the user digitally communicate with the
content developer or other users? Yes -
Two-way No - One-way

Type
One-way
Two-way
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Configruation
Element VCommunication
Question?

Configuration
One-to-One
One-to-Many
Many-to-Many
Many-to-Many
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Mode
Element VCommunication
What method is available for responding?

Mode
Chat
Forum
E-mail
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Currentness
Element VCommunication
Is the communication synchronous? Yes -
Live No - Recorded

Currentness
Recorded
Live
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Element VCommunication

Communication
Mode
E-mail
One-way
Two-way
Chat
Forum
Configuration
Currentness
One-to-One
Many-to-One
One-to-Many
Many-to-Many
Recorded
Live
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Elements of Digital Story Building

• I. Media
• II. Action
• III. Relationship
• IV. Context
• V. Communication

Content movement
User Action
Content
User
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Current Practices

• Study 1
• Method 20 experts
• 30 top online news outlets
• 2 weeks

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Current Practices

• Study 1
• Homepage Finding Overview
• Relationship Less than 1/3 utilized open
  content.
• Action 90 percent of homepages were static.
• Media Over half of the sites were single medium
  (print only).

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Current Practices

• Study 1
• Lead Story Finding Overview
• Relationship Only 1/4 utilized open content.
• Action All static.
• Media No multimedia, lt1/5 multiple medium.

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Current Practices

• Study 1
• Special Project Package Finding Overview
• Relationship Only 1/4 utilized open content.
• Action Most static or dynamic active.
• Media Virtually all multiple medium.

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Current Practices

• Method
• Study 2
• Michelle Nicolosi, Online Journalism Review
• http//www.inserttexthere.com/storytelling.htm
• 39 stories
• Study 3
• Top 20 Global 500 (corporate) sites
• Top 20 Nonprofit organization sites

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Current Practices

• Study 2 and 3 Findings

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Measurement of Effects

• Nonlinear Access
• Multiple Media (HTML) vs. Multimedia (Flash)
• Voices for the Land
• www.startribune.com/voices
• Motivation Recall Test/Discuss

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Measurement of Effects

• Findings
• High School Students (n25, ages 14-19)
• Multimedia 2x stories, but didnt finish them.
• Multiple Media group found stories they liked
  more easily.
• Multiple Media group easier to comprehend/understa
  nd/follow.
• Multimedia slightly better recall (not s.s.)
• Primacy Effect
• Viewed multimedia 1st wanted multimedia
• Viewed multiple media 1st 40s/60m split
• (Equivalent comfort level online usage, prior
  knowledge, gender, age)

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Measurement of Effects

• Findings
• College Students (n43, ages 19-25)
• Multimedia _at_3x stories, didnt finish
• Multimedia found stories liked more easily
  (voice)
• Multiple Media easier to comprehend, but
  Multimedia easier follow/understand
• Multiple Media better recall
• 3/4 multimedia (experience)
• (Equivalent comfort level online usage, prior
  knowledge, gender, age)

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Measurement of Effects

• Findings
• Senior Citizens (n17, ages 68-87)
• Equivalent viewing, complete story
• Equivalent comprehend/follow/understand
• Multimedia better recall (hard to read on screen)
• 1/2 multimedia (help 2/3)
• 3/4 wanted print newspaper version
• (Equivalent comfort level online usage, prior
  knowledge, age)
• (Gender _at_ 31 female to male)

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Know your audience.
What this means

• Storytelling Storymaking
• (Content Developer) (User)

Paradigm Shift
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www.inms.umn.edu/elements

• Nora Paul Christina Fiebich
• Institute for New Media Studies New
  Directions for News
• npaul_at_umn.edu
  Christina_at_Fiebich.org