Storify is a free tool that enables the user to curate information from social networks to build social stories, bringing together a variety of different media that is scattered across the Web. It provides a space to then add an additional layer by adding a narrative.

How is Storify useful?

• Storify enables the user to create a multimedia digital narrative that is interactive and social
• Each story can be shared as a URL link
• Each element of the story can also be individually shared
• It is a useful way to amplify the voices of the originators
• Helps develop better web searching skills
• Incorporate multimedia (video, photos, tweets, online sources) with original writing

Storify has been used extensively to curate information shared via social media for events and current affairs. For example to:

• Curate tweets shared during a conference
• Aggregate a timeline of events
• Reactions to important stories and breaking news
• Live tweeting and eye witness reports
• Gather social media responses about an event
• Curate the history of a given event as a timeline
• Create a narrative that can help readers makes sense of an event

How can Storify be used in Learning and Teaching?

STUDENT
A research/topic based post
Create multimedia how to guides
Develop an annotated bibliography
Curate key points from a lecture by note taking using Twitter and gathering as a story
Build a digital CV

TEACHER
Create a digital hand-out of readings or videos with questions to respond to
Curate a collection of videos you want to play during a class
Raise a question on Twitter and curate the responses as a story
Hold a Q&A tweetchat and curate the dialogue
Develop a class plan

How does Storify work?

Users can search through, multiple social networks right from the one place in Storify, and then drag individual elements into stories. Each element keeps the original links and functionality. Text boxes can be added wherever you choose and it is within these that the digital narrative comes into its own. Using drag and drop both the text boxes and elements can be reordered quickly and easily.

You can search for content from Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Gifs, Flickr, Getty images and there’s also an option to paste in specific URLs. The  ‘3 dots’ sign to the right of these options reveals more in a drop down menu.

Once users have selected their chosen photos, video, tweets etc., added the optional narrative, they can publish and share their digital narratives via social networks or by email using the URL.

Useful links

Find and follow friends using Storify https://storify.com/friends

The Chrome extension adds an even richer experience. You can add the Storify extension to gather not only tweets, but most Web content right at the source.
https://storify.com/tools