Comments on: Storytelling: The Key to Making Social Media Work

By: rachel

rachel — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:03:31 +0000

As a recent college graduate I find this post very helpful.
In addition, I just finished reading the book, “Your Name Here: Guide to Life” by author Michael Rosenbaum. I do not remember the last time I read a book so motivational, helpful and inspiring. It was easy to read, filled with stories and I formed many connections with the book. Please check out: http://www.networldingblog.com/2009/08/01/great-new-book-your-name-here-guide-to-life-interview-with-mike-rosenbaum/
it was the funniest interview I read in a while. Also check out the reviews on Amazon for more reasons to get your hands on the book!

By: Mike Wagner

Mike Wagner — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:01:07 +0000

Jennifer, great observations about storytellng’s place in the emerging world of social media.
Social media will get there regarding its use of storytelling.
Stories unite divergent ways of thinking and ignite conversations. Smart leaders know this and embrace storytelling as a way of getting “all the cats aimed in the same direction”.
Social media will become a more common venue for stories even if today it is a bit heavy on the left brain analytic side of things.
Right now I think we are still learning how this new stage works.
Keep creating,
Mike

By: jennifer jones

jennifer jones — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 02:26:25 +0000

B.L and others: I do wish that people would rate their podcast and online stories. The MOTH sounds marvelous…great idea.

By: Steve Hoffacker

Steve Hoffacker — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 21:12:51 +0000

Storytelling is such an ancient form of communication that continues to be important today, but to be effective it needs a message, an emotional and compelling delivery, and an audience. It’s more than just talking. The message must be retained long enough and conveyed convincingly enough that it can be remembered and repeated essentially intact over and over.

By: B.L. Ochman

B.L. Ochman — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 17:35:56 +0000

I participate in a story telling group called The Moth in New York City. People put their name in a hat to tell a story on a theme.
You have 5 minutes, you can’t do stand-up or stchick, you have to have a begining, middle and end to your story, and the audience rates you.
Would that podcasts and other online stories were like that too.
Bonus – it’s fun!

By: jennifer jones

jennifer jones — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 17:02:40 +0000

david and christina: great discussion! thanks for all the sharing!

By: David Armano

David Armano — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:58:39 +0000

“Blogs rarely tell stories, like this entry they are half-baked ideas thrown out into the world to catch the eye of fellow thinkers, and be developed into more developed forms like essays.”
Christina this statement is true, in parts (some people blog his way) but it’s also a blanket statement that’s inaccurate. Many people use their blogs as storytelling and do a good job with it. Stories don’t have to be “fully baked” articles polished to the hilt. Stories around campfires weren’t–why should we impose these parameters today?
Here’s just one exmple of a blog where storytelling and narrative are very much present:
http://www.ownyourbrand.com/
There are many more.
The basics of storytelling in the context of the original format (around the fire) can translate in any medium as far as I’m concerned.

By: christina

christina — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:37:37 +0000

You said the word “vblog” and that provides a hint to why there is a lack of formal storytelling structure.
Blogs rarely tell stories, like this entry they are half-baked ideas thrown out into the world to catch the eye of fellow thinkers, and be developed into more developed forms like essays. To hold against a blogpost that it doesn’t tell a story is like complaining a poem doesn’t get to the point. That point’s muddled, of course, by the fact that many folks use blogging software for multiple purposes, from running magazines to link collections. But the heart of a blog (and tumblelogs even more so) is a short pithy moment of insight and/or questioning.
Now podcasts are another story, since they can be audio blogs, or audio magazines or internet radio on demand– they are only a distribution channel and have yet to have structural conventions put upon them. If people are foolishly ignoring good structure in their podcasts, they are dooming themselves to the little exclamation point in iTunes that says “you don’t listen we’ve stopped updating.” You can’t scan audio, only commit or abandon.
But of course, choice of structure of your social media “posts” should be less about conforming to the conventions of the medium and more about intent of the content creator. If you want to “think out loud” or if you want to engage a growing readership you format your creative work differently. You get a larger audience via the compelling conventions of storytelling (and essay writing!). Even a comment can hold that form…
When I was working on my book, every chapter, every paragraph I asked myself “what am I trying to say.” I think the question “what am I trying to do” also helps focus us. Posting something to a blog, or vblog every day is not as useful in building and reaching an audience as saying something useful, and saying something useful is even more compelling when it’s said well.
It’s well worth the price of a a GEL dvd just to see Ira Glass explain how to structure a compelling story that no one will ever abandon. Listen to a preview http://www.gelconference.com/07/ira.html

By: Mike McKay

Mike McKay — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:28:15 +0000

Perhaps one of the problems with storytelling is that not enough people read books, and many have not learned how to write (beginning, middle and end). Text messaging and emails tend to diminish one’s writing skills, not enhance them.

By: Stephanie Diamond

Stephanie Diamond — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:06:21 +0000

These are great comments. In my marketing practice, I make storytelling the number one goal for any social media tactic. The problem I see is that people are so used to telling ’stories’ in their daily life that they forget that stories for customers have to be thought through and properly constructed. They need to be reminded that these are not like messages for an answering machine