Let Me Tell You a Story: WordPress as a Storytelling Tool

Online storytelling continues to evolve, with more complex and engaging forms appearing almost daily. What began as long-form online news articles has branched off in diverse directions, from websites that expand the universe of an upcoming Hollywood movie, to a loose fabric of apps and sites that together reinterpret a classic Victorian novel.

This session explored the boom in online storytelling and examined how both developers and users are leveraging WordPress to uniquely support such storytelling. It touched on such WordPress solutions as the Aesop Story Engine plugin and themes such as Storyteller, Longform, Radcliffe and Editor.

Presented at WordCamp Toronto on Saturday, October 3, 2015.

(Note: This is a significantly updated version of my presentation at WordCamp Milwaukee in late July, 2015.)

Transcript

1. Let Me Tell You a Story: WordPress as a Storytelling Tool Kevin A. Barnes WordCamp Toronto Saturday, October 3, 2015
2. STEAL MY SLIDES http://kevv.co/wcto15/
3. Hello! I’m Kevin A. Barnes !  Author !  Storytelling Org Webmaster !  Grassroots ARG Writer !  Director of Web Development
4. Hello! I’m Kevin A. Barnes !  1st Website in 1995 !  1st WordPress Site in 2004 !  Managing Web Development since 2006
5. AGENDA !  A Brief History of Online Storytelling !  Aesop Story Engine !  Select WordPress Themes Designed for Storytelling !  Q & A !  Appendix: Resources
6. AGENDA !  A Brief History of Online Storytelling !  Aesop Story Engine !  Select WordPress Themes Designed for Storytelling !  Q & A !  Appendix: Resources
7. “(T)he main function of the human brain, the primary instinct, is storytelling” — Joss Whedon, July 2015
8. storytelling (stawr-ee-tel-ing, stohr-) noun 1. The conveying of events in words and images, often by improvisation or embellishment.
9. A Brief History of Storytelling
10. A Brief History of Storytelling
11. A BRIEF HISTORY OF ONLINE STORYTELLING
12. A BRIEF HISTORY OF ONLINE STORYTELLING
13. Some Current Methods for Online Storytelling: !  Traditional Applications of Text / Images / Video / Audio !  Infographics !  Long-Form Journalism !  Animation / Animated Interaction !  ARGs (Alternate Reality Games) !  Transmedia Storytelling HISTORY OF ONLINE STORYTELLING
14. Envelope-Pushing Examples — The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: !  Multi-platform reimagining of Pride and Prejudice !  Story told using online video diaries, character social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest) More Info: http://www.pemberleydigital.com/the-lizzie-bennet-diaries/ HISTORY OF ONLINE STORYTELLING
15. Envelope-Pushing Examples — “What is Code”: !  Long-form article by Paul Ford on Bloomberg.com in June 2015 More Info: http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-paul-ford-what-is- code/ HISTORY OF ONLINE STORYTELLING
16. Envelope-Pushing Examples — How I Met Your Mother (TV): !  Universe Building with multiple in-story websites !  Story expanded using online videos, character social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook) More Info: http://how-i-met-your-mother.wikia.com/wiki/Tie-in_sites HISTORY OF ONLINE STORYTELLING
17. !  High Adoption Rates !  SEO Friendly !  Accessibility !  Customizable !  Powerful Themes and Plugins already exist for Storytelling WORDPRESS FOR STORYTELLING So what makes WordPress such a good choice for storytelling? !  Cost !  Support !  Scalable !  Easy to Use !  Easy to Maintain
18. AGENDA !  A Brief History of Online Storytelling !  Aesop Story Engine !  Select WordPress Themes Designed for Storytelling !  Q & A !  Appendix: Resources
19. AESOP STORY ENGINE (WORDPRESS PLUGIN) Download: http://wordpress.org/plugins/aesop-story-engine/ Showcase / Demos: http://aesopstoryengine.com/showcase/
20. AESOP STORY ENGINE (WORDPRESS PLUGIN) Features: !  13 unique, customizable story components
21. AESOP STORY ENGINE (WORDPRESS PLUGIN) Features: !  13 unique, customizable story components !  Quick Start Guide
22. AESOP STORY ENGINE (WORDPRESS PLUGIN) Features: !  13 unique, customizable story components !  Quick Start Guide !  Developer Portal
23. AESOP STORY ENGINE (WORDPRESS PLUGIN) Features: !  13 unique, customizable story components !  Quick Start Guide !  Developer Portal !  Aesop Themes and Add-ons (Premium)
24. Demo Website: http://tomorrowsage.com/
25. AGENDA !  A Brief History of Online Storytelling !  Aesop Story Engine !  Select WordPress Themes Designed for Storytelling !  Q & A !  Appendix: Resources
26. WORDPRESS STORYTELLING THEMES Download: https://wordpress.org/themes/longform/ Showcase / Demos: http://cohhe.com/project-view/longform/ Longform Theme by Cohhe
27. WORDPRESS STORYTELLING THEMES Download: https://github.com/cutterkom/storyteller/ Showcase / Demos: http://storyteller.katharinabrunner.de/demo Storyteller Theme by Katharina Bruner
28. WORDPRESS STORYTELLING THEMES Download: https://wordpress.org/themes/radcliffe Showcase / Demos: http://www.andersnoren.se/themes/radcliffe/ Radcliffe Theme by Anders Norén
29. WORDPRESS STORYTELLING THEMES Download: https://wordpress.org/themes/editor Showcase / Demos: https://arraythemes.com/themes/editor- wordpress-theme/ Editor Theme by Array HQ
30. AGENDA !  A Brief History of Online Storytelling !  Aesop Story Engine !  Select WordPress Themes Designed for Storytelling !  Q & A !  Appendix: Resources
31. Thanks! Any questions? You can find me at: Twitter: @KevinABarnes Email: connections@kevinabarnes.com Website: www.kevinabarnes.com Download Slides: http://kevv.com/wcto15/
32. AGENDA !  A Brief History of Online Storytelling !  Aesop Story Engine !  Select WordPress Themes Designed for Storytelling !  Q & A !  Appendix: Resources
33. APPENDIX: RESOURCES A Small Sampling of Websites using WordPress for Storytelling (nonfiction): !  The Big Roundtable http://www.thebigroundtable.com (uses Aesop Story Engine) !  CO:BUILT http://cobuilt-somethingindependent.com (uses Aesop Story Engine) !  7pathways http://7pathways.net (uses Aesop Story Engine) !  Epic Magazine http://epicmagazine.com !  n+1 Magazine https://nplusonemag.com
34. APPENDIX: RESOURCES A Small Sampling of Websites using WordPress for Storytelling (fiction): !  To Sail Black Seas of Infinity http://heathkennings.com/storyteller/ (uses Aesop Story Engine) !  Liquid Imagination http://liquidimagination.silverpen.org
35. APPENDIX: RESOURCES Learn More About Other Websites: !  Is It WordPress? http://www.isitwp.com/ !  BuiltWith Technology Lookup http://builtwith.com/ !  WordPress Theme/Plugin Detector http://www.wpthemedetector.com/
36. APPENDIX: RESOURCES Storytelling Sites and Resources: !  National Storytelling Network http://www.storynet.org/ !  TED Talks on Storytelling https://www.ted.com/topics/storytelling !  Center on Digital Storytelling http://storycenter.org/ !  Ex Fabula (Milwaukee storytelling organization) http://www.exfabula.com (built on WordPress) !  The Stanford Storytelling Project http://web.stanford.edu/group/storytelling/cgi-bin/joomla/ index.php
37. APPENDIX: RESOURCES Some Blogs that Cover Storytelling: !  “Telling the Story” Blog http://tellingthestoryblog.com/ (built on WordPress) !  Online Journalism Blog http://onlinejournalismblog.com/ (built on WordPress) !  Beyond Bylines http://mediablog.prnewswire.com/ (built on WordPress)