I went to a workshop at KQED in San Francisco on the topic of Digital Story Telling. My entire career I have worked in the web community space, yet had never heard of this movement and concept. The workshop was split between the creation of digital pieces and the their use in a cause or campaign.

I searched out an explanation of DST and found this on Wikipedia …

"Digital Storytelling" is an emerging term, one that arises from a grassroots movement that uses new digital tools to help ordinary people tell their own 'true stories' in a compelling and emotionally engaging form. These stories usually take the form of a relatively short story (less than 8 minutes) and can involve interactivity.”

While the term is mostly being talked about in context of non-profits and social movements, I really started to see how applicable it was to the general market. Ask yourself why is social media so interesting? I believe it revolves around the concept of speaking from an authentic place to build relationships one-by-one with your customers, which in tern builds more relationships.

At the workshop they covered topics around using DST in policy campaigns, leveraging web communities, and educating people to use the technology to create pieces. The opening speaker commented on her belief that mobile will change the way people can tell stories (I personally believe mobile will turn Web 2.0 on it’s head but I think that’s a different post).

This is what I think web communities can learn from the Digital Story Telling movement…

• People are CRAVING Authenticity

If I could leave one piece of wisdom with my clients, it is to embrace and embody authenticity-whatever that means to their organization. It is my belief that people have a sixth sense these days for recognizing spin and they physiologically and emotionally shut down when they sense it. What am I getting at? The fact is people want something deeper and real from your brand’s voice. Tell your own story from somewhere deeper than numbers on a spreadsheet or Power Point presentations.

• Stories are a Powerful Force

Storytelling has been around for centuries—the notion of relaying moments to others through a communication mechanism (your mouth, a song, video). We as humans are connected through experiences, therefore sharing a story resonates with people on a human level, and through their relationship to it. That commonality between us can be a very powerful force to spread a message. This is where the essences of “viral” came from.

• Let People Tell Their Own Story

The one thing people hate the most is being told what to do. This is true in many areas of life, and how you talk to your consumers is one of them. Your customers are the reason you build products or provide services. Consumers hold the most powerful messages and information about who you are and who you are in their life. Those stories will inspire your consumer community and the general public. Give them the tools and platform to be creative, experimental, and vocal.


I know examples can help spark your own creative processes, so here are some places to start thinking about what this means to your organization.

Authenticity:
The Wisdom Book is a project by Andrew Zuckerman to capture the wisdom of the older generation to be preserved and shared with the younger population. The simplicity and honesty of how the people are depicted makes it a great example of authenticity. The project includes a book, web, and film component.

The Power of Story:
The Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty” uses the framework of a story to depict the impact of body image and the media. They were able to create several short videos which delivered a punch of a message and therefore, they all went viral. The blend of controversy, yet empowerment was perfect. The campaign is a great example of using the art of story telling to depict a much “bigger” story (in this case about body image). Note: One requirement of content to be “viral worthy” is to be INTERESTING and/or CLEVER.


Let People Tell Their Own Story
I met the founder of Dublit, John Yi, at the DST workshop. He runs a site that allows people to post and find auto recordings of short stories. The topical areas run from health to relationships to travel. If users don’t have accesses to recording equipment or devices, he hooks them up with professional voice recorders for a small fee. This is a stellar example of giving people the platform and technology to uniquely share and tell their story.