This document discusses using social media curation tools to craft multimedia stories for journalism students. It describes how social media curation allows collecting tweets, videos, photos into one program along with original writing. An assignment asked students to cover a Murray State basketball game by following hashtags and people on social media, then integrating at least 7 tweets into a story in Storify. This taught real-time coverage while experimenting with story forms. Though not all enjoyed basketball, students were creative in their approaches. Social media curation engages students and lets them publish work for an online readership.

1. BEA IGNITE
Leigh L. Wright
Murray State (Ky.) University
Storytelling 3.0: Using Social Media Curation Tools to
Craft Multimedia Stories

2. STORYTELLING 3.0
Using social media curation tools to craft
multimedia stories

3. STORYTELLING IN THE
NEW AGE
• Readers and viewers want stories ... not a collection of facts.
• In today’s attention-starved world, how do we reach the
social media audience and tell a good story?

4. + +
Original
+ writing =
+

5. v. to make something
into a story

6. WHAT IS IT?
• Social media curation: Allows for the collection of tweets,
Facebook statuses, YouTube videos, Flickr streams and other
social media tools in one program.
• Integrates the cool tech tools with narrative that you write
and then can upload.
• Easy multimedia tool.

7. WHY SHOULD WE CARE?
• This generation communicates via social media, texting and
video uploads.
• They think in #s and 140 characters.
• They are #addicted to technology.
• They can produce their “story” either from a mobile device
or from a laptop.

8. WHY USE IT IN THE
CLASSROOM?
• Teach how journalists can use social media beyond their
personal status update or tweet.
• Teach story structure by weaving together tweets and
statuses as quotes.
• Teach narrative writing to link the social media elements
together.

9. • Teach the need to find and use strong visuals.
• Teach how to write to the picture.
• Teach the skill (and lost art) of critical thinking.
• Reinforce the need for accuracy and details.
• Reinforce the teaching of news values.

10. • Teach mini-lessons in law and ethics as they select their
elements.
• Incorporate diversity into any Storify through their selection
of social media “quotes.”

11. ASSIGNMENT:
#RACER NATION
• JMC 294 (Advanced Newswriting): One class, introduction to
four platforms (print, broadcast, online and mobile)
• Ten students
• Two ballgames, one night

12. • Students were given a choice to follow either the men’s team
at an away game or the women’s team at a home game, both
against Lipscomb University in non-conference play.
• Professor suggested hashtags and people to follow.
• Professor required a minimum of seven tweets to be used.
• The tweets combined with other elements to form a story in
Storify.

13. ADVANTAGES
• Students had to engage in social media to follow a live event.
• For students that attended either game, they had an option
to take their own photographs or video. Or they could use
tweeted visuals from fans, the school or regional media.
• Students chose the angle of their Storify ... sports or feature
or news.
• Students could write as much or as little in the narrative
space.

14. • Students could experiment with story structure (Wall Street
Journal, hourglass, Christmas tree, inverted pyramid, etc.) and
narrative writing.
• Students moved elements around as they wrote, thus
experiencing the simulation of real-world reporting.
• Students experienced covering an event in real-time, not a
textbook.

15. DISADVANTAGES OF
#RACER NATION
• Not everyone loves basketball or knows anything about it ...
but it didn’t stop students from allowing their creativity to
show.
• Games happened on a Monday night, with little attendance at
either venue.

16. RESULTS
Student
took
unusual
approach

17. Student
used visuals
to illustrate
the feel of
the game

18. Student took
feature approach

19. WHERE TO GO NEXT
• Storify can be used to enhance online news products.
• Students learn storytelling remains important, even in new
and untapped digital frontiers.
• Best of all, they get to see their work “published”
immediately.
• By placing it online with social media, they can develop a
readership for their voice and interact with their readers.

20. • More information:
• ewright@murraystate.edu
• 270-809-4741
• www.facebook/leighlandiniwright
• @leighlwright (Twitter)

21. LEIGH L. WRIGHT
Assistant professor of journalism