Understanding StoryMap JS 101
What is the concept of StoryMap JS? Telling stories through maps It is an interactive multimedia tool that can make any simple text story look more dynamic on the web page. If you have a story that lists multiple locations then yo can use StoryMap to track the events in the story. Not only can you establish the location on an interactive map, but you can also use multiple media like videos, photos, blogposts to explain the story further.
The image above shows the story map tracing the ivory trade hub across continents.
The above StoryMap uses a Youtube Video to trace the journey of the Olympic Torch before the Sochi Winter Olympic games. To create a StoryMap you need to see whether your story is multiple location oriented. Do not make a Storymap with just one or two locations.If the story lists chronological events, you can stick with Timeline JS. Creating StoryMap is fairly simple. You need to connect the map with your Google drive by logging into your Google account. This will ensure that your work is saved in your Google Drive. After connecting to yor Google account, you will see a format that is not unlike a Microsoft Powerpoint Presentation. There are slides that you can edit and customize according to your preference.
In the above image, at the bottom right corner, 'SlideOptions' tab enables you to provide an image or color that will be the background for your text. You can put as many slides as you want. However multiple locations cannot be put on a single slide, Some problems face by me when creating my StoryMap were: 1.My story revolved around three main locations. For my story (Roundup of Anti World Cup Protests around Brazil), chronology of the events was much more important than the locations, I could have easily used Timeline JS. 2. While StoryMap gives multiple options for a specific location, there is also a flipside. Multiple locations can leave you confused as o which exact location would be most suitable. After typing 'Rio, Brazil' into the Search box, I got atleast 4 options.
3. I stuck to the basic StoryMap theme, where I did not experiment with including images or colors as background. Initially I tried, however the size of the images was either too big or too small or the image bled out from the sides, giving a messy look to the slides. For example:
4. StoryMap also takes time to establish the correct locations. In the image below, it has confused Tehran, Iran, with a location from India. This may be a programming flaw.
5. Captions should be kept short and simple. Text as well must follow this rule. In multimedia content, images and videos speak for themselves, It becomes important to understand that this is not a text story.anymore, we can get creative with different media given to us.
My story stuck with the basic theme provided by StoryMap JS, but you can get creative with the design as well. -Using a different Font and Font Size makes the post look livelier and more interesting.
-Instead of a vertical design you can opt for a horizontal one as well. It looks more compact.
FYI You can use StoryMapJS to tell a story with photographs, works of art, historic maps, and other image files. Because it works best with very large images, these are called "gigapixel" StoryMaps.
Source: storymap.knightlab.com
