Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2012 - (Page 22)

kstOck sHUtterstOck, tHin storytelling 2.0 Whether you prefer to write in bursts or in long reﬂective narratives, if you have a story to tell, you can find a platform and an audience online. An explosion of blogging venues has opened the doors wide for storytellers of all stripes—and as writer Zoe Ferguson explains, one platform in particular can oﬀer young writers a creative outlet, an audience, and a whole lot of inspiration. by Zoe Ferguson S torytellers today have a variety of media at their disposal: journalism, fiction, nonfiction, television, poetry, music, and now, blogging. Some blogs—writing-based, journal-style sites—are dedicated to telling a story. But a diﬀerent type of blogging is also emerging, and it’s based on images. This visual medium of storytelling has not only inspired me, but helped me develop my written stories. no story too small On WordPress and Blogspot, the first popular blogging platforms, users create personal sites where they primarily write posts—sometimes as long as magazine articles—in which they discuss current events, humor, and their lives and thoughts, creating a literary narrative. For a few years, I used Blogspot to chronicle my own experiences and thoughts. Then one day my sister showed me her Tumblr blog and those of her friends. When I discovered how easy it was to search tags and collect and share content on Tumblr, I was hooked. The tagging feature allows other users to easily find blogs that post material in which they’re interested. This, combined with Tumblr’s huge audience (77 million users as of October 2012), provides a social experience that other blogging platforms do not. If you post about things a lot of other people like, you could gain a following of thousands. This doesn’t happen to the majority of Tumblr users, of course, but lots of people aspire to it. 22 imagine nov/dec 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2012

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/december 2012
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Well of Dreams
Making History Personal
A World Full of Stories
The Month of Writing Dangerously
Japan Adventures
Storytelling 2.0
On the Frontline of Digital Journalism
Once Upon a Summer
Awakening the Storyteller
Selected Opportunities & Resources
On the Doorstep of Discovery
When You’re Ready to Do Research
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - November/December 2012