Opportunities for folks to tell their stories on the Internet appear endless. I discover new ones at least weekly. Here are a few recent finds, most of which also appear on my sidebar (descriptions are in the words of the originators): VUVOX is an easy to use production and instant … Continue reading
Category Archives: Storytelling and Constructing Identity
Where Were You on This Day in History? We All Remember Our Stories
I cannot think of Nov. 22 without remembering JFK’s assassination. Nov. 22 means nothing to my husband because he was born in 1960 and has no memory of JFK’s death in 1963 (I imagine President-elect Obama, born in 1961, also has no memory of this day). But history is full … Continue reading
This Is More Like the Holy Grail: Top 10 User-Generated Storytelling Blogs
On blogs.com, Larry Smith of SMITH Magazine published a Guest Top Ten List —Top 10 User-Generated Storytelling Blogs. In an entry the other day, I ruminated on the question of “What is the Holy Grail of Online Content?” I posited a few ideas suggested by a group of bloggers writing … Continue reading
Why You Should Record Your Story for Future Generations
I can’t say it any better than Robb Lucy has at Your Legacy Smile: “If you had a short document written by each of your long lost relatives telling of their lives, hopes & dreams…. would that be good?” Lucy writes. Then he lists 10 Reasons Why You Should Record … Continue reading
Third-Person Stories: More Trustworthy?
Does anyone agree with this assertion set forth by Terje Johansen in an article called Writing Your Bio on WritingWorld.com? Write in Third Person. People automatically give more trust to what is said of one person by another, than to what people say about themselves — even when they know … Continue reading
Real Women’s Stories of Success and Inspiration
The Forté Foundation is a consortium of major corporations and top business schools that has become a powerful change agent in educating and directing talented women toward leadership roles in business. Forte’s mission is to substantially increase the number of women business leaders by increasing the flow of women into … Continue reading
Use Stories to Win an Audience’s Trust
Terrence Gargiulo advises telling a “Who Am I” story when speaking to an audience to build trust and make your motives clear. As Gargiulo says, “A simple and clear story enables the audience [members] to build their own picture of what’s driving the presenter’s actions.” The same approach works in … Continue reading
My “Retirement” Story
Within the last year, my husband and I both left our teaching jobs at a university. I had been there off and on for 6.5 years, while he had been there 16. Someone who tried to contact him was told by the university that we had “retired.” We found that … Continue reading
Theme Song for A Storied Career
I first heard Brandi Carlile’s “The Story” in Jose Sacavem’s personal-identity video, featured in yesterday’s entry. I then heard it as the soundtrack for a car commercial during the Beijing Olympics (sadly, not effective advertising since I can’t remember which car manufacturer). The lyrics are not totally spot-on as a … Continue reading
Your Life Story … On a Postcard?
I have to admit I don’t completely understand what’s going on with Michael Kimball, his art project, Michael Kimball Writes Your Life Story (on a postcard), and his blog, also titled Michael Kimball Writes Your Life Story (on a postcard). For example, Kimball captions the photo seen here “The Cardboard … Continue reading