PlaceStories - an overview| The PlaceStories system has two main parts: | (take a quick tour)  |
- PlaceStories Software - a Windows program for managing digital media (images, text, audio) creating digital stories and publishing (locally or to the web). The PlaceStories software is provided free for registered members to download and install on a standard PC (XP or Vista).
- PlaceStories Communities - customised websites - sub-domains of the main PlaceStories portal. Each PlaceStories community has tools to support private and public communication of members including digital storytelling, messaging, chat, forums, blogs, news pages, events calendar, group email.
Members
Individuals or organisations can register to join PlaceStories. Members have a unique username and password. They can participate in multiple PlaceStories communities, and download the PlaceStories software to create digital stories. Member pages provide tools to create profiles and connect with other members.
Stories
Stories are created on a local PC using the PlaceStories software. They combine images, text, audio, narration. When published, a story is given a map location in google maps. This allows for map-based navigation and searching of PlaceStories content. Most PlaceStories are under two minutes long. They look and behave like videos but they are much smaller in file size. This keeps them lightweigt enough to view online over low speed internet connections.
Projects
Projects enable groups to work together, either publically or in private. Each project is given a location and appears as a project marker on the relevant community map. There is no limit to the number of stories or members you can have in a project, and in turn no limit to the projects in a PlaceStories community.
Communities
Communities are larger groups of members from a particular sector or network. Each Community has its own customised web-site – a sub-domain of the main PlaceStories site. Each community also has its own nominated administrators to check all story content before it is made public. So the PlaceStories is a little different to most other user generated content systems like youtube or myspace in which individual users publish online directly. Larger communities are sustained through license agreements that provide for support services, system updates, data hosting and a range of other services. Members can put forward ideas on new PlaceStories communities and work with Feral Arts to set them up.
Publishing and Ownership Model
Ownership of all PlaceStories content remains with the user who creates it – they decide if they want to share it, and with whom from their own PC. The user's decision to publish their work submits it to the administrator of the community for approval. No content goes public without administrator approval.
Getting Started - the Sandbox
The PlaceStories Sandbox is a full-featured PlaceStories community for new members to try out the system. When you join PlaceStories you automatically become a Sandbox community member. Work published in the Sandbox can be used demonstrate to colleagues and partners the potential for a larger PlaceStories project.
