A story on Whrrl

Nobody can deny the power of photographs to tell stories. In social media, sites like Flickr have proven that people can gather and form communities and conversations around images. Several newer social sites have cropped up that put the focus on photos as the basis of storytelling.

Whrrl starts you off with a question: What's your story? Then it provides you with the ability to upload images with captions to sequentially reveal where you are, what you are doing, and who you are with to give others the chance to "be there" along with you.

Another similar site, ThisMoment, allows you to use still and moving images to tell stories, inviting you to "make a moment." Both sites have a handy iPhone app so I immediately downloaded them to my phone and embarked on telling my stories through pictures.

The Whrrl app was easy to use after a few missteps, and I had two stories up in no time:

Friday afternoon at Tok

Friday evening at Delta Junction

I was able to attach additional images to the second story even after I published the first batch. All I had to do was open the Whrrl application on my iPhone, start a story, take a picture, add a caption, and continue. I published both stories straight from my iPhone, however, both Whrrl and This Moment also let you upload from your computer and publish via the Web.

Next, I tried the ThisMoment iPhone app. It immediately crashed. I tried it again, and it crashed before I could do anything with it. While I could still go to the web site to create my '"moments," I appreciate the convenience of an iPhone app because my iPhone is always with me. When I'm on the computer, I'm more likely working so putting together stories on social sites is a less likely activity.

I think the best thing about a site like Whrrl is that it provides a framework for your photographs unlike Flickr which feels more like an online photo album or photo archive. You can make short or long distinct stories to share what is happening in your life with family, friends or the general public.

We have so many unique and wonderful stories to tell from Alaska so I highly recommend that everyone up here give Whrrl a whirl, too.