In the first part of the series for storytelling on the web I have gone on general hypertext prototype, described in the hypertext research has over ten years.

In this second part I will explore the question of where the network link patterns in online journalism today and find that for narrative purposes they are used regularly. The term "link network model" here means a recognizable characteristic linking constellation, a simple example of such a link network model is about the sequential back-and-navigate linear hypertexts (recognizable example of relative page counts as "Page 1 of 18") . Where there is such a clearly identifiable link network model described in original online journalism forms, it should be noted in Example screenshots and also visualized as a graphical model structure.

Offered these thoughts from a simple, practical reason: The online journalism is journalists in circles often seen as an alternative to whatever kind of quality journalism. This perception has to do with the fact that there are in most online newsrooms today hardly any resources for their own stories and press the content management systems all narrative material in the same old, standard form. The most common method is: pure speed in the site with the agency report or the written articles for the Journal, then the image distance and / or video to use the provided links below to it, done. Compared to television, radio or print journalism, the spectrum representation is severely restricted. For your own narrative, remains webjournalistische innovation or even a perceptible pitch online editorial hardly room.

To improve this situation, in my opinion it needs more flexibly scale narrative possibilities in the editorial content management systems (CMS) and are bound to tell very much oriented, standardized navigation. Weaving and journalism must engage much more in order to unfold the narrative potential of the Web as a medium of its own kind.

The presented link-network model can offer such a solution and be designed as a standardized navigation in the CMS. In this way, the online editors and editors-friendly time additional narrative possibilities given by the hand. The good thing is: These patterns are in each case been tried on many websites and can apply in their entirety as a first relevant set of online typical narrative possibilities. For editorial work, they have only advantages: First of all implemented in a CMS, they open themselves under considerable time pressure usable dramatic degrees of freedom. The information architecture of the site in question still remains consistent - and the combination of different networks link created more diverse ways to tell a story. The Online Journalism in total could thus represent significantly more diverse. In order to identify the network-link patterns in use today are first online journalists systematized narrative forms, then they possess the underlying navigation structure worked out.

Starting point: online journalism narrative forms
In the first edition of texts for the Web (2002), I had already made a first attempt to identify at the time approaches for original online journalism recognizable text forms and to assign the spectrum shape. Regularly observed in practice at that time were the hypermedia patchwork, the theme package, the slide show (with its sub form audio slide show), the multi-perspective history, immersive 3D media forms, the online feature, the Count Imation and the web special.

If you can not imagine what those terms today little concrete that is not very surprising, and a clear sign that the online journalism forms of evolution is still in its infancy. A uniform for practice and experts alike consensus nomenclature of journalistic real-time display pattern will take time and - emerge only gradually - just as in print journalism.

Still, the names of the described patterns have yet to find is true, that appear with the names designated pattern but still quite stable. What are the eight, then sketched representation patterns are concerned, seven of them in online journalism (sometimes beyond) reliable in use and on editorial sites are often an integral display set:

• the added multimedia print article (hypermedia patchwork, also known as Print Plus)
• The continuously updated, monothematic collection of texts (themes package)
• the linearly arranged photo gallery (slideshow, as well as the sub form audio slideshow)
• the pointillist told in multiple portraits or multiple sound bites monothematic history (multi-perspective story)
• the visually immersive formats such as 360-degree panoramas or 3D videos (3D Media)
• Count the Imation (interactive graphics) and
• The highly integrated multi-media story telling monothematic (web special, also called Webdocumentary).

But the online feature a hybrid model from print reporting and database components is still rather experimental, and largely disappeared from the scene, presumably because the articles reading and integrated into a text accessing databases to different processes and in the reception does not match really. If it was the intention of the early experiments, statistical data more closely in interactive narrative pattern, the so-called mash-ups appear as a narrative, interactive data visualization to update this line of evolution. Anyway, it is not considered further here.

In subsequent chapters part is analyzed, whether and where it is mentioned in the online journalism forms clearly recognizable typable link network model - and how they are structured. To keep the chapter clearly and offer friendly text lengths, it is apportioned in the following additional components:

2.1 Hypermedia Patchwork (HMP)
2.2 Theme Pack
2.3 Slideshow
2.4 multi-perspective history
2.5 Interactive Graphics
02.06 Web special

Related Links:

Storytelling on the Web (Part 1): Tell hyperlinked