• by Melynda Fuller , December 14, 2017

Six years ago, Storify was the shiniest of new digital publishing toys. Allowing users to incorporate posts from across the social media spectrum and create dynamic, interactive stories, journalists flocked to its usefulness as a story telling tool. 

In 2013, Storify was purchased by Livefyre, which was later bought by Adobe. And now, over half a decade out, the platform announced on Wednesday that it would be closing. It is also deleting all existing stories, effective May 16, 2018.

As of December 12, Storify wasn’t taking any new members in. Users can export their content using instructions found on the Storify website.

Storify is offering membership to Storify2 through Livefyre, but the ease of creating dynamic stories digitally has evolved over the years to the point of rendering it obsolete.

While no report lists an outright reason for the site's demise, it appears Livefrye wants users to purchase a license for Storify2. That's a credible assumption, give that it is deleting everyone's work from the original platform. 

The platform’s current iteration is still in use, however. This week, National Geographic used Storify to showcase its “Chasing Genius” campaign, in partnership with GKS Consumer Health. The outlets produced original mini-documentaries inspired by a scripted Nat Geo show called “Genius.”

The Storify page features the short films along with information about the campaign.

In its prime, Storify was used by news outlets to expand their reach by delivering highly dynamic combinations of traditional coverage and user-generated content. Authors could simply drag and drop posts from Facebook and Twitter directly into their Storify piece.

The Poynter Institute considered the platform in a 2011 story, reinforcing its value as a news source.

Some of the stories the article focused on included PBS’ "NewsHour" coverage of the midterm elections, in which the show used Storify to compile tweets throughout the day, and The Washington Post’s comparison of how two neighboring mayors handled a devastating storm in the area. 

With the changes in digital platforms, particularly those used to document major stories and news events, the risk of losing essential pieces of journalism, both professional and amateur, becomes more urgent. While physical ephemera can be cataloged and preserved, digital documents, like those housed at Storify, are, sadly, vulnerable to complete erasure.