CDC Success Story App Launched

CDC launched their new "Success Stories" web application today.  It's essentially a 14-page form that helps you create a two page report.  I attempted to use it to tell my little sister's story, but gave up quickly.    

Here is the process:

• Choose your "affiliation" from a list.
• I chose "Community Transformation Grant - Implementation Grantee"
• Choose "audience addressed" from a list of priority populations. 
• I chose "White"
• Choose "age"
• I chose "25-50" which is a hilariously broad audience segment.
• Choose "intervention area":
• I chose "Tobacco / Tobacco-Free Living"
• Choose "disease area addressed"
• I chose "Other" and typed in "secondhand smoke exposure"

• Choose one of three report templates.  (This is where I gave up!)

• Then fill in the boxes:

1. Title
2. Challenge (1,000 characters)
3. Solution (750 characters)
4. Results (1,100 characters)
5. Summary (550 characters)
6. Future Directions (750 characters)
7. Get Involved (500 characters)
8. Quote (250 characters)

At the end you're asked to choose a photo from a stock photo set they've chosen.  You can't use local pictures in DCH published stories!

I'm impressed that they are focused on story, that they built a web app, and that they tried to instruct with videos... but I think it's pretty clear their focus is more about reporting than storytelling as a change tool.

How do you think this new storytelling tool could be helpful?