A Case for Web Storytelling

This good (but not very new) article uses the storytelling metaphor to make a good point... A Case for Web Storytelling.

When cowboys talk to each other on a cattle drive, they say things like, “Hey Tex, three of the herd went up in them there hills. What say you go drive ‘em out?” “Will do, partner. After that, we should stop and water ‘em along the crick.”

During the work day, mere data is exchanged. This work-day data exchange might be analogous to a multi-user, Lotus Notes(tm) collaboration. But at night, around the fire, stories are told. It’s the stories that the cowboys will remember after the drive, not the daily exchange of data. Data is denotative. Stories are visceral and emotional. Stories affect our entire beings, not just our minds.

This article is worth reading. Although it's from December 2000, it is still valid.