Frequently Asked Questions

OutInUnder is the pilot story-set for a more grandiose project. We are attempting to give the dynamic that one experiences while trading stories with old friends and new acquaintances (or anyone in between) to internet communication.

Stories are how we reaffirm our connections, explain who we are (even to ourselves), filter our culture, and communicate in our most complex and engaging manner. We see the roots of this project across the spectrum from Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell to Claude Levi-Strauss and their various heirs. Our advisors include playwrights, performance artists, filmmakers, stand-up comedians, community organizers, and, of course, story-tellers.

If you would like to start trading stories, please contact us to start the discussion.

OutInUnder is about stories. Not the stories Pepsi or Coke tell you in order to sell you their products but the stories you tell with family and friends...the stories that want to be told when you get together at events and reunions.

This is a pilot project to build a 'slow social media' around what I consider the deepest form of human communication - trading stories.

The project began with folks involved with backpacking and mountaineering gear. (OutInUnder = Outdoor Industry Underground.) The result is a growing oral history in text, pictures, and video & audio recording. It tells the story of the outdoor biz in our own words:  who we are, what inspires us, where we've come from, where we're going.

It is maturing into a platform for all sorts of groups (families, buddies, start-ups, etc) to share and collect their core stories. If you'd like to use it, too, drop me a note.

The home page stories are a good sampling. You can, also, get a sense of where we're starting using this set of videos cross-posted to youTube.

You can sign up either by creating a Login and Password or by using Facebook Connect. Check the right side of the screen for both options. To keep the site from being eaten alive by spam accounts, there is an approval process. You'll recieve confirmation within 24 hours...usually within 2 or 3.

The home page shows you a featured story and the 6 most recent addtions to the site. Clicking on a story takes you to a page that has the story in the following format from top to bottom -

1) a small image or video clip of the story and the text 'teaser for the story.

2) a block of other stories about the same event

3) the full text and a larger image.

At anny point, you can click the “Add Story” button and tell another story.

That depends on the author’s wish. Currently they default to Public but you can set them to Private instead. Private means that only members of a specific group, eg Mountain Hardwear members, can see them. Also, stories can be set to Unpublished while you work on them and then Published to be either Privately or Publically seen.

Each subgroup inside OutInUnder has settings and a curator. The subgroup default can be set to Public or Private based on the curators wishes. Authors can override that setting to make their story other than the group default.

It's best if you join first. That means the story is published under your name and the copyright of the story is yours.  There are tips here for adding a story.

If you are not logged in you can still add a story. But we don't know who you are and you will have to telll us! Also, you will get a different form. The group curator will build out your story so it fits the site and help you get going as a site member.

Groups you talk to.

Organizations you talk about. 

So far, all Groups ard Organizations are companies, but Groups can be any set of people you want to tell stories with. And you can tell stories about any mix of Organizations, Events, Themes, and People...all four of those ways to organize stories. And more are coming.

I am currently running everything wide open and pre-enrolling you all to relevant Groups. Eventually, folks will join the site by being invited to a Group. Group moderators will decide Group membership and Private vs Public settings for content. 

The default will be Creative Common’s “ok to use for non-commerical purposes” with ownership belonging to the story author.