1. Digital storytelling platforms Many creative an effort have been made to break with the linear structural path since the digital world ran into the concept of “narrative”. To be sure, users were to a non-negligible degree familiar with a non-linear context already long before the digital age and that in having avidly read linear entertainment like books at a first stage, or in watching films even at a later one, yet only so in a traditional form. The in medias res (in the middle of things) technique, where the story is related by way of flashbacks rather than in a chronological order is but a fine example of what the audience had been prepared for by that time, like in “Iliad”, an epic poem by Homer written around 850 b.c. In the 20 th century, another form of linear entertainment, films are experimenting with non linear stories using different techniques like parallel action,(director Robert Altman), multiple point of views and no clear ending, (Rashomon, Akira Kurosawa), or even different outcomes within the same movie (Run Lola Run, Tom Tykwer). Nevertheless it became easier to evolve the non linear techniques in a non linear medium like digital storytelling platforms in web 2.0. These tools use an open structure in order to help the user create or launch a story. The rising issue is how to design a platform that integrates the user’s activity into a framework that respects the basic rules of narrative which is people facing a challenge, trying to overcome it through a sequence of events and reaching a resolution (Laure,R.2009). Since storytelling is moving towards a non -linear model this does not mean that a sort of coherence is to be left out of the equation. Web 2.0 stories are broad, they can represent history, fantasy, a presentation, a puzzle, a message, so narrativity is no more dependent of fictionality (Laure,R. 2001). Narratives flow through games, platforms and other digital tools widely accessible via internet, while reading stories moves forward from a static action to an interactive, dynamic process where the lines between the author and reader blur. An open platform for communication reaching modern storytellers is “Milia”. Personal creation and social sharing of stories is the core idea involving the platform, while experimenting with the possibilities of the branching structure in non-linear stories. Integrating creation and reading in a non linear way, the user is alongside a reader and a creator, as he imports personal data and also reads other’s stories. A digital storytelling platform in general is supposed to fulfil three basic principles: Collect data, edit and export a story. The difference is the level of freedom that offers to the user. The Milia platform aims to support the representation, presentation and collaborative creation of any sort of stories in digital format. A story seen in “Milia” is interweaving different media to support a central idea. Users are linking and orchestrating different clues to build a meaning for the reader. Since readers and users co-exist in this digital storytelling platform it is essential for their creations to find their way to the audience in a non linear yet coherent way.
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