How does a location-locked story work?
- Write the story as usual. Put the pin on the spot, add the story, the date and a photo.
- Switch on "Only readable at this place." It is one switch on the story, and it is off unless you turn it on.
- Share your map. Invite people by email or switch on the public link.
- They see a locked pin. The map shows where the story is. The title, the words, the date and the photo stay hidden.
- They go there. When they are standing at the place, they open the pin on their phone and choose "I'm here, unlock it." Here My Story checks their location and, if they are within about 200 meters (650 feet) of the pin, opens the story.
You can always read your own stories from anywhere, locked or not.
You're standing where I asked your mother to marry me. She told me to ask again when I had a job. I came back to this exact bench eleven weeks later with a pay stub in my pocket.
What would you lock to a place?
- A letter to your children, waiting at the house they grew up in for the next time they drive past.
- A grandparent's story at the farm gate, the church door or the street in the old country, ready for the family's first trip back.
- The story of how you met, locked at the place it happened, for an anniversary. Take them there and hand them the phone.
- Something to read at the graveside or the bench, on the day the family gathers to remember someone.
- A story walk for a family reunion. Lock eight stories around the old neighborhood and send the grandchildren out to find them. How to make a story walk.
- A goodbye at the old house, for the friends who stay when you move away.
Why make a story harder to read?
Because where you read something changes what it means. A story about your grandfather's shop is one thing on a couch. It is another when you are standing on the sidewalk outside, looking at the doorway he swept every morning.
People also like having to go somewhere to find something. Geocaching, the hobby of hunting for hidden containers by GPS, counts more than 3.4 million active caches in 191 countries.
The journey matters too. A story that takes an afternoon's drive to reach gets read with full attention, usually out loud, usually with someone else. And places are powerful cues for memory in their own right: the people who go will often remember things of their own while they are there. Why places unlock memories.
What do people see before they unlock it?
Only that a story is there. On the map they see a pin with a lock, and in the journal they see "Locked story" with the note "Only readable at this place." They can't see its title, text, date or photo until they are at the pin.
How close do they have to be?
Within about 200 meters, or 650 feet, of the pin. If they are farther away, Here My Story tells them roughly how far they still have to go. Their phone will ask permission to use its location, and they need to allow it.
A story stays open for that visit to the map. If they come back another day, they will need to be at the place again.
How secure is the lock?
It is a lock for people you trust, and it keeps honest readers honest. The location comes from the reader's own device, and a determined person can make a phone report a false position. Use it for surprises, gifts and rituals. Don't use it to protect a secret.
Does it work on a public map?
Yes. On a public map, anyone with the link can see where the locked pins are and can unlock one by going there, with no account needed. On a private map, only the people you invited can.
What should you think about before locking a story?
- Place the pin precisely. Zoom all the way in. The lock is measured from the pin.
- Choose somewhere people can stand. A sidewalk, a park or a churchyard works. The middle of a private field or someone else's living room does not.
- Tell them something is waiting. A locked pin nobody knows about never gets opened.
- Remember who can't travel. For a relative who will never get there, you can switch the lock off later, and the story becomes readable from anywhere.
- Expect weak location indoors. Phones find their position best outside.
- Remember the pin itself is visible. Everyone who can view your map can see where a locked story is. The lock hides what it says, not where it is.
- Respect the place. Keep pins on public ground, and follow a cemetery's rules and opening hours.
How is this different from other apps that leave messages at places?
Leaving a message at a location is not a new idea. Small iPhone apps such as Koko, TimeCapsules and Drop let you leave a note or a capsule that opens when someone arrives. They are built around the message.
Here My Story is built around the map of a life. A locked story sits among the other stories of a family, with a date and a photo, and it can be unlocked for everyone later. It also runs in the web browser, so the person you leave it for doesn't need an iPhone or an app.
How is it different from a QR code on a headstone or a bench?
A memorial QR code is a physical plaque. Engraved ones commonly cost around $200, a cemetery may need to approve it, and anyone who walks past can scan it. A location-locked story needs nothing attached to the stone. Only the people you have shared your map with can open it, and it is free. If you want strangers to be able to read about the person, a plaque does that better.
Common questions
Is there a way to leave a message at a location for someone to find?
Yes. In Here My Story you can pin a story to a place and mark it "Only readable at this place." People you share your map with see a locked pin and can read the story only when their phone shows they are within about 200 meters of it.
Can I leave a letter for my children to read at a specific place?
Yes. Write the letter as a story, put its pin on the place, switch on "Only readable at this place," and invite your children to your map by email. They will see that a story is waiting there and can open it when they visit.
Can I unlock a story for everyone later?
Yes. Edit the story and switch "Only readable at this place" off. Everyone who can view your map can then read it from anywhere.
Does the reader need an app?
No. Here My Story runs in the phone's web browser. The reader opens your map from the link, goes to the pin and allows the browser to use their location.