New Story Map template functionality

AnneReynolds

I recently became aware of the timeline for the Esri Story Map templates (Classic), and I have some concerns.  Specifically, I am not seeing the breadth of functionality from the library of Classic Story Maps in the new ArcGIS StoryMaps platform.

I found this information very helpful  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/472a6ddd582b40b58a5a6af2c30a4573.  in outlining some "coming soon" functionality like map actions, book marks, and "series".  But a few major things are not addressed, including HTML / CSS customization, Self-hosted images,Spyglass, and Swipe.

This functionality is imperative to migrate my existing stories into the new template. One of the ways I have used Story Maps is to document progress on a project which requires being able to edit the story.  Would it be possible to document when the "coming soon" functionality will be released, so I can plan my migration schedule?  And if the other features I listed will be made available prior to the "Mature Support" deadline?

oevans_storymaps

Anne -- Our intention is to have most major features (bookmarks, story actions, etc.) and storytelling patterns (swipe, tour, etc.) from the classic templates represented in the new ArcGIS StoryMaps before July 2020 (two years before the July 2022 mature support date).

You can already add a self-hosted image to a story using the Embed option. However, we don't recommend this except in rare cases where you have no other option because it can negatively affect your readers' experience in several ways. Directly linked images are not optimized for viewing like images that are uploaded to the builder and hosted with the story (this can be especially noticeable on smaller devices) and represent a single point of failure for your story if the web server goes down.

Can you share some more information about what specifically about HTML / CSS customization is important for your stories? We are researching this for future consideration and would like to understand your needs and requirements in this area. Specifically, if you could comment on what the currently available formatting tools and themes don't offer that would be helpful to our research.