VKontakte stories: viewing, adding and customizing

What are Stories on VKontakte?

Stories are disappearing posts with snapshots and short videos that can be shared without being posted to your personal page. They are displayed in the “Stories” block for 24 hours - after that they disappear. The section is located above the news feed.

This is how Stories are displayed in the news feed from a computer

This type of publication can be used by ordinary users and communities. The first ones are for sharing bright moments from life with friends, the second ones are for promoting the group or informing subscribers.

You can upload videos up to 12 seconds long. There are stickers, graffiti or text - they will complement the Story. For example, briefly describe what happens in the video or where the photo was taken.

Groups/publics have different limits - maximum video length is 15 seconds.

Stories have a counter - view statistics. This shows users who have watched Stories. Publications can be shared in dialogues - for example, send a photo or video to a friend in private messages (DM).

To find out who watched Stories, open the post and click on the eye icon in the lower left corner. The analytics section will open.

Why was Stonehenge built?

Stonehenge stands in a remote field in Wiltshire, England. Approximately 50 stones, many of which are not native to England, are arranged in a circle or horseshoe, each weighing up to 4 tons.

Theories about the origins of Stonehenge range from the fantastic to the practical. The prehistoric stone monument is believed by some to represent a calendar that was used to mark seasonal changes by tracking the sun and moon.

However, the construction of Stonehenge took place over centuries, from the Neolithic period to the Bronze Age. This indicates multiple uses of the site, possibly for various religious rituals.

Many Druids associate their spiritual practices with Stonehenge, while more extreme ideas involve alien origins or magical and mythological properties.

Research continues and a map of the underground site, created using satellite imagery, shows that 17 Stonehenge-like monuments once stood in its immediate vicinity.

How to view History in VK?

Stories on VK are published by communities and friends. They are located in the news feed - in the section above the main content. In the web version of VKontakte, these are rectangular blocks with a cover. Here you can see who published the Story: the name of a friend or the name of a group/public.

To view Stories, click on the cover.

Open the Story of a friend or group

The post will open in full screen mode: a short video or several images with text, graffiti and stickers. Communities can insert links.

Example: History of the group “ppc.world” - there is a “Read” button at the bottom. If you click on the button, the article will open.

Button with link to article

When one Story ends, another one will automatically open, but from a different user.

Anonymous browsing

VKontakte takes into account all views of Stories - the author of the publication knows who opened the material. Here, too, parallels can be drawn with Instagram.

How to find out the author of an anonymous opinion on VKontakte?

Calculating the messenger's anonymous opinion about you is now not too difficult a task, although previously it was almost impossible to do. In practice, you just have to provoke this author to follow a certain link.

The first way to calculate anonymity

We suggest the following method. The menu on the left contains the “My Settings” item, in which you need to launch the “Suggestions” function. If you have already launched it before, and you have answers to the suggestions, then delete them immediately. After that, create any question, for example: “Do you want to take a walk with me?” Next, go back to the settings and turn off the “Suggestions” option.

After this, you send the anonymous person a response containing a link accompanied by a comment that will force the recipient to click on it. For example: “Is this your message????” The link must contain the following address: https:// vkontakte.ru/matches.php?act=a_sent&to_id=123456&dec=1, in which you replace the numbers 123456 with the number of your VKontakte id. If the recipient follows the link and gets to the profile with your offer, you will immediately receive information about this. In this case, only the author of an anonymous opinion will be able to answer it.

Finding out the author of an anonymous opinion, method two

This method is more complex and limited in application, because it is suitable only for those who have few friends. The method involves removing all users from the friends list. The point is that on VKontakte you can respond to an opinion received exclusively from a friend, otherwise you will not be able to answer it. So, you remove one friend at a time and try to respond to the opinion. When, the next time you try, you fail, you will find out the name of the anonymous person.

Third way

The third way is to use special applications, especially Pathfinder. This software product is designed to track user actions on your page. By comparing the time a person spent on your account and the time he created the opinion, you can easily draw conclusions about the author of the anonymous message.

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How to add a Story on VKontakte?

Let's move on to practice: we will publish the first Story on VK - from a personal profile and on behalf of the community. First from a computer, then from a phone.

From computer

How to publish a Story on VKontakte from a computer - step-by-step algorithm:

Open the "News" section.
In the “Stories” section, click on the plus icon - in the first block where your avatar is used as the cover.
An editor will open: add text, select a font (one of six available options), set the text color.
At the bottom of the section there is a palette icon - here you can change the background color or add an emoticon to a photo/short video.
Nearby there is a button with a camera icon - through this function you can add a photo or upload a video - no more than 12 seconds.
To add a sticker, go to the appropriate section - emoticon icon in the editor.
There is a Brush tool. Select line thickness, intensity and color. Start drawing.

When you finish creating Stories, click the “Publish” button.

Now let's publish the Story on behalf of the community:

Join a group or public page.
Under the main menu there is a block with the “Add story” button - click on it.
Select a photo or video from your computer. You can upload a beautiful picture for the background. The duration of the video is no more than 15 seconds, the file size is no more than 10 MB. The recommended image aspect ratio is 9x16.
The editor will open - publish your Story or add new elements.
You can publish a story: to do this, indicate the title and upload the cover.

A plot is a collection of Stories with a common cover and title. The group administrator can combine up to 20 media files into one story: photos and videos.

From phone

Now let’s post the Story from your phone - through the VK application on Android and iOS:

Open the “News” section and click on your avatar in the Story block.
Select the publication type: Story or Video Story. To record video and take pictures, a smartphone camera is used - front and main.
You can add a mask - click on the mask icon on the toolbar.
There is a separate section with settings. Here you can specify who can see photos and videos—for example, only friends. In this case, you will hide publications from VKontakte users who are not on your friends list.
To shoot a video, you need to press and hold the red button in the center. The duration of the video is no more than 12 seconds.
To post a photo or video, click on the white arrow in the upper right corner.

How to make a Story on behalf of the community - instructions:

Log in to your group or public page.
Near the line for creating a new post there is a Stories icon - click on it.
The editor will open - record a video, take a photo, apply the desired effects or add a thematic caption. Publish the material.

Interesting fact: unlike Instagram, in VK you cannot tag a person in History - for example, leave an active link to the profile of another social network user.

How to post a VKontakte story from a computer?

We go to our page and go to the “News” section. Here we need to click on the “+ History” block.

Let's start creating history from the computer

After this, an editor opens in which you need to fill in the necessary settings. Below is a list of available functions - each corresponds to its own number.

Adding stickers.
Signature.
Drawing block.
Adding a photo for the background.
Select a background from standard options.

List of features in the story editor
Now it all comes down to adding the necessary blocks. Write text, add emoticons and your own drawings. Choose a background from ready-made options, or upload a photo from your computer. When you're done, click Publish.

Below is the process of creating a story and its subsequent publication.

Once created, the story can be viewed by anyone (unless it is prohibited by privacy settings).

Adding links

You can add a link to History - for example, to an article in a group or public page. To do this, select the desired post and click the repost button. A list of actions will open - select the “Add to history” function.

The material will be attached to the publication. Add a call to action in the editor - for example, write the text: “New article about marketing. Read the link."

In a similar way, you can publish a link to an article through the web version of VKontakte.

Important: Stories cannot contain links to third-party resources - only to materials stored on the social network.

Who is the real Zodiac killer?

Known as the Zodiac, an unidentified serial killer claimed at least five lives in Northern California in the 1960s and early 1970s. Given the potential unknown crimes and the killer's own statements, it is possible that he killed 37 people.

The 1963 deaths of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards in Lompoc were linked to the Zodiac, as was the 1966 murder of Cherie Jo Bates.

Although Zodiac's identity is unknown, he maintained contact with the media and authorities during his career. It wasn't until 1969 that the first letter from the Zodiac reached the San Francisco Chronicle. An unidentified killer claimed responsibility for some of the crimes and offered part of a code that he claimed was the key to his identity.

In the year between the murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jenson, the Zodiac Killer attacked Michael Mageau and Darlene Ferrin. The latter died, as did Cecilia Shepard, when she was attacked in September 1969.

Shepard's companion, Brian Hartnell, was also wounded but survived. More letters and codes found their way into California newspapers, one of which attributed the murder to taxi driver Paul Stine. The Zodiac provided details that only the perpetrator could know, as well as a piece of Stine's bloody shirt linking him to the crime.

In addition to letters and codes, the Zodiac Killer also contacted police by telephone, but all communication ceased in 1974. In 1978 and later there were letters written by people claiming to be the Zodiac. They were never confirmed, and investigations into more than 2,500 suspects have failed to make a definitive identification.

To this day, no one knows who the Zodiac was, but the investigation into this mystery of history continues through DNA testing and investigations by authorities and curiosity seekers.

Stories as a promotion tool

Stories can be used to promote various projects on VKontakte - from a thematic public page to a local business.

Let's take a closer look at how you can use disappearing photos and videos:

Personal brand promotion. Publish small notes in Stories that confirm your expertise in your field. As an example: customer reviews. Share moments from your life to build trust with your audience.
Storytelling. Create stories and tell stories through them: for example, 10 photos and 10 short videos of how you went hiking or developed the concept of a new product.
Sale of goods. Make short videos about products with a call to action - for example, a discount for the New Year: hurry up to buy new skis.
Informing subscribers. Inform customers about promotions and discounts, tell them about the release of new products.

Mysteries of history: what happened to Amelia Earhart?

Pilot Amelia Earhart went missing over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. After a career full of groundbreaking moments for women in aviation, Earhart was flying to Howland Island from New Guinea. The flight was part of her effort to become the first woman to fly around the world by plane.

Accompanied by her navigator Fred Noonan, Earhart left New Guinea on July 2, 1937, facing a host of problems. Poor visibility, inaccurate charts, and a damaged radio antenna may have contributed to the confusion when they were unable to locate the Coast Guard ship Itasca, which was anchored off Howland awaiting their arrival.

In a message to Itasca, Earhart stated: “We must be upon you, but we cannot see. Fuel is running low. We couldn't contact you by radio. We're flying at 1,000 feet."

Her next and final transmission simply said, "We're heading north and south." Neither Earhart nor Noonan were ever heard or seen again. A 12-day search found no trace of the plane, and it was assumed that the plane had crashed into the ocean.

Continued interest in the disappearance of Earhart and Noonan has led to theories that they may have ended up on the small reef island of Nikumaroro. Inspired by the discovery of human remains on the island in 1940 along with a collection of small items that may have belonged to Earhart or Noonan in the decades after their disappearance, oceanographer Robert Ballard attempted to locate the plane off the coast of Nikumaroro in 2021. Ballard found no trace of the plane. The disappearance of Amelia Eckhart remains one of the unsolved mysteries of history to this day.

Secrets of history: who were the Sea Peoples?

Mentioned in several Egyptian narratives, the so-called Sea Peoples migrated across the Mediterranean around 1200 BC, wreaking havoc in Anatolia, Crete and Egypt.

The origins of the Sea Peoples, who are believed to have ended the Hittite Empire, are unknown, they came "from the sea in their warships, and no one could resist them."

The Sea Peoples are believed to have been an amalgamation of marauders from Peleset, Tjeker, Shekeles, Denen and Weshes. The first of these areas, Peleset, corresponds to modern-day Palestine, so the Sea Peoples are often associated with the biblical Philistines, the inhabitants of these places.

Evidence from the Philistine city of Askelon, discovered in 2019, indicates that its population, as one of the subgroups of the Sea Peoples, was related to the peoples of southern Europe.

Where is Genghis Khan buried?

Genghis Khan, ruler of the largest empire that ever existed, died during a campaign in 1227. According to legend, Genghis Khan wanted his final resting place to remain a secret and even ordered the killing of everyone who participated in his funeral procession.

The place where Genghis Khan was buried has remained one of history's greatest mysteries, although many believe he was buried in northeastern Mongolia. Limited access to Mongolia in the 1990s has only recently made it possible to discover the exact location of his grave. However, while open to researchers, the search remained controversial for the Mongols, who do not want the Great Khan's final resting place to be exposed.

Excavations showed nothing, while satellite images made it possible to look for clues. The main focus remains around the Khentii Mountains, where Genghis Khan lived in his youth.

Where is the amber room?

Built in the 18th century, the Amber Room, called the "Eighth Wonder of the World", was an elaborate room in the Berlin City Palace. The room's amber and gold panels, originally intended to be installed at Charlottenburg Palace for King Frederick of Prussia, were designed by Andreas Schlüter and built by Danish craftsmen.

The richly decorated panels were presented to Peter the Great in 1716 and later installed in the Catherine Palace near St. Petersburg, Russia in 1755.

Years of renovations resulted in more gold, amber and gemstones being woven into the panels, raising the room's total cost to approximately $142 million (in today's currency).

However, with the outbreak of World War II, the Amber Room - among other Russian treasures - was looted by Nazi troops. The panels were sent to Königsberg, Germany, and installed in the castle museum until 1943. The panels were then packed away for storage, but they are rumored to have disappeared when the castle museum was bombed in 1944.

The location of the Amber Room panels remains unknown, but there are many theories about their fate. Some historians believe they were destroyed in 1944, while others believe they were loaded onto a ship and sent into the Baltic Sea. And perhaps the ship with its valuable cargo sank.

Joseph Stalin and the KGB were accused of involvement in the fate of the Amber Room. For the so-called curse associated with the Amber Room was exacerbated by the deaths of two individuals involved in the search, George Stein and Yuri Gusev, in 1987 and 1992, respectively.

The Soviet government built a replica of the Amber Room in 1979, a joint project of German and Russian craftsmen. Construction of the new Amber Room was completed in 2003.