Creating timelines using TimelineJS

TimelineJS by Knightlab is a very simple tool that can be used to create informative and visually striking timelines.

It generates a basic excel spreadsheet that can be edited and customised to your purpose. Once this is done, it can be easily embedded into a Medium or WordPress post like this!

Watch this tutorial to learn how to make one!

Here are some Dos and Don’ts you should keep in mind!

Do

• Keep it short. Limit yourself to 20 slides.
• Pick stories that have a strong chronological narrative. It does not work well for stories that need to jump around in the timeline.
• Write each event as a part of a larger narrative.
• Include events that build-up to major occurrences — not just the major events.

Don’t

• Set your Timeline Google Sheet to “anyone with the link can edit.”
• Change the column headers, don’t remove any columns, and don’t leave any blank rows in your spreadsheet. However, you can leave some columns empty.

How about using a timeline to create your own story? Submit it here to participate in our creative competition and don’t forget to share it on social media using the #DigiStoryFest hashtag