Confession time: Despite using 3+ animated GIFs per day (conservative estimate), I’d never actually made one. Well, not in the last 10 yrs+ at any rate. I made a few back when I was studying animation and it was such a tedious, time-consuming process I never went back to it. Recently I started working with a small indie game project with an absolutely stunning aesthetic. They had a fantastic trailer and screenshots, but no GIFs. I rolled up my sleeves, ready to tackle the challenge. I expected blood, sweat, and pixel tears.

…I made my first one in less than 10 minutes. As it turns out, making animated GIFs is now a hell of a lot easier than back in the early days of Flash. Go figure, eh?

So without further ado, here’s how to make GIFs, the quick n’ easy way!

This Patreon Pick was a tie, so I’ve decided to squish the two topics together! Luckily they’re two topics that go well together, and not some blasphemous combination like creamed corn on pepperoni pizza (ate that once that as a child…. the horror). So for this post we’ll be covering some of the basics of using Tumblr, and how it stacks up to Facebook-owned Instagram!

Note: This review is of the 2012 text. Based on the Table of Contents on Amazon, it looks like the top-level outline is the same.

Back in 2012 I had the opportunity to attend the Word of Mouth Marketing conference. As an added bonus, they included a box of the Word of Mouth Marketing book by Andy Sernovitz. The conference was amazing, and when I came back I had a giant box of books on my desk. In the rush of post-conference bliss, I put my copy away and didn’t end up coming back to it for another year or so when I was doing a book purge.

So, how did the book stack up?

When building your business it’s tempting to use any and all methods to gain a leg up on the competition. It’s rough out there for new businesses, and every bit can make a difference. When establishing your business online, you may be tempted to apply this to the realm of reviews. By kicking off with a few pristine 5-star reviews from you and/or your staff, you’ve set the stage for a great public reception, right?

Don’t do that. That’s what we call, a ‘dick move’.

But why, you might ask?

User Generated Content

User Generated Content (UGC) is anything from wholly user-created and initiated (ex. fan art), to that content which the user creates using the tools you’ve explicitly provided for that purpose. User Generated Content features and campaigns are often seen as a compelling way to get players engaged, and when executed well can help extend the life of your product. It’s almost inevitable that with any successful game, someone will eventually pitch the idea of doing a UGC feature or social campaign. They’re a fun idea and have the potential for creating great marketing stories.

…They’re also an absurd amount of effort for often dubious ROI.

Quick Tip: Easy Animated GIFs

Patreon Pick: Tumblr & Instagram

Book Review: Word of Mouth Marketing

Reviews are for Your Customers

User Generated vs. User Driven Content

User Generated Content