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What is a GIF bar on Facebook?
GIF bar on Facebook is the status bar to find and post the GIFs from sites like Giphy and Tenor.
Facebook Inc (FB) has finally added a dedicated GIF button to its News Feed comments section, reports TechCrunch.
GIF or Graphic Interchange Format was a bitmap format developed by Steve Wilhite precisely 30 years ago.
It became prevalent after the “Lempel-Ziv-Welch (LZW) lossless data compression technique” was added.
The new technique reduced the file size and kept the visual quality intact at the same time.
In 2015, Facebook added support for incorporating a GIF file by enabling users to add the GIF link in the Status Bar and post it.
However, TechCrunch observes that the social media platform took a lot of time even in adding support for GIFs as it was not sure of the kind of impact it would have on the News Feed’s visual quality.
However, increasing the relevance of other social media services, which allowed GIF usage, compelled Facebook to add GIFs ultimately.
Facebook – Use GIFs in comments and posts
- For a long time, anyone who wanted to use animated GIF images on Facebook could only do so using a workaround.
- A few months ago, Facebook looked at the moving images with friends and enabled GIFs in the status bar.
- From now on, GIFs can also be posted as a comment on Facebook.
- For a long time, the Facebook creators did not use GIFs (Graphics Interchange Format) to make the news feed look too chaotic.
- The first moving pictures appeared in Facebook messages at the end of 2013 with auto-play videos.
- If you want to post a GIF, it is sufficient to copy the URL of the respective image into the status bar or the
comment field. - Click on the picture in the browser with the right mouse button and copy the animation address.
- Then add this to the status bar. The GIF image then appears automatically in moving form in the Facebook feed.
- To post a GIF as a comment, first, click on Reply and then select the “GIF” button on the right. You can use the search to choose a suitable animation.
A source for GIF images found in GIPHY
- The use of GIFs on Facebook also works within the Facebook app. If the animation does not play automatically, you must click the image manually.
- The GIF function is currently only possible for private individuals and not for company or fan pages.
Find the GIF bar on Facebook
- The GIF button is present on the right side of the comment box.
- On the phone, it’s next to the emoji button. On the desktop, it is located between the photo attachment and the sticker buttons.
Where to find GIFs for Facebook?
- Several GIF services act as portals for GIF lovers everywhere.
- The best known is Giphy, which allows you to search for GIFs and make your own.
- But there are other services like Tenor and GIFER and some other tricks that can help you find the perfect GIF.
- Tumblr: Search for keywords + “GIFs.”
- Google Image Search – Click on “Tools” in the search bar and select “Animated” from the “Art” drop-down menu
- Reddit – Go to / r / gifs
- Imgur (Reddit’s image hosting service) – Go to the / r / gifs page
- Know Your Meme – Search for “GIF”
- Photobucket – search for “GIF”
Tips for using GIFs on Facebook
- We have established that posting GIFs on Facebook isn’t exactly rocket science, so to take your genius-level skill to the next level, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Know your audience
- If you’re posting a comment on a brand post aimed at kids, it’s not very cool to post NSFW (not suitable for work) or adult GIFs.
- If you’re commenting on a post aimed at a modern, edgy audience, sarcasm and edgy humor can be fair game. Use your common sense.
Opt for quality GIFs
- GIFs range from incomprehensibly poor to incredibly superior quality. If it’s grainy and practically
indistinguishable, it’s not going to get the response you’re looking for.
Tap into relevant trends and nostalgic references
- There is a good chance references to Friends and Seinfeld won’t be lost on audiences anytime soon.
- On the other hand, unless you’re going for the inside-joke appeal, a super-niche GIF will fall flat if 90% of the people who see it have no idea what it’s referring to.
Avoid jarring animations
- Flashing lights, flashy colors, and just-plain-weird animations will have people scrolling faster than they’ve ever scrolled just to get the eye-offending material off of their screens.
Reaction GIFs are almost always a win
- Reaction GIFs are one of the coolest ways to get in the GIF game without making a blunder, and they’re the perfect way to respond to posts or comments that evoke a strong emotion – such as shock, awe, amazement, or disgust.
Use search tricks to your advantage
- Different kinds of GIFs are appropriate for different situations, and if you know how to find them, you’re at an edge in the GIF game.
- Reddit, for example, has subreddits dedicated to specific types of GIFs, such as /r/reactiongifs and
/r/analogygifs. - Now that you’re ready to get more attention on Facebook by sharing amazing GIFs, give your profile a boost with the perfect Facebook cover photo.
- When you find the most fantastic GIF in existence, head over and study how to pin a post on Facebook to make sure your impressive GIF skills continue in full view at the topmost of your sheet.
- And be sure to include a Facebook monitor button (and Facebook share button) on your site, so all your best GIFs get in front of the most eyes possible!
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