Do You GIF?

Animated GIFs are making a comeback.

When the World Wide Web first became popular, animated GIFs of spinning crosses and flapping doves (as shown below) were all over church websites.

As the Internet matured, we came to realize that animations just for animations sake was, well, cheesy.  And animated GIFs became the butt of web development jokes.

More than a decade later animated GIFs have become bigger and more popular than ever.

But today’s animated GIFs have almost nothing in common with their 1990s predecessors.

Today’s GIFs are more like short video loops.  They’re not usually used on websites but are all over social media, text messaging and to a lesser extent in blog posts.  They’re used to express a quick thought in a creative way.

They often come from popular movies and TV shows.

There are lots of GIF makers online that enable anyone to create a GIF from a video clip in seconds.  Often times news and sports highlights (and lowlights) become viral GIFs within moments.

So, how about you?  

Are you using GIFs?  If so how?  Got a favorite?  Post it in the comments.

Paul Steinbrueck

Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com

Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.

An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.

Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.