This editorial cartoon about animated gifs on Google Plus came from my time on there over the past two weeks. For those of you who engage with me on Twitter or Facebook, I apologize as I have been sucked into the world of Google + and though it has it’s limitations, I prefer it over both platforms.
The Good
- Take the best of twitter in that you can follow the message streams of anyone you want with the best of facebook that allows you to see pictures, links and more than 140 characters and that is the promise of Google Plus.
- Being able to engage with people you admire and feel like your message isn’t lost.
- The ability to put the people you follow into different circles that you create. For example, I have a circle for people I folow that don’t follow me, webcomic people, art people, learning people, etc. At any point I can only look at the postings from any individual group AND I can have a posting only show up to specific individuals or circles.
The Not So Good
- Unless you link your photo albums to Googles photo sharing site Picasa, the way it manages your pictures is horrible. I would love to see a feature that allows you to choose “insert picture” and have you be able to choose a specific picture from a specific album. I am hoping there is a fix for that soon or I am doing something wrong and someone will correct me.
One complaint I hear from others that I am not so sure I mind YET is that some circles are so incestuous with the same people that 5 people can share someone else’s post and it shows up every time in your stream if you have all five people in your circle. The one complaint you hear most about is oversharing of animated gifs. Again, so far I don’t mind them but I love when someone says “I know people don’t like animated gifs but I HAD to share this one because it is so cool.”
So is it ironic that I had to make this cartoon an animated gif in order to make a point of animated gifs? Is it even irony? I don’t know since all the “experts” said none of Alanis Morrisette’s examples in Ironic weren’t ironic.
Comments
75 responses to “Editorial Cartoon: Google Plus Gifs”
I can do without all the GIF bombardment.
Some are cool but if I see the cat dodging the laser one more time.
I would rather watch the material you throw together.
I suck at animated gifs. I obviously can’t get them to work on G+
I like gif’s, but I hate to have to set up a whole ‘nother social network. My wife forced me to join Facebook after I was fully invested in MySpace, and I swore I would never go through that again.
I guess I will have to sign up for Google + once everybody else has left me for it. 🙂
Well look at how far MySpace is getting you. Honestly the majority of people who have added me on facebook are the same people that I already interacted with on here or on twitter. I get so little traffic from Facebook. So for personal stuff, Facebook is fine. For my site, I think G+ deserves a chance.
Facebook has helped me out a lot because I get traffic from people who know me as the guy from AC, also family who like to see what I’m up to, and also people from high school and college who knew me basically as that wisecracking knucklehead who was always drawing.
I despise change, that’s why I like sticking to a familiar format. I will give G+ a try once it’s proven and they accept me. I haven’t heard anything from them yet.
I sent you an invite via email so you should be good to go. Plus I heard it was open to anyone starting today. NOt sure. If you need me to resend let me know.
My friends and family (offline) could care less even though they are over half the people who “liked” me on facebook. None of them are on Google plus and as I said, I already have more followers.
Where’s my invite???? 🙁
Geez. Dont you people check your mail. I sent you one.
I sent you one too, Loon!
I haven’t received an invite yet, and I look at my junk all the time (that doesn’t sound right). Anyway, I tried to apply, but they said to wait and that due to high volume, they weren’t respecting any invites for right now. I guess everyone’s trying to get down with G+. 🙂
George I just sent to your hotmail and your gmail account. Let me know if it works.
WTF? I didn’t see either one 🙁
Must be because that lost tooth got in your eye.
We might wind up with Google and Twitter all to ourselves George.
You mean Facebook?
Yeah I meant facebook. You know I’m gettin’ senile.
There are pills for that.
I’m not a fan of social networks. I know they work for some, but I just can’t get into any of them. I guess it’s just as well as I hear folks all the time talking about it sucking up all of their time.
Great review by the way.
Have a terrific day. 🙂
I put a limit on the time I spent on FB and twitter. Somehow Google Plus has sucked me in.
I’ve more or less managed to avoid them all so far…..
The Gimcrack could use some marketing.
Ha, Google+ won’t let me join yet – took my email address and is going to get back to me when it’s open to everyone to join.
Don’t know any of my family or friends in the UK that’s been able to join yet so I’m not too upset about it – unless the buggers are lying to me !!!
I just sent you an invite. Supposedly today they opened it up to anyone to join.
I’m totally feeling the irony, Bear! It’s like rain on my wedding day.
(Let’s agree never to bring up this subpar comment again.)
You got married?
(see i can have subpar responses)
Hey your GIF is one of the best I have seen I wish I could put it on the back window of my car to greet tailgaters. I really hate SMS shorthand but your GIF is so cool I have to say LOL & ROFLMAO.
I got your Google+ invite but am still pondering whether I want another social network as I can’t be bothered with Twitter or FB. I just send my comic posts to them but rarely use them for anything else
I know what you mean but for me, I have found a bunch of new artists and cartoonists that I am interested in. In two weeks I have more people following me on G+ than I have in the year and a half I have been on facebook.
I think G+ works well with you artist types but us dummy bloggers (there’s only one so far, I believe)it is more difficult to get a following.
I have a few followers who I have no idea who they are so I just put them in the “I have no idea who these people are” circle.
Also, I haven’t noticed all the gif’s yet. You should share your gif for this post of G+.
Just say, “I know people don’t like animated gifs but I HAD to share this one because it is so cool.” and then share it. 🙂
I think humor is going to be a huge category. I think Google pushed it open to artists first. There are a lot of those circles I don’t belong in either.
I have a circle for people that I follow that don’t follow me back and one for people that follow me that I haven’t figured out yet what to do with. That way if I am in a hurry, I focus on the streams of people that I am most interested in.
I found you on G+ so now I’m following you. I don’t notice many gifs of any type up there but my circles are different than yours.
I probably have more artsy people while you have funny people who just post Americas Home Video.
Another place to spend our lives. Social media will be the death of us all.
Well if you all would move to Cincinnati, things would be solved.
Why, would the pollution kill us first?
No…probably boredom.
Oh for crying out loud another social networking platform! Hello, reclusive introvert alert!!!!!
No…that is a reclusive extravert.
So you’re saying when I saw that cool Simpson’s gif, it wasn’t a novel thing? That’ll show me for not checking my Google + enough.
That is hilarious, Bearman, and awesome caricature of Britteny in the previous post too!
Thanks Lisa. Actually you were the first place I saw the Simpsons gif. I stared at the darn thing for at least 2 minutes.
I’m trying to avoid google+ w/ every fiber of my being. …and at my age, there’s a lot of fiber in me to help me along! [grin]
I think as a cartoonist or any blogger, the more exposure you can get to your work, is a good thing. If you do nothing else besides create a profile and include a link back to your site, you have done yourself a bit of good.
Do it for the exposure.
Shouldn’t all the exposure that YOU give me, be enough?!? [grin]
I’m not sure I know how to use that there kind of social technology. Whatever will I do w/ my stockpile of carrier pigeons?o.O #truestory
Only enough to have the authorities called..haha
What to do with pigeons? Dinner?
I have not even tried Google + yet, I know i need to look into it but man I am over all the tech at the moment and happy in my bubble.
Well instead of a bubble, you can be in a circle.
yea just seems like more pointless stuff
Love the animated gif. Someone should put together a simple tutorial on Google Plus. Any takers?
So many takers. Here is one I use
http://www.localseoguide.com/google-plus-shortcuts-tips/
Thanks pal, I’ll check it out.
Cool animated gif/comic. I dream one day of being wealthy and hiring someone to do all of my internet social networking. It’s horrible!
I dream one day of being wealthy and hiring someone to do all my DRAWING
Aw, man! I go away for a week and a half, and look at all the stuff I’ve got to try figure out! *shakes fist angrily at the Googlie sky*
NOOOoooooo!
🙂
Good…just invited you too.
Hmm…
still working my way up to this…
🙂
chicken
I wonder if that I.D. is taken yet?!
🙂
They are saving it for you.
One of these days I’m going to find out what Google Plus is…as soon as I catch up with all of the other trends that overshot me, like the Macarena and Pogs.
You are too busy drawing pretty pictures of large semi naked women to notice what is going on in the world.
Did you say something? I was too busy drawing buttocks.
No POOP.
Haha!
Nice FX 😀
Thanks!
Google +?!? What the hell is that? I still haven’t figured out Twitter. Anyway, I like the cartoon…even though it flipped me off.
Wait a second and it will wave.
I was invited by someone but I had no idea what it was about so I have not been on there. It really sounds like something even I might be able to do.
Well if you need another invite (it was probably me the first time)…let me know.
I don’t mind animated Gif’s on Google+ so much yet. Your comic actually gives me some ideas about incorporating a small part of the comic into a animated Gif. Hmmm. Regardless, very well done.
Gifs can be your friend Frank…unless there are cats involved and then we have to shoot you.
sorry.
i just can’t do it.
i just can’t do one more thing/transfer my life over.
i’m already on the verge of a breakdown every other minute.
Well then more people would know about your impending breakdown.
I’m totally trying to avoid Google +. If anything, logging into MySpace once a year puts me over the limit on my social media
You are all over Facebook. I think you would enjoy it more. I get more interaction to my posts than I ever did on FB.