Google+ now allows you to use a GIF images for your profile pictures and as such, we have here a few places you would want to check out when you’re on the lookout for GIF images.

But first, here’s a little background. GIF is short for Graphics Interchange Format. The format has been around since 1987 and has recently seen resurgence in popularity.

These images come with built-in compression and support for their most famous feature: animation.

It works this way – GIF images are able to store frames which are displayed in succession hence the ability to be animated.

Just think of all the possibilities. It’s like a mini-video stored in a relatively small file size. Look at this sample.

Now that we have you interested, here are the places on the Internet we suggest you go to in your search for that Google+ GIF profile picture.

Google

We do not exactly know if Google’s move to add a search filter for animated photos was a prelude to them introducing the ability to make GIF images your Google+ profile picture.

Nonetheless, we are thankful they have as their GIF images search is actually pretty good.

So how do you search for GIF images through Google? Well, you Google “cute kitten” [because the internet is for looking at pictures of cute cats], click on Images, click on Search tools, click on Any type and select Animated.

Alternately, you can go straight to Google Images search, and then typing your keyword, by clicking on Images after going to Google.

One more time: Google Images search –> Search tools –> Any type –> Animated. Play around with your keywords and the filters to get your perfect GIF.

If you want to search a particular site via Google for GIFs, use the age-old trick of including “site:domain.com” in your search query.

Tumblr

If Google is the default search engine, even for GIF images now, Tumblr is where Google gets most of its results.

Why not try to go there directly? Tumblr users just love their GIF images. (On a different but related note, what do you call Tumblr users?)

To search for GIFs on Tumblr, just type in your keywords and add GIF. To give you an example, you can search for cute kitten GIFs by typing “cute kitten GIF”.

There are also dedicated GIF Tumblr sites you can follow like GIFs From Last Night.

Reddit

Another place where GIF images abound is on Reddit.

The popular social news site even has a subreddit for GIFs at r/gifs.

Given that Reddit recommends image hosting site Imgur, you’ll also find a lot of Reddit GIFs at Imgur r/gifs. Speaking of Imgur connected to Reddit GIFs, there are albums like Reaction GIFs for Every Situation and Reactiongifsarchive that you should definitely check out.

Reddit also offers other subreddits rife with GIF images like r/reactiongifs and r/perfectloops.

We recommend browsing through those pages we linked on Reddit if you have no particular idea for a GIF or you just want to be entertained. Otherwise, try searching Google using “site:reddit.com” for a more targeted search.

Also, there are GIF images search engines out there which is a testament to how popular GIFs have become once again. By search engines we mean other than Google, of course. Giphy is the first to come to mind.

The internet also has sites which collect GIFs and regularly post about them.

What we recommend is to explore the internet. There’s bound to be a flood of crazy good GIF images out there.

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Facebook King Forever?

It seems that just about any social media article that you read these days talks about the numerous benefits of Facebook as a vehicle for business growth. While Facebook has been able to dominate the social media field for some time, there is reason to believe that the company may be losing its edge. The company has moved from a spunky start up that no one believed in to the giant that it is today. Many believe that this change will harbor slower decisions from management and thus a worse overall experience for Facebook users in general. This is not to mention the fact that the social network is now a publicly traded stock and will thus have to put the interests of shareholders above their customers in some situations.

Google+ Rises

Many believe that the next big player to move into the throne that Facebook has occupied for such a long time will be Google+. The most used search engine in the world by far, Google already has plenty of respect and brand recognition. The fact that the site now also offers social networking features is just another sign that it is in the fight for customers. Since the company is so large and does rely on social networking alone for its revenues, some feel that it might have an advantage over the younger and less experienced Facebook.

Image: Fabrizio Van Marciano via Flickr (CC)

How To Make Google+ Work For You

Once you have decided that in fact Google+ is the right way to go, you will need to know how to make the site work for you. This means that you will need to know how to get the most views on the site. This can be broken down into three steps.

1. Google+ Links

Putting links into your Google+ account is an excellent step in the right direction. You want to do this because you want to make sure that your viewers are able to see more information on what you are writing about. Google+ generates great links that are faster and easier to use than when they are on Facebook. You are far more likely to get more +1 hits on Google+ (their version of a “like”) if you have embedded links.

2. Title Tags

Anytime you post a status on Google+, it is given a title tag. These title tags are very important. These are keywords that others will search for when looking through the social network. It is important to think of the first part of your status as a title tag or a tweet. If you can think of it this way, you can alter it to make it more likely to be searched for. This directly affects your rankings and rates.

3. How Much Can I Customize My Google+?

Perhaps one of the best parts about Google+ is that it is far easier to customize than Facebook. There are also many more options available, particularly in the realm of privacy settings. These types of things are important, as everyone deserves the right to their privacy. It is easy to edit posts, delete posts, or anything you need to do on Google+.

This post has been written by Susain Alberta. She loves to write tips for Search Engine Optimization.

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Google+ is eventually going to be as big, or bigger, than Facebook and Twitter.  How do I know?  Because Google wants it to be big, and they have the power to make it happen.  This year, we’ve already seen several algorithm updates aimed at driving traffic to Google+, and next year we’ll see even more.  Bottom line: if you don’t already have a +1 Button on your website, you should put one in immediately.

How is a +1 Button Different from a Like Button?

The +1 Button is designed specifically to improve the browsing experience of Google Plus users.  Unlike Facebook Likes or other social media recommendation systems, +1 is integrated with Google’s SERPs.  When Google Plus users are searching within Google, they will see their friend’s recommendations directly beside the results.  Occasionally, Google+ recommendations will even appear alongside Google ads.

In addition, Google crawls pages more often if they regularly receive +1 recommendations.  This keeps the most updated version of your website in Google’s index.

As more Internet users sign up for Plus, +1 is going to become its own SEO metric.

Tips to Maximize your +1’s

Put +1 Buttons Everywhere

Put buttons on the top and bottom of all your content.

In addition, you can set up multiple +1 Buttons on a single page that all recommend different URLs by editing the href attribute.  You can use this to set up buttons next to your content’s navigation links.

Use the Callback Function.

The +1 button has a callback function that generates a signal whenever it is pushed.  Using this, you can build your website to react to someone giving you a +1.  You could give a personalized thank-you message, or even offer access to exclusive content.  Please note, though, that rewards for +1 clicks with any monetary value are forbidden by Google’s user agreement.

Alternatively, you can use callbacks to track when someone un-recommends your website.  You could use a pop-up to ask why they chose to un-recommend you so you can avoid losing more recommendations.  You could also try offering some additional content to try to get them to reconsider.

Track your +1’s

Google analytics now offers data tracking for +1 Buttons.  You can check who is recommending and un-recommending your website, where they live, how old they are, and other demographic indicators.  Pay attention and you will be able to figure out who is giving you +1’s and why.

Display your Aggregates

A lot of people like things that are liked by a lot of other people.  Use a bubble button to display the aggregate number of +1’s your page has received.  This will help people feel correct and justified in choosing to recommend your content.

Write Good Content

Recommending a page is an emotional investment.  It requires a willingness to put your name beside content that isn`t your own, and let your friends judge you for it.  As developers, we should make it as easy as possible to recommend content by making it great.  If your content is strong, recommendations will follow.

This guest post was submitted by Steve who is a Social Media Manager and Google AdWords Certified Individual at TechWyse, an internet marketing firm based in Toronto, Canada. TechWyse specializes in SEO, PPC and Social Media Marketing. You can read more of Steve’s writing at TechWyse.com/blog.

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Authors and SEO
Google uses over 200 criteria in its search algorithm and each criterion is given a weighting. At the current time, Google Authorship is only given a very minor rating. However, used wisely, it can have a huge impact on an author’s click through rate which does raises a site’s rating. This makes it an extremely useful tool for SEO.

How does Google Authorship Improve an Author’s Click Through Rate?

Google Authorship creates a clear link between author and content. Searchers will be shown not only the usual snippet of information about the page in question, but also the name and photograph of the author of the information.

They can look at the author’s biography and other content and see how many people are in their Google+ circle relative to the amount of content they have created. This is an excellent tool for establishing credibility with a searcher and thereby persuading them that it is worth their time to read the content.

How to Set up Google+ for Google Authorship 

Create a Google+ Account (if necessary) and sign in. When prompted, add a passport acceptable photo and click through until the prompts end and there is the option to continue to Google+.

• Choose the profile option (under home) and then ‘edit profile’
• Click +1’s and then mark ‘show this tab on your profile’ and save
• Next, click on ‘about’ and scroll down to the bottom where it says ‘other profiles’
• Choose ‘Manage Connected Accounts’ and then ‘Connect an Account’

Add all other relevant profiles (e.g. Facebook and LinkedIn). This is all that is required for Google Authorship, however adding more information can increase credibility.

How to Link Content to Google+

There are various methods for linking content to Google+ though some are only available to people who can access the source data on web pages. There is, however, a method which can be used by anyone provided that the web page with the content contains the phrase ‘By John Doe’. John Doe is the author’s name exactly as it appears in their Google+ profile and the email address used in the content belongs to the same domain as the web site itself. For example, if the content is hosted on mycontent.com, then the email address should be john.doe@mycontent.com.

The Google Authorship homepage allows authors to verify their external email address with Google by having an email sent to the address with a link to click. Once this has been done, Google will automatically populate the author’s ‘Contributes to’ section with the relevant domain.

Google Authorship and WordPress

Unfortunately, using Google Authorship with WordPress presents additional challenges which Google itself acknowledges. There are various plug-ins which address the matter, however at current time there are still issues with them. Fortunately, many WordPress themes allow authors to create condensed biographies to be displayed at the bottom of posts. This can be used to link content to Google+. From the dashboard, navigate to Users>Your Profile>About Yourself>Biographical Info. Write a short biography and end it with the tag Google+ where 123456789123456789123 is the relevant ID number.

Once this is done, it is wise to check that everything is working as it should and Google’s Webmaster Tools site provides a tool to do just that.

About The Author:
Amy Harris is a writer for Expert Market which offers a free service to businesses, providing a sourcing tool for finding office equipment and business services. She enjoys helping businesses with their online marketing strategy.

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The new Youtube design, which is currently available to only a few testing participants, resembles the Google Plus layout. (Image: Engadget / June 14, 2012)

YouTube has changed its design to look like Google’s social networking site Google Plus. For now, only a few people can see this new design; people who participate in tests facilitated by the firm.

One look at the redesign screenshot reveals that YouTube has really adapted the style of Google Plus. For one, it has more white space; it is quite ironic that Google Plus received criticisms for being too white, but the easier and whiter layout now replaces the black side bar of the current design. In addition, there is a wider middle feed and thumbnails of the videos are larger.

Even the right side bar changed; there is a different look to the recommended videos, and at the top right, a large-sized video thumbnail is on display.

It certainly looks neater than the current YouTube design. Even if it looks like Google Plus, however, there is no indication that the integration between the two Google services will become stronger. A user who is a test participant sent the screenshot of the new YouTube design to Engadget.

This redesign will arrive after only six months since YouTube last got a revamp. According to a statement by Google, “…with more videos coming to YouTube every minute we’re always experimenting with ways to help people more easily find, watch and share the videos that matter most to them. As always, we’ll consider rolling changes out more broadly based on user feedback on these experiments.”

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