Discussion: Gifs in Reviews

January 9, 2015     erinbook     Discussion, Feature

Everyone seems to have a different opinion on this one. To gif or not to gif, that is the question. I have a complicated opinion when it comes to this. So let’s begin.

I get a bit annoyed when gifs are all over goodreads. It makes it hard for the site to load and many times they are over used. Sometimes the review isn’t even a review, it’s just a string of reaction gifs. Can we not? When I’m looking at reviews on goodreads I want an actual review that I can agree or disagree with.

When it comes to gifs in blog reviews I have very little problem with it. When used sparingly of course. When I first started using gifs in my posts I went a bit overboard. It was a new way to get the point across for me (and I had so many good fandom gifs I wanted to use). But in the case of gifs in reviews I think less is more. One or two is plenty. Unless you REALLY can’t contain yourself.

To me, an over abundance of gifs is for tumblr. Tumble your gifs all you want, but use good judgement on your blog and on goodreads.

What is your opinion on gifs? Like or hate? Let’s discuss! Share your thoughts in the comments.

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18 responses to “Discussion: Gifs in Reviews

  1. Gifs are cool, but not my style. I agree that they should be used sparingly, and an overabundance is not good. If I'm looking at reviews, I want to be able to read someone's opinion on the book, not just look at gif after gif after gif. It's not the same.

  2. I've used gifs in a review once (just recently in fact, with the last book I did not finish), and that was only because the book wasn't worth my words. Other than that, I reserve gifs for status updates. Overall though? I don't mind gifs. Some of the reviews I've read with more gifs than words have actually been quite funny.

    It all comes down to personal choice in the end. You should be able to do whatever you want with your own review without suffering backlash. I mean, you don't tell somebody what color to paint their house, right? It might be annoying when you drive by, or even cause accidents, but it's their house. If they want to decorate it with seizure-inducing lights and inflatable sasquatch, good for them.

  3. I have never put a gif in a GR review. I think I have only once used an image of any kind there. It was on a five star review of an adult vampire book and I was excited because it was the first vampire story I had loved (even liked) since Anne Rice. My GR reviews are only mini first feelings posts usually anyway. I just come back and add the link to my blog review at the bottom when it is done, but for some reviewers GR is their only bloggng platform. As for gifs on my blog posts, I have become pretty popular for them. They are usually pretty unique to what other bloggers use and I usually have a theme to them; they are never just random images from disconnected sources. Some readers have told me they visit just to see what I have used. Every single author whom I have reviewed their book always comment on the emotion I paint with them. So maybe the fail is in the application.

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