{"id":5466,"date":"2015-01-12T22:06:43","date_gmt":"2015-01-13T03:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meetcontent.com\/?p=5466"},"modified":"2017-04-20T00:28:56","modified_gmt":"2017-04-20T04:28:56","slug":"closer-look-shorthand-visual-communications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meetcontent.com\/blog\/closer-look-shorthand-visual-communications\/","title":{"rendered":"A Closer Look at Shorthand Visual Communications"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Emoji
Express yourself<\/figcaption><\/figure>Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of one of our students. A graduating student, let’s say. Perhaps their feelings are best represented like this:<\/p>\n

\"party\"party\"party<\/p>\n

Or like this:<\/p>\n

(\u2022_\u2022)
\n<) \u00a0 )\u256fCollege
\n\/ \u00a0 \u00a0 \\<\/p>\n

\\(\u2022_\u2022)
\n( \u00a0 \u00a0(> is finally
\n\/ \u00a0 \u00a0\\<\/p>\n

(\u2022_\u2022)
\n<) \u00a0 \u00a0)> over.
\n\/ \u00a0 \\<\/p>\n

Or perhaps they would feel more like this:<\/p>\n

\"Kermit<\/p>\n

Why are we talking about GIFs, emoji, and ASCII art in a space where we typically discuss CMS workflows and editorial calendars. Because these are becoming increasingly prominent forms of communication that convey meaning by enhancing or even replacing text. They are also prevalent within the language of social communication, by virtue of their ability to represent multiple words’ worth of reaction or explanation in a short visual burst.<\/p>\n

Just as with any content, appropriate usage is key. So, to take a slightly lighter turn, we decided to look at these fun formats a little more closely.<\/p>\n

A Compressed Image File is Worth a Thousand Words: GIFs<\/h2>\n

First up, let\u2019s talk GIFs. GIFs (graphics interchange format<\/a>), first created in 1987, are a file format created by early internet provider Compuserve (remember Compuserve?) that supports animation.<\/p>\n

In recent years, as advances in software<\/a> have made them easier to create, GIFs have blown up in popularity as a way to create a currency of social content around pop culture, often achieving meme status. In a 2013 explainer about the popularity of GIFs<\/a>, The New York Times called them a \u201cvisual way to drive home a written point.\u201d Reddit defines the ever-popular \u201creaction gif<\/a>\u201d as \u201ca physical or emotional response that is captured in a gif which you can link in response to someone or something on the Internet.\u201d<\/p>\n

But at its heart, the GIF presents an easy way to add an engaging animated element to our content at low cost. In higher ed, GIFs have be used a few ways:<\/p>\n