Meme’s are the stuff internet dreams are made of. Okay, not really, but they are the equivalent of internet wildfire. You create a meme that resonates and it will soon spin its way out into the viral atmosphere. They’re great to promote a message or product, musts for Pinterest if you are uploading images of merchandise or a site, and great ways to generate likes and interest on Facebook.
What is a meme, you ask? A meme can be defined as:
(noun)
-
an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, esp. imitation.
Which is a fancy way of saying a meme is an idea or concept that spreads via the internet – it’s an imitated thing, if you take the definition from the Greek word mimeme. So you imitate a concept or idea in micracy, and it then (hopefully) goes viral.
Now how do you make one?
Find your image – be sure it’s free to use and share via the creative commons (no pirating, please) – and your theme.
Then if you have Photoshop or Pixlr Eidtor – which is a free online image editor – you can create type your text on the image and save as a jpeg. It’s that simple.
Or you can use a meme generator site like Imgur. These sites allow you to upload your own photo background and add text.
While meme’s are often on the cheekier side of the spectrum, you can use them to showcase merchandise or build interest.
Facebook and Memes
Facebook has been the meme capital of the world for years, but don’t expect Facebook to give you any extra love for your stellar meme these days. Since their New Feed algorithm change that rolled out in late 2013, Facebook is trying to award greater News Feed visibility to “high-quality” posts. Read here for more info about that from Molly McHugh.
If all else fails, look within for the answers…
