What Is An Infographic?
PixelCurse.com
Infographics are the latest trend that is sweeping the blogosphere. And unlike other trends, like memes for example, which can get tired fairly quickly, infographics are fun, attention getting, and convey a good deal information in a small amount of space. But, before you hunt down some infographics (or start to create your own), you should know these basic facts about them.
Let's start at the beginning:
What is an infographic?
The name itself says it all: a mash up of "info" and "graphic." An infographic is a piece of pictorial media, like a photograph or a chart. In fact, a chart is one of the closest comparisons possible. Picture all of the information from a pie chart, or even a basic graph chart, only it is laid out in a large rectangular surrounded by pictures, graphics and other facts, all relating together. They may be on something fun and offbeat, like how many breeds of dogs are in the United States, or more information, for example, how to choose and purchase a diamond. Some are even designed as flow charts, and allow you (and your readers) to follow the arrows in order to reach certain conclusions. These types of infographics are the most fun, since they require more concentration and interaction than simply looking the information in the box.
Where do I find them?
[pullquote]Infographics are an amazing way to translate information by keeping your viewers engaged witout a ton of text.[/pullquote]Do a quick search on the word "infographic" and dozens of sites will pop up. Some are simply collections of various infographics made by different companies, while other sites are owned by companies that make and distribute their own infographics. Before right clicking and saving one to your computer, make sure that you are allowed to use it and post it on your blog or website. Check the ownership, users rights and credits that must be given beforehand, lest you end up with an angry email threatening you unless you take it down.
Why post an infographic to my site?
If you do not have a lot of time and still want to put a post up that day, then you cannot go wrong with an infographic. All that you have to come up with is a witty headline, some keywords, and meta information. And the credits that go along with the infographic, since you need to link back to where you received it from and also state who designed it. Your readers will appreciate the whimsiness of it, and they will also find it informative. And you will get extra traffic from people who do a keyword search on the information that it contains.
Can I make my own infographics?
Why not? If you have the design skills and feel like compiling the required data, then go for it. Make sure that when you post it to your site, you state that you created it yourself and therefore own the rights to it, or else you may see it popping up all over the web. One good way to do this is by placing the title and URL of your site in the corner of the graphic itself. A great site to create your own infographic is at Visual.ly.
Visual.ly