To create an animated GIF just use a GIF editor like GIF Animator, then include it in your web page just like any other animation. Nothing else needs to be done. One of great advantages of GIF89a is that no plug in is required and your visitors do not need to download anything to make them work. Unless you have a really old browser, support is just built in.

But remember, please, that most visitors to your site don't want to see a whole lot of animations. Most people find looking at bouncing balls, dancing girls, juggling pineapples and spinning clocks to be incredibly annoying. Having a lot of animation is a good way to get your visitors to become ex-visitors.

Also, GIF89a files tend to be large, so again you want to be careful what you include. A good rule of thumb is no more than one or two small animations on a page and only when necessary. And be sure to make most of your animations non-looping, meaning they stop when they've gone through all of frames.

GIF animation is rarely essential for a web site to work properly. Think through if you really need it before you put hundreds of animations on a single page. A small bouncing sign that says "buy me" is good in right conditions, but a dozen blinking, spinning, twirling banners virtually always causes me to hit that old back button right away.

I have to take a moment to mention impact that streaming slides can have for realtors and homebuilders. With so much real estate activity taking place over web today, imagine sales edge that a good slide show could have by showcasing property's outstanding features. Add an audio that discusses availability of nearby schools, shopping, transportation, and entertainment, as well as available financing for property, and you have a property that will surely sell. You will probably also have very grateful and happy buyers, especially if they are trying to locate suitable properties from a city or town far away.

Several publications have called streaming slides a true attention getter! All it takes to put together a streaming slide show is gathering your images on disk, photo or paper. Get your audio cassette ready or have a script available. (Most encoding companies can provide voice talent if necessary.) In your script you will indicate where slide changes are to occur, or you will provide audio cues on your cassette tape for this to happen. Information will also have to be provided on sequencing of pictures. Your encoding company will prepare and digitize your media and send you web ready files or they will offer hosting on their own servers.

Small businesses have always dreamed of having access to expensive media so that they could promote their products tastefully and with style. Now they can at very reasonable costs...and with 365/24/7 capability that only Internet can offer. The creative possibilities of marketing with streaming media are endless; streaming slide shows are only one of many options available to small business.

(To see a streaming slide show demo, go to: http://www.wbcimaging.com/RealDemos/RealDemoTable.htm)