How to make an animated GIF appear live in a Google+ Post?

Recently I tried a GIF image like above in a Google+ post,  the animation didn't show up until one had to click through a picture. Many of the followers didn't understand the relevance of the picture until they had clicked it, which seemed like an additional step. I didn't know the reason why the animation didn't work, until a Google+ user, Archer Rehcra suggested the following tip:

The maximum size for an animated GIF that will activate in a Google+ stream is 400 x 300 pixels. If you have a larger file size then you can resize them here at http://www.online-image-editor.com/, which allows you to save the file in your computer after resizing.

Thanks Archer.

For other websites like Facebook, check the website picture terms, they should state the picture requirements.

Also, read how to create an animated GIF file from this LockerGnome article.