Feature Proposal: Centralized Public GIF Repository for Improved UX + Storage Efficiency

I’d like to propose a feature concept that could improve content discoverability, engagement metrics, and backend efficiency on Lush.

(CONCEPT) Since so many people upload GIFs publicly on Lush, what if there was a searchable GIF library like the one built into messaging apps? It'd make it super easy to find and share GIFs in chats, increase engagement, and give creators more visibility. Just thought it could be a fun upgrade for everyone)

Currently, users frequently upload identical GIFs into their personal libraries, leading to significant redundancy and making discovery difficult. A centralized, searchable public GIF repository could streamline this.

Key Benefits

Enhanced UX & Engagement

Fast search + one-tap sharing within chats and stories

Increased time-on-site and repeat interaction

Content Discoverability

Public uploads (NOT PRIVATE ) become browsable with relevance-based sorting

More visibility for creators and uploaded content

Moderation Control

Cloud Storage Optimization

Reduce redundant uploads and duplicate file storage

Opportunity to compress and standardize assets at ingestion layer

Future Expansion / Monetization

Featured content, premium filters, creator rewards, analytics insights

Thanks for considering this idea. I'm excited to hear your thoughts!

In principle, I like the idea but building up a library of gifs would take time. Those messaging apps you mention mostly tie into Giphy or Tenor rather than having their own library. E.g. I run a site using Xenforo software and Xenforo has integration with Giphy for gifs. But those don't have x-rated content. Pornhub has a gif library but I am not sure if it has an API like the big gif sites do.

Quote by Seeker4

In principle, I like the idea but building up a library of gifs would take time. Those messaging apps you mention mostly tie into Giphy or Tenor rather than having their own library. E.g. I run a site using Xenforo software and Xenforo has integration with Giphy for gifs. But those don't have x-rated content. Pornhub has a gif library but I am not sure if it has an API like the big gif sites do.

Totally agree that building a full standalone library from zero would be resource-intensive. The good news is: Lush has already accumulated a massive foundation of GIF assets passively through user uploads. The "library" already exists it's just fragmented inside individual profile albums where it has almost no discoverability or reuse value.

The real opportunity isn't creating content It's indexing and unlocking what's already on the platform.

You're right that, for people not directly linking to giphy, tenor etc, there must be a tonne of redundancy on the server for people who have downloaded pics/GIFs and then uploaded/stored them in their own media folders to share.

But I don't know how a site like this could leverage its own library. Nor why the site would, when that wheel has already been invented, and works well.

There are also copyright issues if we're officially sanctioning stuff. At the moment, we push the burden of proof back on the author and disavow any content violation as caveat utilitor, unless we receive a takedown request. If we procure content scraped off the web and offer it for consumption to members, we're on thorny legal ground.

I'm not sure how many authors seek permission from the content owner before (re)posting pics and GIFs on their walls, or even using photos in their story covers. I suspect not many. Individuals doing that is one thing. An organisation doing that is a different matter entirely.

Quote by WannabeWordsmith

You're right that, for people not directly linking to giphy, tenor etc, there must be a tonne of redundancy on the server for people who have downloaded pics/GIFs and then uploaded/stored them in their own media folders to share.

But I don't know how a site like this could leverage its own library. Nor why the site would, when that wheel has already been invented, and works well.

There are also copyright issues if we're officially sanctioning stuff. At the moment, we push the burden of proof back on the author and disavow any content violation as caveat utilitor, unless we receive a takedown request. If we procure content scraped off the web and offer it for consumption to members, we're on thorny legal ground.

I'm not sure how many authors seek permission from the content owner before (re)posting pics and GIFs on their walls, or even using photos in their story covers. I suspect not many. Individuals doing that is one thing. An organisation doing that is a different matter entirely.

Very solid points.

Yeah, copyright is a big reason sites tend to use the big libraries rather than building their own. Then the owner of the library is responsible if there is a copyright claim. Pornhub, for instance, seems to mostly have gifs created from videos on their own site so presumably copyright has been dealt with already. I use embed links wherever possible, even for static images. For my covers I either us an AI generator or search for Creative Commons licensed stock.

Yeah, that's a understandable obstacle. I also use external links and after a short time on here and using the external link process, I may ADD kicked in and I want to make it a more seamless process. Until I find my next trigger, I'm probably going to have one too many ideation sessions with myself to find a proven workout or build a use case that shows a ROI that outweighs the challenges.. I should be more productive elsewhere, but now that I have feedback and stated challenges, I'm locked in. lol

I think a better way of doing so would be to add a hashtag or 'category' feature when users upload images/gifs specifically to publicly available albums.

This way, the site can still push the burden of responsibility to the member, by keeping the media in their album and also creating a centralised space for the images to be searched from.

I like Georgia’s idea of being able to tag media and make that searchable across individual users’ albums. As already pointed out, otherwise centralizing the management of uploaded media would make Lush unacceptably vulnerable under copyright law.

And like Seeker4 said, I too am starting to limit myself to using copyright-free images for my covers, either from creazilla or AI-generated. I don’t have a good way of knowing whether the more explicit images out there are copyrighted or not, so I'm moving away from using those.

just as a matter, of course I keep all my gifs in a separate folder on my profile. That way people don’t have to go searching through a bunch of stills to find them. It probably wouldn’t be that hard to tag them beyond that point.