I want to spend a very windy Chicago day talking about Gravatars. Those are the curious creatures that you see from time to time when you are commenting on blogs.They have a number of different looks, but the basic Gravatar symbol is:
So, why are we discussing gravatars today? Very simple! My wife’s birthday is tomorrow and in honor of her birthday I created a site: mjnathan.com. (Quick Note: I will not be blogging this weekend, since we are going up to Apple Holler in Wisconsin to go apple picking.) In there I have a guestbook. My mother-in-law asked how she could put her picture in there. To be honest, it has been so long since I have added my picture on my blog comments that I actually forgot.
So, today I want to just talk a little about Gravatars. First of all, if you have the updated WordPress you probably have some variation of the Gravatar on your site. Some themes do not support them, so there are some plugins which you can use in these situations.
First, there is Easy Gravatars which I loaded to help identify people with Gravatars. This is what I loaded into my wife’s new site. Second, you can add something like Gravatar box, so people who do not already have a gravatar can sign up. I did not use this, so just a heads up here.
That brings me to the other side of the equation. What happens if you want your own gravatar for when you are commenting on other blogs? You can either use the Gravatar box (just mentioned) or you can sign up for free at gravatar.com.
Either way, it only takes a few minutes and then whenever you comment on someone else’s blog additional search traffic, a great comment, or even TSA you can see your uploaded Gravatar picture. Just be conscientious when you sign up that this is a picture that will be public, so make it one that you like.
That in a nutshell is how to add Gravatars to your site and also include them in a comment on WordPress blogs.
Hey Andy, great post here. Definitely nice to have an avatar once we comment on other blogs. Always best to not stay anonymous on those parts. lol Thanks for sharing this! Keep it up! 😀 Happy Birthday to your wife by the way! 😀
PJ,
Thanks!
Definitely good to have a continuous image on different sites. I will let my wife know you say happy birthday!
Andy
Gravatars are a cool and simple way of branding your identity. It helps blog owners to know if you are just a bummer or not. 😀
Enjoy your Vacay Sir ANdy
Herbert,
Gravatars are definitely a ton of fun!
Thanks on the Vacay!
Andy
Great information Andy. And just another tip – this may seem really obvious but I’ve come across quite a few people who didn’t realize they need to add each email address they use (or may use) to the Gravatar list.
Hope you have a terrific week apple picking!
Marquita,
Thanks! That is a great point to add about the email address. Forgot that people will be using multiple email addresses.
Andy
hi Andy
I hope you enjoyed your apple picking. Thanks for an informative post on gravatars. These little pictures do make websites a lot more friendly and personal when you can actually see the person who is writing a comment.
Anne,
Thanks! Apple picking was great! Gravatars make sites more human.
Andy
Sir Andy, Can I invite you to post a content at my blog? I really appreciate if you and share your knowledge and expertise to my small group of readers. 😀
Herbert,
Sorry for the delay! I would be glad to post on your blog. Right now I am slammed. Could we talk more at the end of the month about this?
Andy
Andy
I know a Gravatar is something to set one apart from all the other commenters/visitors out there. Still something I have yet to do for commenting.
It seems that for all or at least most WP themes its a work around of sorts to differentiate the authors gravatar from everyone else, certainly something to play around with for sure.
CJ,
WP generally has it included, but not always. You also as an individual have to set up your own gravatar.
Andy
Its alright Sir, just let me know if you have enough spare time.
Cheers 😀
Herbert,
Thanks!
Andy
I’m now thinking if I have to put my cute picture as my gravatar just to prove that I am not a bummer.. Just kidding. But in one way or another it’s more fun if we have a gravatar. But still it’s still their choice. We just given an option.
Gracelyn,
I do not believe you are a bummer. 🙂
Gravatars just make it more interactive.
Andy
Hi Andy:
I love it when people who comment on my blog have a gravatar. It makes the experience much more pleasant as you can get a sense of who the person is by their picture. I am always leery of comments without gravatars.
Thanks!
Kevin
Kevin,
That is a point I did not even touch on. Those who do not have Gravatars are really not as easy to trust. Even people who do not put their own name I am 5 times more likely to approve with a picture.
Andy