Have you ever noticed when you comment on other people’s blog that some bloggers have an image beside their name, yet you have a default one. Do you wonder why that is? They are using Gravatars.
What Is A Gravatar?
A gravatar, is simply an 80×80 pixel avatar that follows you from blog to blog appearing beside your name when you comment.
How to Setup Gravatars for your Blog
Signing up for a gravatar.com account is free. All that’s required is your email address.
Once you sign up you will receive a confirmation email, with a link that will activate your account and allow you to set your password.
Once you click on the link you are taken to a page that requires you to finish the signup process. ( Note: If you are unable to click on the link in your email, highlight the activation url in the email, right click and select copy, now open a browser window and paste in the url and press enter.)
Once you have finished the sign up process and clicked submit you will be taken to another screen, which asks you to add your custom avatar.
Gravatar doesn’t have any pre-made avatars to choose from, so you will need to upload your own.
Some people use photographs of their face, while others use pictures of animals, nature, or a logo associated with their blog.
You can easily use a 80 x 80 avatar as your gravatar or you can make your own avatar in a photo editing software like gimp (gimp.org.)
Once you have chosen your gravatar your next step is to upload it. You should be on the page that reads: “Whoops, looks like you don’t have any images yet! Add one by clicking here!”
Next you will be taken to a page asking where you would like to get the image from. You can choose from the internet, your computer or your wordpress.com avatar.
For this example I chose from the internet. Type in the url to the image you want to use. (Make sure you have permission to use the image.)
Next click on next and you will be taken to a screen that allows you to cropt the image.
Position the dotted window to the area you want cropped and click on crop and finish.
Next you will be asked to choose a rating for your new gravatar.
Once you have chosen the appropriate rating you’re finished and now ready to use your new gravatar.
How Do I Use It?
When you comment on blogs that have gravatars enabled (this one soon will) it will automatically add your photo, based on the email you use.
At anytime you can modify your gravatar just by logging into gravatar.com and following the steps.
How Do I Get Gravatars On My Own Blog?
Follow the Gravatar user’s guide which shows you how to enable Gravatars on your blogging platform. (WordPress users can use the Gravatar WordPress Plugin from the Gravatars site.)
Why you should have a Gravatar
The main reason for having a gravatar is that it easily identifies your comments on blogs.
Why should you enable Gravatars on your blog?
Avatars add distinction between individual comments on your blog.
Related information for WordPress Users
Gravatar Signup WordPress Plugin Gravatar Signup is a WordPress plugin that puts a checkbox in your comments form that says “Sign me up for a free Gravatar!”
MyAvatars from MyBlogLog WordPress Plugin Don’t want to use Gravatars. Wordpress users can use MyAvatars, a plugin that shows MyBlogLog’s avatars in your comments instead of Gravatar’s.
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21 responses so far ↓
Wrote: Jul 11, 2008 at 12:41 pm
ahh yes, this is good information, ahh you might want to edit your explanation regarding clicking on the confirmation email link—-sometimes its necessary to highlight it and paste it into ones browser and click go—to make it work. A lot of newbies to computers (aka old folks) are not cut and paste literate. I want to find me an animal/cartoon pic to use, but til then, this one I am currently running shall suffice. Thanks for the information.
GaryJay
Wrote: Jul 11, 2008 at 1:00 pm
hmm its seems it works on Wayne’s blog, but not yours. In checking Gravatars Usage link (you refereence above) it advises that at the moment gravatar and blogger are not in synch yet. (sigh)
Gary,
Wrote: Jul 11, 2008 at 1:12 pm
That’s because I have not enabled the option yet.
Noticed I said…………This one soon will.
Wrote: Jul 11, 2008 at 1:13 pm
You can use a third party service for Gravatars on Blogger.
Wrote: Jul 11, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I had an account already; wonder if it’ll work?
Wrote: Jul 11, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Nice Rose! Complementary posts, perhaps we should provide each other a posting schedule so we don’t overlap too much?
Wrote: Jul 11, 2008 at 4:23 pm
I don’t do posting schedules Wayne.
Wrote: Jul 11, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Roger, what do you know it works.
Wrote: Jul 11, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Bingo! there’s my ugly puss.
I’ll go try it over at Waynes.
Wrote: Jul 11, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Oh. It’s funny that we have the exact same post on the same day isn’t it? What a coincidence!
Wrote: Jul 11, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Well actually we don’t have the exact same post. Yours was written by you and mine was by me.
Wrote: Jul 11, 2008 at 11:12 pm
I’m glad it’s working Demeur.
Wrote: Jul 12, 2008 at 5:17 am
Not working for me. Yet it is when I visit other blogs. Maybe when I visit here I am but a shadow of my former self.
Wrote: Jul 12, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Let’s see if it works; I just signed up!
Wrote: Jul 12, 2008 at 3:10 pm
nope, not yet!
Wrote: Jul 12, 2008 at 4:27 pm
MRMacrum, are you using the same email address here as at Gravatar? The email address much match exactly the email address used for the Gravatar account.
Wrote: Jul 12, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Hmm. I wonder. From some of the comments, I am guessing I have to sign up or something?
But to answer your question, yes, I do believe the Email address is the only one I use for blogging purposes. I did recently hook up with a Gmail account. But I forget that on a regular basis. It’s pretty new and not much going on there.
Wrote: Jul 12, 2008 at 7:35 pm
You need to sign up at Gravatar first and upload a Gravatar.
Wrote: Jul 12, 2008 at 9:29 pm
trying this again…
Wrote: Jul 13, 2008 at 4:52 pm
B I just checked your gravatar at
http://en.gravatar.com/site/check/email
Where Emai l( Replace with the email you use here at my blog)
I don’t see your Gravatar.
You must have missed a step. Did you upload one there and choose a rating?
Wrote: Jul 13, 2008 at 9:33 pm
okay, it’s the email issue. Changing it now!