A little while ago, I was commenting on a blog post by a fellow copywriter. It was a good post, and so I decided to let her know I appreciated it, and to add my own thoughts (because I was no longer a ninja blog reader).
I liked how some of the other commenters had photos next to their name and comment, and noticing a few social login options, I figured that if I logged in with my Google+ account, I could comment and have my photo just like all the other big boys and girls.
But when I submitted my comment, there was no picture. It was a disheartening moment. Luckily, the copywriter whose post I was commenting on was happy to explain (thanks Kate Toon!). You see, I needed a Gravatar.
A Grava-What?
Gravatar stands for “Globally Recognised Avatar”.
An avatar (without the “gr”) is an image that represents a person. It could be their photo, a cartoon version of them, or some other sort of image.
A Gravatar (with the “gr”) is an avatar that follows you around the internet when you comment on blog posts etc., and leave your email address as part of the commenting process. As with any avatar, it can be a photo of you, a cartoon of you, or any other image.
How Do I Get a Gravatar?
Setting up your Gravatar is free. Go to the Gravatar site and select “Sign In” (top right-hand corner). If you already have a WordPress account, then sign right on in. If not, then select “Need an account?” (bottom right-hand corner of the sign-in form). You’ll be asked to supply an email, username, and password. Use the email you would normally comment with to sign up. They’re a bit picky about passwords, so make sure yours includes at least one letter and one number.
Once you’ve signed up, you will be sent an email, with a link to click on. Click on the link, which will take you back to the Gravatar site, where you can log in and add an image by clicking “Add one by clicking here!” It’s up to you whether you upload one from your computer, or choose one from the internet.
Get Your Gravatar On
Do you have a Gravatar? Comment below to see how it looks.
Do you prefer not to have a picture next to your comments? Why/why not? Let me know in the comments below!
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Want to know who made my Gravatar? Meet Peppa Design in this post.
Want to learn about other cool technological stuff? Check out this post about Zoom.us.