WordPress How To: Set Up Your Gravatar
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What is a Gravatar?
Have you noticed some folks have photos or images representing their business next to their comments on various websites? (Gravatars can also be displayed in many email programs.) That’s because they took a few minutes to use the free Gravatar service to extend their brand and image.
So, what exactly is a Gravatar? The short answer is Globally Recognized Avatar.
Your mug or logo is far superior to a default site setting, so why not set one up? Here’s how to get yours set up and some tips that have worked for me over the years.
Gravatar + Email Address
Gravatars are based on email addresses. That means you can have a different image for each email address. For example, you can use your logo for a support address instead of your face for blog comments.
Because I have a handful of websites, each has a different Gravatar, depending on the address and the purpose of that email. Other email addresses have unique Gravatars for each of my sites.
Regarding your website, your photo should be the image attached to the email address in your WordPress user profile (Users > Profile). This ensures that your photo will display next to your blog post author information or sidebar ‘About You’ boxes (if enabled and supported).
Most email services allow the use of “forwards.” This is where you can create an email address that forwards to your primary address. For example, for your website, you can use we*****@********in.com, which forwards to yo*@********in.com.
Your Gravatar will also be displayed on websites and blogs where you leave comments, as long as the Gravatar service is integrated. Gravatar is a baked-in functionality for WordPress sites.
You can view your website’s global avatar settings by navigating to Settings > Discussion. Page down and select what you would like to use as your default Avatar for your website.
PRO TIP: I set up a specific email address for commenting activities. This way, I can use a different image if I want to, depending on which site my comment may represent. You can get creative and set up addresses just for commenting: visitme@, mysite@, stopby@…
Gravatar Benefits
The benefit of setting up your custom Gravatar is that it makes your comments more personable and more credible when it comes to business. I always wonder why those folks want to remain anonymous when I see comments that don’t have a custom Gravatar.
You’ll also see Gravatars, which are logos or other icons. I use my photo on forums and for comments. However, you can use caricatures or almost anything you want.
Just ensure it aligns with your business’s image and branding. Surprisingly, I have seen folks use Gravatars that are not very professional in appearance and do not lend to the contributor’s legitimacy. Choose wisely.
Gravatars allow you to do a little extra marketing by displaying your most important tool — your brand. And in many cases, that’s you. Remember, we’re talking about perception here, and that’s why a nice photo, logo, or representation of yourself works best for business activities.
Creating a Gravatar
Choose the graphic or photo you would like to use. A square graphic works best; however, you can crop and adjust how your Gravatar will display during the setup process.
Gravatars display at 80 pixels in height and width (80 x 80). You can upload your best size, and the system will resize it for you. You’ll just want to use a photo or graphic that looks good at that size. For example, small type or image details may not be all that precise at this size.
Then, stop by: https://en.gravatar.com/
The Gravatar site is straightforward to use. Setting up your Gravatar is a straightforward process that takes just a couple of steps. Once set up, your Gravatar will display automatically on any site with Gravatar support and seamlessly on WordPress.com.
So, what are you waiting for? Get your Gravatar!
At your service,
