Have you heard of the term “Gravatar”? What is it and do you need one?

Well, okay.  No, it’s not some character out of the successful Avatar movie, although perhaps in a way, it is kind of substantiated in its effect.

Have you ever been reading a blog post and then gone to leave your comment and wondered why a lot of people have a photo next to their name when they leave their comment? But then when you make your comment, you don’t have a photo?  You are faceless! (like the image above).

That’s because they have a “gravatar” and you can too. It’s easy and quick to get one.

Let’s first find out exactly what a gravatar is. A gravatar is in fact an abbreviation for a globally recognized avatar from the company Gravatar created by Tom Preston-Werner.

Bascially, your gravatar is photo, your image that will appear with your name and comment on a blog or post in a forum.

Over at Gravatar, all you need to do is register an account using your current email address (usually connected to your business although you can add multiple email addresses), and then upload your photo/avatar (usually a head shot of you) that you want others to see when you make comments on blogposts and in forums.

Gravatars are available on most popular blogging platforms that require you to leave your email address with a comment on the blog, such as you would see on WordPress blogs where gravatars are naturally supported.

You can also upload various photos to use with different email addresses and these are rated by you with an MPAA style/age recommendation. (MPAA ratings are G, PG, R and X – very much like the movie ratings when you choose a movie to go and see).

That’s all you need to do and as simple as it is. You can come back to Gravatar at any time to update your avatar or change or add email addresses. It’s as simple as signing in on their website.

So pop on over to Gravatar now, if you don’t already have your avatar, register (it’s all free), and you are on your way to not being the “faceless” blog commenter any longer.

Here is my Gravatar

Till next time

Toni-Louise

Let me take away the stress and overwhelm of trying to do everything in your business! Virtual Business Services Hub provides you with the services and resources that allow you to run your business more efficiently, giving you the creative time to work effectively on growing your business. http://www.VirtualBusinessServicesHub.com

Connect with me on Facebook | Twitter | Google + | LinkedIn