How to use your Gravatar in WordPress

I love the word Gravatar, it just rolls off of the tongue  Globally Recognised Avatar.
As well as being a word that rolls off the tongue, it’s the little photo next to your comment on WordPress blogs and other forums that have Gravatar recognition.

By using a Gravatar, you are allowing people to recognise you wherever in the blog-o-sphere you comment, you can also have the same image as your Facebook profile and your Twitter account, so you are more instantly recognised. By seeing a familiar face you are more likely to stop and comment on a blog, read a comment that someone else has made and become more involved in the blogging community. If you are a blog owner, it makes sense to have the latest version of WordPress enabled so Gravatars show on your posts.

So how to add one…

The image (your photo) is attached to your email address, and when you type that email address, the pic is shown with it.

Attaching your image to your email is dead easy.

Click the link and add your email address that you use for making commentshttp://en.gravatar.com/site/signup/

An email will be sent to you to activate your account. Click the link in the email. You will then be asked for a user name and a password, choose wisely your user name – it’s going to be with you a long time! Upload an image from your PC or choose to add an image of you from the web (Quick Note how to add web image – right click the image, click properties and a grey box appears, use the image location URL.)

You can then crop the image so it fits the box and then when you click crop and finish, you will be asked to rate your image.Unless you have upload a naughty or graphically violent pic, I suggest you use a G rating, which signifies for general use.

If you have a WordPress account already you will find that you cannot login on the sign up page, you have to go to your WordPress account and add the image there.

Adding a Gravatar is fast and easy, and will update your comments across the web in a few days. It can take a few moments for it to appear and you can practise and see if you have done it correctly by adding a comment here -  if it doesn’t appear, we’ll get in touch and help you (but only of you want us too).

Enjoy the fame and fortune a Gravatar brings

Sarah

Running the immediately popular “Birds on the Blog” for women in business, Sarah’s experience within the world of social media is always developing – it’s a privilege to welcome her to the Blogmistress team…