One way to increase exposure to your site is by posting comments on other’s sites. To help your comments stand out, use a Gravatar to place a picture of you or your logo next to your comment.
Many blog platforms, such as WordPress and Blogger support Gravatars, which stands for Globally Recognized Avatar. It’s a small thumbnail image of yourself or your logo.
Go to the Gravatar site to get started. Click the Get Your Gravatar today button. Enter your email address and password. Be sure to use the same email address that you will use when posting comments.
Once your account is established, add the image you would like to use. You can choose to upload an image from your computer or link to one already posted on your site. If you choose this method, you’ll need to provide the full URL for the image. (Don’t forget the http:// part.)
Once your image is selected, you’ll be redirected to a simple editing window that displays previews of how your image will appear. There is even a handy crop tool so you can select the area of the image that looks best in the thumbnail.
Next, you’ll be given the opportunity to give your Gravatar a rating, much like a movie rating.
The last step in the initial setup is to click the newly added image to select it for use. Although you can add multiple images, for branding purposes, it’s a good idea to use only one so folks can immediately recognize you wherever you post comments online.
You’ll want to go through My Account settings to create your profile and choose the name that is displayed next to your gravatar. The rule of thumb is to use your name if it’s a picture of you, or your logo if it’s your business name. Keep in mind that comments from people get past the spam filter more often than business names. You’ll also want to click the Verified Services link on the left side of the Profile page to connect your Gravatar account to your blog.
When posting comments on other’s sites, be sure to use the same email address that you used to create your Gravatar account. It’s the only way your Gravatar can appear there.
For more helpful tips and tutorials, visit the Resources page on BlogAid.
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Thank you MaAnna. I now have a photo with my profile info.
But I wonder why gravatar offers that service for free? Like, what’s the catch?
Warmly, Rita Loyd
Hi Rita, like Google, Gravatar also offers premium services. With the freebies, they become the go-to service and hope folks will want to use all the premium offerings too. I don’t know what the figures on Gravatar are, but Google gives away 80% of it’s services (not counting the search engine) and still makes billions from the premium offerings.