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Why Every Blogger Must Have a Gravatar?

Not many people besides website owners and bloggers world know what a gravatar is. But having one can make all the difference to a blogger.

Must Read: How To Customize The Default Avatar Of WordPress

Let us today discuss what a gravatar is and why every blogger must have one.

What-is-a-gravatar

It is flattering for any blogger to see intelligent people visits his/ her blog. Seeing that people have actually bothered to spend a few minutes and leaving behind a comment is gratifying, to see the least.

It is indeed painful to see some people putting up highly intelligent remarks (not the regular “great post”, “Thanks for sharing” types) and not having a Gravatar or a picture accompanying their comments.

Not having a gravatar is one of the biggest blogging mistakes you are doing!

Let us today talk at length about what a gravatar is, how to get one and WHY you need to get one!

What is a Gravatar?

For all newbies out there (I was one of you till a few months back 😛 ), Gravatar is a free site where you can sign up- it is easy to do that, and takes about 2 minutes to do so.

You are required to add a picture to your account when you sign up to this site. Once you have added a picture, it will appear next to your comments on other blogs, your guest posts, the various online discussion forums where you participate and almost all the places where you sign in with the same email id with which you have signed up at gravatar.com.

Now, you might be wondering how having a picture will help you?

Must Read: Best Ways Of Getting More Web Traffic And Backlinks To Your Blog

Why Bloggers Need a Gravatar?

gravatar icon

  • Whether you are a newbie or an established blogger, you would want to be known in the blogging community. Of course, I know people who are reluctant to reveal their identities. But I don’t see any reason to do so. And if you do wish to be known to the entire community, this could be your best and easiest chance to do so.
  • Having a picture lets everyone know that you are a real person and not a fake id.
  • Whenever you leave a comment on another blog, post in forum threads or comment on an existing thread, people would want to know who wrote it. When you have a gravatar, you are likely to be recognized instantly. At times, before they can even read your name.
  • This instant recognition helps in more ways than one. It helps know other bloggers and webmasters on a personal level. If you have a gravatar and comment on my blog frequently, I am likely to accept a Guest post from you in future, retweet your message or even comment on your blog.
  • There are some regular commenters on my bog whose comments I approve the moment I see their picture in that tiny box there. At times, even before bothering to read it- if I am in a hurry. And then reply to each of them later.  See, having one really helps!
  • You will see that having a gravatar helps improve your traffic too.
  • Besides that, some high PR sites like basicblogtips, commentluv and bloggingtips make it mandatory for every one wishing to do a Guest post with them to have a gravatar. So, if you don’t want your request for a Guest post to be turned down, you’ll need one too!

How to Get a Gravatar?

After having read about all those advantages associated with having a gravatar, I am sure many of you cannot wait enough to create one for themselves too.

Getting a gravatar is easy!

Just sign in to Gravatar.com.

Create an account on their site and upload your picture. In case you represent your company or a business, you could even use your company logo, an image of one of your popular products or your letterhead instead.

Anything that is ONLY yours!

Make sure to use a picture which is good high resolution and very clear.

It would be worth the effort to tweak it a bit using Photoshop to make your icon or picture most presentable and appealing. After all, a cool logo or a pretty face does help you get attention! So just make sure you put your best foot forward.

Conclusion

Do you already have a gravatar? Then I would love to see lovely pictures of all my blogger friends with their comments below. Go, get yourself a gravatar if you don’t have one already before you leave a comment here!!!

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Or do you still have comments that you want to be cleared about? What’s your thought about this great post topic? Please do leave your wonderful comments and thoughts using the comment box below. Remember that your comments and thoughts are highly welcomed and appreciated.

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60 Comments

  1. Hi Ambika, and welcome to Babanature’s blog 🙂

    Ah…I’m seeing you all over nowadays, and that’s extremely wonderful I must say!

    Coming to the topic of discussion – I totally agree with you about everyone having a Gravatar. It’s rather sad that with so much being written about having a proper picture of yourself when you comment at various blogs, yet people don’t take the required action. I don’t think there was even a single day that I wasted when I learnt of it, which was within a week of me starting my blogs.

    It surely IS important that bloggers have theirs properly set up, and for others too, because they visit so many blogs, and no one really likes to see those scary weird faces. I find them so spammy and funny looking and it takes time checking out who these people are, especially if they are newbies coming to your blog.

    Thanks for sharing this with us. Have a nice day ahead, both of you 🙂

    1. Hello Harleena,
      You’re right. Almost all newbie bloggers don’t have a gravatar enabled email and to say the list, they have not heard of the name gravatar. This is a great post that will open their eyes and make them get theirs. Thanks for your lovely comment and input to this post and do have a nice coming weekend ahead 😀

  2. Ambika,
    Welcome to Babanature’s blog. This is a clear and lovely post on why every blogger must have a Gravatar! Gravatar is good and it makes life more easier for all of us. I agree with you that not having it is the biggest blogging mistakes! You don’t want to sit in front of that PC uploading people’s picture for their guest posts every time they submit.
    Thanks for sharing

    1. Hello Oluwaseun,
      The best thing one could do to his blog is to have a gravatar enabled email. It build engagement, and makes your customers put even more trust in you. Any new and existing bloggers that has no gravatar enabled email should consider reading and following this steps to get his or her own. Thanks for the comment bro and hope you’re having a nice time?

  3. Having a gravatar and showing it when leave a comment on other blogs shows that someone is a resposible person and open minded.
    A gravatar is actually important for everybody especially fot those who are active on the internet no matter if they are bloggers, webmasters or not.
    A gravatar is one of things can be used to identify someone. So the use of gravatar is very positive and recommended to whoever uses internet to interact with others.
    I will be very happy if someone could show his/her gravatar when he/she leaves comments in my blog. I will appreciate him/her very much and feel closer even though we do not know each other well or see for the first time.

    1. You’re absolutely right Heru, gravatar shows how serious one is online. Getting a gravatar is the first thing any newbie blogger or webmaster should think of doing. Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thought with us.

  4. Thanks for reading.
    Harleena, I have done lots of guest posts in the last one week, which is why you are seeing me anywhere an everywhere. 😀
    I am surprised when I see some good bloggers not bothering to create a Gravatar. I reject so many comments daily because they are not accompanied by pics.
    On seeing Harleena’s and Oluwaseun’s pic, for example, Babanature would immediately know that you people are not spammers and approve your comments immediately.
    I see no point in blogging and commenting without my name, and I wanted to impress upon my readers the need to create a Gravatar for themselves if they didnt have one already!

    1. Ambika,

      You’ve stated it and summarized it so well. Not too much to add to what you just said. I will only jump in and so that it’s so hard to take anyone seriously that does NOT have a gravatar! And if they comment on your own blog your first reaction is: “SPAM!”, even if it might not in fact be spam.

      Not having a gravatar makes one look like and amateur and a newbie and that’s rather pathetic.

      I know that sounds harsh, but if EVERY single blog post you comment on has a profile pic next to the comment, then consider that a clue. Then search “adding profile pic to blog comment” or something like that into Gooogle and take 8 minutes out of your life and get that Gravatar and stop looking like a newbie!

      Thanks for letting me vent!

      ~ Jupiter Jim

  5. Hi Ambika,

    I cannot agree with you more that every blogger should have a gravatar. Right from the time I started blogging and I discovered what gravatar can do for you I’ve always encouraged every person that post comments on my blog to have one. At least it is free and easy to get. Again it can really help you brand yourself.

    Thanks for sharing.

  6. Hi Ambika,
    I hate faceless commentators. I even wrote a post on how these are bad for your blog’s reputation.

    I fully agree with you on this post. I think we have the duty of educating others on this point. Whatever the case, some bloggers have decided to stay hidden and ignore the advantages. Well, that’s their choice 😉

    1. You are right Enstine, if a faceless commentator comment on my blog i reply and instruct him/her to go get a gravatar, if he/her visits the next time and still don’t have a gravatar, i’ll disapprove his comment. that’s simple right? Have a great week and a blessed weekend bro

  7. Great post on gravatars Ambika.. You made a valid point here. A lot of sites are requiring that you have a gravatar set up to use their sites. it does look rather unprofessional if you don’t have one at all. When it comes to blogging you want to be as personable as you can. It really attracts people and gives them a reason to come back for more. Thanks for sharing!

  8. Hi,

    There are so many benefits of having a gravatar. The importance of having gravatar can’t be ignored. I’ve seen newbie bloggers using either no gravatar or their blog logo gravatar. They do cross the heights by using their blog name in comment’s name section. This definitely is not a good practice.

    One most provide their valuable views with real identity because that’s what will have more impact rather than those rubbish things which I mentioned earlier. Right?

  9. Hi Ambika,

    Great job on this post and I’m sure that Babanature is extremely pleased as well.

    Of course I do have a gravatar and every new commenter on my blog that does not have one I put a little P.S. in my response to them that they need to get that set up and I point them in the right direction. I don’t want to just ignore people because they don’t have them set up because they’re probably new and just don’t know any better yet. That’s why we’re here right! To teach them why and how to get that all taken care of.

    Very good post on this topic and I sure hope everyone that is new will take your advice and get theirs set up today. They can’t say they don’t know how after reading this.

    ~Adrienne

    1. I am honored to have you read me, Adrienne.
      I hope Babanature is liking it too! 🙂
      It is really kind of you to guide newbies help started the right way by pointing out to them the need to create a gravatar.

  10. Gravatar is a must. Only spammers forget to put one. Ha Ha Ha!

    Best regards from I. C. Daniel

  11. Having a Gravatar is one of the easiest ways to brand a blog/business and to emotionally connect with the others in the community. I cannot understand how bad it is to have a faceless presence online – since “online” is already a virtual environment. We need more of real world effects like a face, for instance, to be able to effectively 🙂

  12. People need to see you before they trust you.

    People tend to trust what they can see, literally, or trust WHO they can see so get an avatar.

    Thanks Ambika!

    1. Right, Ryan. One is more likely to trust a commenter who has a gravatar. Having a picture there makes you feel that you know the person at the other end personally.
      I immediately knew from your pic that it was you. Likewise, you would have known about me too!
      It helps create a ‘bond’.

  13. Good post by you Ambika 🙂

    Yes, having Gravatar image increase the reputation of the bloggers and am always hesitate to approve comment without a Gravatar Image.

    Nice to read its necessity for the bloggers, few of them I knew already, but learned a lot through your Guest post.

    Nice to see your active presence everywhere in the blogosphere, keep doing it 🙂

  14. When I was using blogger and make some comments is wordpress (com/org). My profile picture was just a blank space. After switching to blogger, that’s when I knew how to deal with it.

  15. So good to have you at One Naija Blog Ambika,
    And here is to you.. a worm welcome. I agree with all you said on this post. W’re all human’s or aren’t we? Then, if you are, why don’t you show us that you are?

    Having a gravater image is one of those simple things that matters which bloggers are not suppose to joke with. I hate interacting with faceless bloggers, don’t know about you.

    An awesome post Ambika, thanks for sharing.

    1. Absolutely, Theodore.
      No good blogger wants to interact with faceless commenters.
      That is why most of them make it mandatory for commenters to have a gravatar of they wish to see their comments getting approved.

  16. Gravatar most needed one which helps to engage with others easily or it can help others to get reach you.We can find easily that people who is not using gravatar just commenting for the sake of back link but they don’t bother about the reputation enjoyed your post bro

    1. Right, Shameem.
      I did not have a gravatar myself for nearly 3 months when I started blogging. I just did not know what it is all about and why I needed one at all… 😀
      When I saw commenters whose pics appeared along side their comments, I asked one of them how they managed to put their pic up there!! :P:P
      It might seem funny in retrospect..but we all learn from making mistakes.
      And I am not at all ashamed of admitting the ones I have made.

  17. Getting gravatar is simple and rarely take few secs. It very important to use gravatar, and essential while commenting on other blogs as it can prove the true identity of the commentator.

    thanks

  18. Having a Gravatar will help you promote yourself and your brand. You can be easily identified with your Gravatar and your brand can also easily be identified with one.

    Being faceless in the blogosphere will only help you lose your identity and authority and people may not worry to find out about your brand and yourself as an individual.

    I don’t have to even look at some names here to know their faces because i have come across many of them from different blogs and this was made possible by noticing their Gravatars.

    So get a Gravatar today and stop being that faceless person on the comment section of blogs. Thanks for sharing a wonderful post like this, you are really growing as a blogger and i am sure you will grow even further @Ambika.

  19. I didn’t know anything about Gravatar until I was told to use it by someone. Now my comments don’t get dumped in the spam anymore.

  20. Hi Ambika and Babanature,

    It’s nice to meet you Ambika and I am glad to see you here in Babanature’s blog.

    I totally agree with you about everyone having a Gravatar. I am glad to learn that early in my blogging journey. I doubt any comment that comes into my blog that has no gravatar and I may moderate it the first time and like Adrienne, I put a P.S. respectfully asking them that I would love to see their face if they can put their gravatar up.

    I think if a blogger want to be branded and trusted they should not be afraid to put their gravatar up for people to know, like and trust them. I think it is a must for branding.

    Thanks Ambika for sharing this with us and thanks Babanature for having Ambika write this great post in your blog for all of us to get value. Have a great weekend.

    Be Blessed,

    Neamat

    1. Thank YOU Neamat for reading.
      You have a lovely name. ‘Neamat’ means something precious, doesnt it?
      Coming back to the gravatar, I must say that I respect bloggers like you and Adrienne who actually put in a few more minutes to tell bloggers who do not have one to create it.
      That’s really commendable. 🙂
      I thought of that yesterday actually after having read Adrienne’s comment but I am perpetually hard pressed for time. 😛
      I will try to be follow that in future too. 😀 🙂

  21. Hi Ambika,

    Nice post and useful. I have an educational site icttrends.com for candidates of computer jobs or computer science students. They got surprised to see some commenters have photograph when there is no place to upload photo in site. I often get queries and I’m glad that I can refer them to this post!

    1. I am so glad to hear that, Suresh.
      We all learn from one another. Someone told me about it, and I thought Babanature’s blog would be a good place to share this information with many who do not realize the importance of having a gravatar.
      And I must say that I am heartened by the response that we have had to this post so far.
      What say, Babanature?? 😀

  22. Yes, gravatar are most important for spam, cos i personally dont accept any comments without gravatr in my spam queue, 😉 They also make u famous in this internet world

  23. Nice RoundUp…
    I was unaware about gravatar till 4 month when I start blogging very first time. I do comments on posts but admin hardly approved my post. I was wonder why they are not accepting comments and even I was surprise to see pictures. How they show their pictures. But on maturity when I did activate it. I had never been rejected by any SPAM filter or admin.

    Thanks Gravatar Team

  24. You’re right Ambika, having no gravatar is one of the biggest mistake someone can make. Its nice to have a gravatar to identify who is leaving a comment. You can match the face to the words and see that its an actual person leaving a comment instead of some crazy spammer.

    Thanks for sharing something important that people need to know!

    Melanie

  25. I followed up your post for gravatar but unable to do. Can you please tell me how we are suppose to do it?

  26. Thanks for this article it was a great help!
    I’ve just been to set up my Gravatar and hopefully it’s working already!

  27. Hello Baba, nice thing you are doing in there!

    I just started following your blog lately. Please Adsense is yet to approved my blog.
    How do I provide a clear navigation system for my visitors so that they can easily find all of the sections and pages of my blog?. I use blogspot. Thanks and hope to get a quick response from you soonest!
    Rosalynda

  28. Hello baba…
    I really love your post its really helping.. I always love to make money by blogging but since i built my blov bave not been able make a dime from it cos i dont know how to go about it.. I v tried d google adsense but the approval keeps screwin me up.. I realy wud appreciate if you can put me tru some other way i can make money through my blog.. I have over 60post.. What can i do pls..hope its not cos i dont have a domain yet.. Tanx for your response..

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