All Ping

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. 

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

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?

Why Bloggers Need a Gravatar

• 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.