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What is a Gravatar, and Why Should I Have One?

July 9, 2012 by Winning Agent Staff 14 Comments

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What is a Gravatar and how do I get one?

Should you have a Gravatar? That would be a yes; especially if you intend on making even one little comment on the internet, playing online video games or even voting on American Idol. Why? Because it’s about first impressions, and a Gravatar gives you a chance to make a good one; hopefully one that people remember. Plus, it’s quick and easy. Let’s look at what a Gravatar is, how to get one, and how to do it right.

What is a Gravatar
A Gravatar is a Globally Recognized AVATAR. Get it G + R + Avatar = Gravatar. It’s globally recognized because millions of people and websites, like WinningAgent, use them.

What is an Avatar?
An Avatar is a small picture or image that is used to represent you or your business. Using the same picture or image helps people to recognize you and create a following. It also gives you credibility. It is often the first impression that people see, so make it count – that is make it a good first impression.

How does it work?
Easily and without you having to do anything. Once you have set up your account, it works in the background. Websites, blogs and forums have coding that enable them to retrieve your Gravatar and information by using your email address. When you enter your email address on a website that uses Gravatars it pulls your Globally Recognized Avatar and information from the Gravatar servers, and presto – your picture or image appears next to your name and comment.

Why do I need a Gravatar?
In many ways we have already covered that; brand recognition, the ability to link to your website and other personal information are certainly enough to say “get it done now.” Let’s look at it more from a visual response. Here are two comments that were left on WinningAgent. One has a Gravatar and one does not. Which one would you take more seriously? Does one look more like spam than the other? If your client was reviewing the same page you left a comment on, which one would make it easier to recognize you? In all cases, the one with the Gravatar!

This is a comment with no Gravatar - Can you see why you need a Gravatar?

Comment with no Gravatar

This is a comment with a Gravatar - Can you how much better the comment looks with a Gravatar?

Comment with a Gravatar

How do I get a Gravatar?
Getting a Gravatar is easy and takes very little time. All you need is the email you plan on using and your picture or image. Once you have these items head on over to the Gravatar website and start the process by entering your email address.

What should my Gravatar look like?
If you are representing yourself, it should be a picture of you. If you are speaking on behalf of a business, nonprofit, corporation, or other entity use your logo. Do you use business attire or wear a t-shirt? That depends on how you want your clients to see you. It also depends on your personality. If you never dress in business clothing, don’t squeeze yourself into the glass slipper that doesn’t fit; your clients and friends won’t recongize you, and neither will you for that matter.

Does a Gravatar require regular maintenance?
In a word no. Once you have set up your Gravatar it will continue to work indefinitely. The only time you will need to log back into the Gravatar settings page is to change your “Avatar” or information.

Try it now. Leave a comment below; just say “Hi” and “I’ll be right back after I get my Gravatar.” Go get your Gravatar and when you return, presto, your blank space below will not be the picture you set up. Give it a try, it only takes a few mintutes.

Gravatar – What Is A Gravatar And Why Should I Have One winningagent.com/how-do-i-get-a… via @winningagent

— Richard M. Hartian (@WinningAgent) July 9, 2012

Do you wish everyone would get a Gravatar? Give a shout out (via twitter) to those that don’t have one and tell them “It’s time to get a Gravatar!”

P. S. (post script)
Here is a neat little ditty made by the folks at Gravatar. It’s worth the 1:23 it takes to watch it, plus the guy has a cool accent (I am of course assuming you are not from across the pond).

What is a Gravatar? Now you know.

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Filed Under: Web and Social Media Tagged With: Avatar, Brand Recognition, First Impression, Gravatar

Comments

  1. Dana Carter says

    July 9, 2012 at 8:55 am

    great info as always. thanks

    Reply
    • Richard M. Hartian says

      July 9, 2012 at 9:02 am

      Thanks Dana, always glad to have you with me on WinningAgent! Now let’s see how it looks when you get a Gravatar!

      Reply
  2. Kathy says

    July 9, 2012 at 9:16 am

    Thanks for writing this post. I’ll be passing it on to my students!

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      July 11, 2012 at 12:05 am

      I created a Gravatar last month for my WordPress.com site. Just now I updated my profile to include the email address for my WordPress.org site. Hopefully my Gravatar will show up with this post!

      Reply
      • Richard M. Hartian says

        July 11, 2012 at 8:29 am

        Looks good Kathy – Don’t you love it when things work the way they are suppose too!

        Reply
  3. Morry says

    July 10, 2012 at 6:01 am

    Great info Richard, a real eye opener. Many thanks!

    Reply
    • Richard M. Hartian says

      July 10, 2012 at 8:15 am

      Thanks Morry. Are you going to get a Gravatar? If so connect it to the email address you used with your comment and watch it change:)

      Reply
  4. Kieron Quane says

    July 10, 2012 at 10:15 am

    This is my test to see if my gravatar works 🙂 Thanks for the info!

    Reply
    • Richard M. Hartian says

      July 10, 2012 at 10:34 am

      It does and you did great with the image 🙂

      Reply
  5. test says

    July 30, 2012 at 7:38 am

    Checking to see if my gravatar works

    Reply
    • Ruslan Kurkebayev says

      July 21, 2013 at 10:49 am

      Checking to see if my gravatar works 🙂

      Reply
      • Richard M. Hartian says

        July 22, 2013 at 3:07 pm

        Looks like you are working Ruslan!

        Reply
  6. Kenna says

    July 25, 2013 at 10:02 pm

    I like it.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Be Green on Vacation, Checking Out A New Neighborhood, Ways To Stay Organized (LINKAGE) | REALTOR.com® Blogs says:
    July 9, 2012 at 11:32 am

    […] Why You Need A Gravatar [Winning Agent] […]

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