In this blog, some authors have an avatar (a headshot photo) at the end of their postings, and other authors don’t have an avatar. Why? …or… How do I get an avatar to show for my posts?
Actually, it is quite easy to get an avatar to show up for your postings. This blog (as well as many other systems on the web) use a central avatar repository called “gravatar”, which stands for “Globally Recognized Avatars.”
It is strongly recommended that each blog author sign-up for a free gravatar account and upload a small, square headshot photo of themselves. That’s it.
Thereafter, whenever any posting is displayed on a blog which uses the gravatar system (e.g. the Connect Blog), the blog will display your centrally stored avatar with your postings.
Start by creating an account here: http://en.gravatar.com/site/signup/
After you enter your email address, it will send you an email message with a link in it. Click on the link to activate your account, enter a password, and upload your small, square avatar headshot photo.
What Size should My Gravatar Photo be?
I’d suggest that the photo be no smaller than 80 pixels wide by 80 pixels high, and no larger than 200 pixels wide by 200 pixels high. For the techies, that means the photo should be between 80×80 and 200×200 pixels in size. The photo that you upload should be cropped to be square in size so that it doesn’t get “distorted” by being forced into a square shape for display.
How Do I Update by Gravatar Photo?
If you ever wish to change your gravatar photo, you may do so at any time and it will be instantly changed around the web wherever blogs and other systems use the gravatar system.
If you have any questions or problems setting up your gravatar, please enter your questions/issues in a comment below.