Gravatar is a service that allows you to have an avatar image that follows you around the web. Sites that support Gravatars (Globally Recognized Avatars) just ask Gravatar.com whether your (encrypted) email address has an image assigned to it. If it does, then it pulls the image from the server and inserts it next to the comment you left.
It’s fairly easy to add Gravatar support to your site, and even easier to get your own Gravatar. For instructions on adding support to your site, read the documentation. You can use PHP, Perl, Coldfusion, or any language really. Plus, if you’re lazy, there are plugins available for major platforms such as WordPress.
Why should you add Gravatars next to your blog comments?
- It makes it easier to recognize commentators…including you. Who cares about comment highlighting when you can just have a personal image next to your comments.
- You’re giving your readers the ability to personalize their comments a little more.
- Tons of people have Gravatars. If you allow theirs to show-up on your blog, they may comment more frequently.
