What is a Gravatar?

A Gravatar is a “Globally Recognized Avatar”. It is an online image that is linked to a person’s email address and is used as a profile picture on various websites and platforms. Gravatars are primarily used in blog comments, forums and social media platforms.

How Gravatars work

Gravatars works by linking an email address to an avatar that can be globally recognized and displayed by the Gravatar system. To create a Gravatar, you first need a user account at Gravatar.com, which is owned by Automattic Inc. - the company that also operates WordPress.com. After registering with Gravatar.com, users can associate one or more avatars with different email addresses. The Gravatar will then appear on all websites and platforms that support Gravatar as long as the user uses the associated email address.

Benefits of Gravatars

• Recognizability: Using Gravatars makes it easier for users to be recognized across different sites by using the same profile picture.
• Consistency: Gravatars help maintain a consistent online presence across different interaction areas such as comments, forums and social media platforms.
• Easy to manage: Since a Gravatar is linked to an email address, there is no need to update the profile picture on each individual portal. Changes to Gravatar are made centrally so they are automatically updated across all connected websites.
• Time Saving: With Gravatars, users no longer have to go through the hassle of uploading and regularly updating a profile picture on every website.

Gravatars and WordPress

Gravatars for comments are enabled by default in WordPress. WordPress accesses the commenter’s Gravatar account and displays the associated profile picture next to the user’s name. This simplifies identification and interaction between users. However, if the commenter does not have Gravatar, WordPress will usually display a default image or placeholder instead of a profile image.