You may have noticed a subtle change when viewing comments – a teeny little photo of the commentors by their comments (as of right now, just Griff and me). We know from our online and offline feedback that the LoGroNo community wants a better sense of who’s talking in our online dialogs, and so, our wunderkind ubergeek Sean Hayford O’Leary has set up our site to use a service called Gravatar (globally recognized avatar) to allow users to put a face to their name.
To get your own avatar, go to the Gravatar site and sign up. Be sure you use the same e-mail address that you use for your comments on this site (if you’ve used more than one, that’s fine; you can add other addresses later). After you’re in, upload an image of yourself — you’ll be able to crop it right on the Gravatar site. As soon as you’ve added your photo and the gears of the internet grind a little, your avatar will automagically appear on all your comments past and future.
Since the Gravatar service allows people to create multiple avatars, you can have fun and be creative. But in the same way that we require real names for our comments on our community blog, we’re also requiring real faces (of you, not your dog, cat, or Aunt Tillie) to go along with those names.
After you’ve got your Gravatar, show it off: comment after the jump!
This is how the “gravatar” appears by one’s comments.
… And this is how it looks if you haven’t yet added your avatar.
Tracy, you ignorant cabbage head.
<===If this works, that should be a picture of me taken in the Malvern Hills last May.
Evidently not.
Rob, it may just take a while for your avatar to show. Check back later today or tomorrow.
This is neat.
Okay, you young people (God, I feel old)… how about some non-distorted pics that show what you really look like?
It’s daunting to realize how difficult it is to find a photo you find at all presentable to the world…
<== Here I am a few days into a backpacking trip in Glacier National Park with my son last summer.
I’m in. Let’s see if it will show up.
Ahem… who would disagree that this is the real moi?
Guess it takes a while, but when it arrives, note the pointy ears and sharp teeth.
Testing 1,2,3 … my favorite small photo in shades with a hat seems to communicate more about me that this simple photo, but it also pretty much hides who am I. I presume the texts I post tell people about me, so I figure a simple photo is best. Sorry if this is too neolithic for the compulsively avant garde amongst us, but I figure form follows function.
OK, Bruce M., if you’re going to be snarky about photos of people in hats and sunglasses, I can do a straight mug shot instead
. (Although more people might recognize me in sunglasses and a hat or bike helmet.)
So how do I look?
ohhh, its not there yet…
Okay…. I did it (I think) and I didn’t get any help either!!
Mine work yet?…
Testing…testing…can you see me now?
For those of you whose faceshot/image isn’t showing up yet, I’m wondering --
Your email address THERE might not match with the email address you’re using HERE.
One way to solve this might be to enter all your commonly used email addresses THERE and assign the same photo to all of them.
Griff, your thinking is correct. If they e-mails do not match, they won’t work — though sometimes is it just slow to go through. Also note that when you sign up on Gravatar, you must use all lower-case letters in your address. Even if you capitalize some letters here on LG, do it all lower-case there .
If you do need to add more e-mail addresses, remember there’s no need to add multiple accounts, log in and follow the link to add an additional e-mail there.
longtime lurker
Hey, if your gravatar isn’t showing up, go back into gravatar.com and select the image you uploaded (so it goes with your e-mail). I didn’t select the image and it doesn’t show up.
But isn’t the whole point of the “inter net” to talk tough behind the cover of anonymity?
Nathan (#24): NO! At least, that’s not the purpose here. We want to see if this technology can be used for good and not for evil.
Will (#22): No fair! If/when you quit lurking, will we see your whole face?
Sorry, Tracy. I forgot the .
Really, I am trying to keep it clean on your ‘blog.’
nk
<===Am I there yet?
Okay, it’s been a couple of days, and I made sure my email was connected to my avatar. I’ve followed directions exactly. So, I give up. I will remain faceless.
Rob, NO!! Don’t give up. We’ll get to the bottom of it. Would you mind trying adding your email address to Gravatar again -- using only lowercase letters -- and see if that makes any difference?
(I almost hope it does… it would be such a relief to see that ANYONE cares about the use of capitalization in this medium -- which seems to have a weird affinity for the e.e. cummings approach -- even if it is just a stupid automated website.)
Where is the “manage subscriptions” link?
HEY! You’re showing up now. Rather frightening, but still there.
“Manage subscriptions” is right below the comment box -- it’s just text, it’s not clear it’s actually a link until you mouse over it.
Bruce, it’s under the comment box. It’s not an obvious link so you have to mouse over it to see it.
BTW, you have used two Gmail email addresses in this thread. One Gravatar is working (#30), the other isn’t.
Not photoshopped.
Rob Hardy, your face has shown up!
Nathan Kuhlman, the rest of your face has arrived!
Will Craig, good to have you emerge from the lurker underworld! But can you bring the rest of your face with you?
Nick, Carol, and Britt, you’re still disembodied.
It’s working now.
Griff, I don’t like how your avatar cuts off the little soul patch you’ve been working on.
I see Nick. Nice parrot!
Thanks! Luckily I didn’t end up with any souvenirs from that endeavor, asides from the picture, of course.
I thought I was going to get some gravitaS, but all I got was this comic book picture.
testing… one… two…
What a bunch of good lookin’ folk we have here!
Enters from stage left…
and me… ?
Those of you having trouble, make sure your photo is linked to your email address.
Ross was having trouble so I logged into his Gravatar account and took these two screenshots, before and after. You MUST manually associate each email address with the photo.
hi lol
It’s a freakin’ juggernaut, now. Let’s have more lurkers join the partaaaay.
There’s the old Bull of the Woods, or at least of the cabbage patch. This should get rid of everyone’s vermin!
testing gravitar
Parrot shmarott, Nick! Here I am with a macaw the 4th of July in Bridge Square!
Gravatar check.
Lurking is fun, but having a chance to express yourself is
even better.
Okay, I think I’ve got it this time. Don’t laugh!