Maybe you have wondered about the little photos you see by blog post comments or other online postings. Some people have the same photo that you see on Twitter or LinkedIn and others have some little symbol or a cartoon perhaps.
I used to wonder about that too until Jason Alba explained it in one of his blog posts:
Gravatar: How To Get Your Picture With Your Comment In This Blog.
Of course you need a photo. This photo of me was taken by Scott Savage, Savage Photography. You should update your photo regularly. This one is about 2 years old now and I have changed my hair style and so I will be getting an update soon. But once you have a photo, you can get it up using Gravatar.
You just have to go to http://en.gravatar.com/ and follow the directions. I learned recently that you can have more than one e-mail linked to Gravatar so that if you decided to change your e-mail or have more than one, you can still be consistent with the same image.
I have strong feelings that you should use a photo though and not a cartoon. If you want to be taken seriously, you need to establish a consistent brand and that means letting people see who you are. Does it have to be a professional photo? No, if you can get a good photo that you feel represents you well from a friend with a digital camera, that’s great. The important thing is having that presence. I use professionals because I know that they can shoot off multiples quickly, they understand lighting and other factors that contribute to a good photo but you can decide what is best for you.
In case you wondered about whether bloggers want comments on the blog, I can assure you they do. So if the picture has been holding you back from commenting, solve that one today and we’ll see you in my comments!
There are a few exceptions, but in most cases your avatar should be your photo, if you want your personal brand to be taken seriously. You make a very good point here!
In any case, I think the worst thing you can do is using something generic or not having an avatar at all.
Thanks for the comment, Adrian, I love your blog! I’ve been learning so much in the last few days from you. Thanks for agreeing with me. I think many people don’t know how to get one. Gravatar is the only application I know and I was taught by both Jason Alba and Kim Woodbridge on how to get one from there. But I think the message bears repeating periodically.