A Scenic Route
  • Welcome Back
  • Blog
  • About
  • Other Projects
    • Feathers In A Blender
    • From My Drawing Board
    • Backstage At The Blog
  • Privacy Policy

Backstage at the Blog: G is for Gravatar

  • Blogging

G Scottsdale Text RedGravatar stands for Globally Recognized Avatar, which, like a well-trained puppy or a wizard’s familiar sitting on your shoulder, will follow you everywhere. Now you can upload a picture of yourself, or anything you like, and you’ll be instantly recognizable anywhere your adventures on Gravatar enabled sites may take you.

What kind of image you decide to display on your Internet calling card is always a topic for much debate. Platform savvy writers will tell you that putting your smiling mug in that intimidating square is always the best strategy.

However, that would assume I have a picture of myself that I actually like! I don’t –not yet. I’m thinking something in black and white, with that mysterious writerly gleam in my eyes would be perfect.  For now though, I’m sticking with the feather and the keyboard. I think it best represents where I’m at right now: Gone writing. Be back when I can!Image courtesy of Patryk Specjal @ stock.xchng

How did you decide what to put on your gravatar? If you could have any image you wanted to represent you, what would it be?

(Here’s your link back to the A to Z Challenge Sign Up list.)

Feather/keyboard image courtesy of Patryk Specjal @ stock.xchng

 

A-Z Challenge Gravatar Platform Savvy The Letter G
April 8, 2014 Kirsten

Post navigation

Backstage at the Blog: H is for Header → ← Backstage at the Blog: F is for Follow

30 thoughts on “Backstage at the Blog: G is for Gravatar”

  1. Will says:
    April 8, 2014 at 6:07 am

    I’ve been very lucky in this regard. For a magazine interview for work, I got to have a professional photographer take a half-dozen shots of me- and expense it! So while the subject matter is so-so at best, the background, focus, composition, etc. are all as good as I could have hoped. I also have a clip art drawing of a cloaked, broad-brimmed Puritan with weapon out that reminds me a bit of Solemn Judgment, main character of the first novel I wrote (which I’m finally going to publish this summer). I use him at times too.

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 8, 2014 at 6:36 am

      I like the idea of having a gallery of possibilities for one’s gravatar. It keeps things interesting, as well as providing the option of featuring one’s work. Great idea, Will!
      And a professional photo would be awesome. 🙂

  2. Sammy D. says:
    April 8, 2014 at 8:23 am

    So … when people ask me what I do, I can say “I’m a GLOBALLY recognized avatar” if not able to truthfully claim “I’m a GLOBALLY recognized writer.” :-)_

    I like both – photos are good if you don’t have a personal photo anywhere else in your bio, but I also like the “mystery” of gravatars like yours, where we have to use our imagination to know who is behind the image.

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 8, 2014 at 8:10 pm

      Gravatars are fun, I think. Whatever someone chooses to put up to pique my curiosity is cool, but, being playful, I like having a bit of mystery next to my words. 🙂

  3. melinda says:
    April 8, 2014 at 9:06 am

    On some sites (including this one), I’m a pink Spirograph-style quilt piece. On others (like Holly’s), I’m a line drawing of a dorky-looking little monster. I don’t make these choices myself. Haven’t yet bothered to try to figure out how to upload an actual picture of myself. Maybe today’s the day. 🙂

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 8, 2014 at 9:34 pm

      Yes, give it a try! Even if you don’t like what you end up with you can always go back to your pink quilt. I can’t wait to see what you choose.

      I was a purple quilt before I uploaded my avatar. 🙂

  4. Fanny Barnes Thornton says:
    April 8, 2014 at 9:16 am

    I know the feeling, Kirsten. I took hundreds of selfies (too embarrassed to ask someone to take them) before I could find one even half decent. I’ve never been photogenic, so this doesn’t help.
    Gravatar – what a word! To be globally recognized would be unbelievable!

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 9, 2014 at 7:20 pm

      I thought gravatar was a pretty cool word too, which is why I used it for my G letter, of course. 🙂
      I’ve tried a selfie or two myself though. I found that it’s harder than it looks to get it right!

  5. Amy Keeley says:
    April 8, 2014 at 10:18 am

    I used to use the picture that’s on my various author profiles as my Gravatar. It always looked weird. Plus, I noticed that I felt like an actor when I had my face on every comment. I didn’t feel I could be myself, ironically enough. So, I changed it to my current (mostly) black and white image of a moon over a bay (or is it a lake?).

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 9, 2014 at 7:22 pm

      Your image is really cool, Amy.
      I like the symbolic avatars because they tell me a bit about the writer or their work. I can always go check out their bio if I’m curious enough to know what they look like. 🙂

      1. Amy Keeley says:
        April 9, 2014 at 8:33 pm

        Thanks! 🙂

  6. Sarah Allen says:
    April 8, 2014 at 11:40 am

    I’ve tried to keep the same profile pic just to link all my accounts, but this sounds even easier!

    Sarah Allen
    (From Sarah, With Joy)

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 9, 2014 at 7:23 pm

      Hi Sarah,
      Gravatar is super easy, and fun. You can even upload a couple different pictures and switch them out sometimes.

  7. Rory says:
    April 8, 2014 at 12:24 pm

    I created my Gravatar over seven years ago now, on my old blog. Back then it represented me at the time–always in a coffee shop, with a mug in hand. I half fantasize about being back in my old coffee shop and half am just too lazy to redo it.

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 9, 2014 at 7:25 pm

      Hi Rory,
      Welcome to A Scenic Route!
      I didn’t know Gravatar has been around for seven years already! And coffee? Don’t even get me started! Where would I be without coffee?!
      Hmm … that gives me an idea for an avatar. 🙂

  8. Elsie Amata says:
    April 8, 2014 at 12:53 pm

    I do the same as Sarah. I try to use the same picture everywhere I go. So, although I’m not on WordPress, I have a Gravatar for it and use my Blogger profile picture.

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 9, 2014 at 7:27 pm

      Hi Elsie,
      I use the same picture for my Blogger profile as well. It’s pretty easy to upload the same one everywhere.
      I just need to find one that I like more!

  9. Alex J. Cavanaugh says:
    April 8, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    That’s one of the reasons I don’t use a picture of myself. Besides, I don’t want everyone in the world to know what I look like. I’d like to keep my private life private.

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 9, 2014 at 7:32 pm

      You are very private, Alex, and I think that’s cool.
      I think there are certain parts of one’s life that are okay to keep out of the public eye and everyone has to decide for themselves how much they are comfortable sharing with the world.

  10. susan says:
    April 8, 2014 at 1:58 pm

    Gavators – oh boy – they are not easy to fix. I had a blog then I wanted another – this one for my author page. I looked on all the help pages, spent HOURS searching for a fix. Both blogs were not working properly. Finally I got through by email to wordpress – and – they fixed it!! so now all is well (except for my current computer problem but that’s another story)

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 9, 2014 at 7:34 pm

      Wow, I’m surprised you had so much trouble with that, Susan. I’m glad to hear WordPress came through in the end.
      I think it was worth it! Your avatar is quite pretty. 🙂

  11. Melanie Stanford says:
    April 8, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    I’ve never been happy with any of my pics either, or if I am, I get sick of them in like a week. I’m hoping one of these days I’ll get pro photos done and they’ll be amazing. Hopefully. 😉
    (BTW, I had the hardest time finding my blog on that list too… it took me forever!)

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 9, 2014 at 7:36 pm

      I know, Melanie. I have this fantasy that my picture would be really cool if I pro could do it–but then, in the end it will still look like me, I suppose. I don’t know why I have issues with that!

  12. lonitownsend says:
    April 8, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    Gravatar helps me pair images to people and jogs my memory that much more. I even wrote a blog post about it once. I lucked out with my picture. A photographer friend was having a studio moving sale and a 15 minute session only cost $5. It became my new author/profile photo for all of my writerly accounts.

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 9, 2014 at 7:39 pm

      And that’s a really nice picture you have there, Loni!
      I definitely agree that I get used to associating certain avatars with certain people, no matter what image they choose to represent their online persona. They’re a fun way to get a first impression of someone.

  13. TraceyLynnTobin says:
    April 8, 2014 at 6:28 pm

    I never used to like posting real pictures of myself online, so I used to use little drawings. They served their purpose for a long time, but after a while, when I started really concentrating on my writing and my blog, it started to feel like I was hiding myself from the world while at the same time asking the world to notice me. So finally I scoured through all the pictures I had of myself until I found one that I thought was suitable…a wedding photo in which I looked the best I have ever looked. I kept that photo for quite a while, but more recently it occurred to me that, while I’m not exactly OLD, that wedding photo represented a different me, a younger me with fewer cares. I wanted something that showed the real me, the me that exists right now, who has changed a great deal and is full of responsibilities…and so we now have a smiling picture of myself with only half my make-up on, my hair falling out of the ponytail in a few spots, and my daughter’s receiving blanket hanging off my shoulder. lol

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 9, 2014 at 7:43 pm

      I liked your picture from the moment I saw it! You look so friendly. 🙂
      Personally, I’m still ambivalent about the whole world starting to notice me, so maybe that’s why I’m still hiding (even though I have a real picture on my about page.) You’ve given me something to think about though!

      1. TraceyLynnTobin says:
        April 10, 2014 at 5:50 pm

        It’s a weird thing for a lot of people, I think, actually putting YOURSELF out there. It’s so easy to be anonymous on the internet, and that’s the whole appeal for lots of people. It took me a while to realize that if I was really serious about being an author, that I should at least be willing to stand up and say, “Hi everyone! I’m the author!”
        I won’t say it wasn’t a little bit scary though. lol ^_~

  14. armchairauthor says:
    April 21, 2014 at 10:45 pm

    My Gravatar is the armchair of my handle! I wanted something eye-catching and comfy looking. I wouldn’t change it unless it could perhaps be the same chair shot from the back, with me just visible reading a book all splayed out with my legs over the arm.

    1. Kirsten says:
      April 22, 2014 at 6:51 pm

      I’ve always loved your gravatar. 🙂 Although it would be cool to shoot it from different angles as well, so I’d know it’s still you!

Comments are closed.

Calendar

May 2022
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
« Mar    

Recent Posts

Dearest Novel

Dearest Novel

Hopping on board the blog again, and look! It’s like riding a bicycle … just gotta get the rust out of my fingers. Not that I’ve been neglecting my writing, […]

More Info
IWSG: Fear, Love, and Writing

IWSG: Fear, Love, and Writing

It’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group, again. I know, don’t remind me– I was insecure two months ago, and haven’t been here since! But it’s the first Wednesday of the month […]

More Info
IWSG: Why Can't I Write Like Everyone Else?

IWSG: Why Can't I Write Like Everyone Else?

Welcome to this month’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, which you’ll notice is the only post on this blog since last month’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. I know. I […]

More Info
IWSG: The Siren Call of NaNoWriMo

IWSG: The Siren Call of NaNoWriMo

Wait. IWSG? And NaNoWriMo? I know you’re staring at your screen thinking, “What’s with all the acronyms? She’s really lost it now. Things haven’t been the same at A Scenic Route […]

More Info
Stories and Trees

Stories and Trees

The arrival of fall got me thinking … Since I love walking in the woods, I find it often feels as if my Muse is wandering in a forest full […]

More Info
Infinity Edge

Infinity Edge

Since when do Muses need vacations? Apparently mine does, which is why he’s been suspiciously absent from the blog. Oh, wait, here he is … I brush aside the palmetto […]

More Info
IWSG: Enjoying the View

IWSG: Enjoying the View

Warning: This will not be the usual Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. Believe it or not, this month I’m actually a secure writer. Shocking, I know, but it’s true! I’ll […]

More Info
The Meet My Character Blog Hop-Nick Moore

The Meet My Character Blog Hop-Nick Moore

The cold wind gives me goose bumps as climb the front steps to Nick Moore’s beach house, gripping my laptop to my chest like a lover. I knock on the […]

More Info
Powered by WordPress theme Stained Glass