Here’s a reprint of a post from my Virtual Assistant blog that I thought you might enjoy. Mrs. Malapert can be a bit cranky at times, but she knows her stuff!
Ah hem! Let’s settle down, class. It’s time to get down to work. My name is Mrs. Malapert. I’ll be your instructor today.
Raise your hand if you’d like to have your photo or logo appear with your blog comments like this:
Everyone? Good. That image is called an avatar. The type of avatar I’ll be discussing today is a photo or drawing which represents you when posting a comment on a blog or in a forum.
One of the easiest ways to create an avatar is through a free service like Gravatar. Your image is linked to your email address and will appear on gravatar-enabled sites.
No, Chad. A gravatar is not a ride at an amusement park. That’s a “Gravitron.”
Today I’ll show you how to create your very own gravatar.
Pay attention everyone!
Select the email address you want to attach your gravatar to. We’ll be adding just one email address and image during this lesson, but you’ll be able to add more addresses with the same or different images later.
Find an image on your computer that you’d like to upload.
Do you have a question, Janet?
No, it doesn’t matter how large the image is. Gravatar will automatically reduce it to a size which will work.
Now, I want everyone to go to www.gravatar.com.
Hover your mouse over the “Log in to, or Sign up for, Gravatar” text on the blue bar at the top of the page. A menu will drop down.
Click on “Signup”.
You’ll be taken to the Signup page. Is everyone there? Good!
Enter your email address then click the “Signup” button.
A confirmation email will be sent to the email address you entered.
When you receive the email, click on the enclosed link or paste the link into your browser.
You’ll be taken to a page to finish creating your Gravatar account. Are we all there?
[Sigh] All right, Rachel. Have Jessica help you…the rest of us will go on.
Enter a nickname. This will be your Account ID. Gravatar will let you know if someone else has the same nickname and will ask you to enter a new one.
Now enter your password twice and click “Signup.” Write down your nickname and password in a safe place in case you forget them.
I said a safe place, Daniel! That does not include the back of your hand. For heaven’s sake!
Now we’re going to add an image. Click on “Add one by clicking here!”
You can select images from a number of places. For today’s lesson, click on “My computer’s hard drive.”
Click the “Browse” button, and select the image file you’d like to use.
No, Janet, it doesn’t have to be an image of you. It can be any image at all, but remember, anything you put on the Internet may be seen by your future employers so I suggest you represent yourself with dignity at all times!
When you first get to this page, the dotted box on your image will probably be small and won’t cover your whole image. Click and hold each handle, moving it until you’ve selected the desired portion of the image. Do the same with the other handles until the previews shown on the right-hand portion of your screen are correct.
Yes, Dixie, you’re doing it correctly. There’s a limit on the size of your image, so when you’ve hit the limit, the handles won’t move any more.
[Sigh] That’s all right, Rachel. Just click on your “back” arrow and upload the correct image.
No laughing, people! It’s not nice to laugh at other people’s images!
When you’re satisfied with the preview, click “Crop and Finish!”
Now you’ll choose how your image is rated. Click on the rating at the top of the page that’s appropriate for your image. Obviously, all of your images will be rated “G.”
Chad! Change your rating to a “G” right now or I’ll be talking to your mother later!
You’ll be taken to a page where you could add another email address or select a different image for the email address that you just used.
If you hover your mouse over “My Account” in the top blue bar, you’ll see that you can select to “Manage” your account, “Add an Email Address”, “Add an Image”, “Change Password”, or “Log Out”. Select “Log Out.”
You’ve done it! Now leave a comment on this blog post and see how your avatar appears. Wasn’t that fun?
As a Human Performance Specialist, Sally Anders of Real Solutions, has built a successful business focusing on “People Skills That Work”. Through creative communication and motivation solutions, she creates positive attitudes and high levels of satisfaction in the workplace. Sally’s an entertaining speaker who uses powerful, yet simple techniques to improve communication and create mutual understanding.
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