The first time I left a comment on another blog, it was pretty exciting to see my name “in print”. When I registered my avatar, that was exciting to see, too.
I don’t think I’m alone. I believe most bloggers love to see their names and/or avatars on other sites.
So, to feed the egotistical side of us bloggers, I’m showcasing a plugin for my “Free-n-Easy Friday Finds” (FEFF).
This one is for recent comments.
What I like about this plugin, it also includes the commenter’s avatar (see it in action in the left sidebar).
The name of the plugin is: “Get Recent Comments”. (This link is for the author’s site.)
To download the plugin, go to “WordPress.org” Plugin Directory.
It is widget supported or can be manually inserted by using code. Use the options page to configure yours to your liking.
To show avatars/gravatars, you’ll need to add “%gravatar” (without the quotations) to the “comments” option. For reference, here’s what the coding (on the comments option page) looks like for my site:
<li><a href=”%comment_link” title=”%post_title, %post_date”>%gravatar %comment_author : %comment_excerpt</a></li>
Krischan Jodies is the author of this plugin. ///clap, clap, clap\\\. Thank you Krischan.
Did you miss the lesson on avatars (also called gravatars)? Here’s the link: How To Get and/or Add A Gravatar To Your Post Comments
If you really want to work behind the scenes of your blog and add/try other great plugins, John Hoff @ eVenturebiz.com just posted a list of 50+ WordPress plugins he found (links included).
Thank you John for all of your hard work.
Don’t forget, leave a comment and watch your name and avatar show up under “Recent Comments”
Enjoy!
Photo Credit: LollyKnit’s photostream
Hi. I'm Barbara Swafford and I'd like to welcome you to Blogging Without A Blog. Grab a seat, share your thoughts and join in the conversation. 
This is the one I
useused.Today’s Lesson
With avatars, you can do one of two things.
1) You can make your own avatar by using a favorite photo. Crop or resize it to 80 px by 80 px. Save it. It’s now ready to use.
2) Find one online for free. Just search for “free avatars”. You’ll find thousands (maybe millions) of choices. Search through the sites, find one you like, and download it.
I found mine at www.allavatars.com . Photo credit goes to “Aerythes”. And, as a reminder, read the avatar user policy.
Here are a few samples of other avatars I found online:
After you have saved your avatar, go to “Gravatar.com” where you can register your avatar for free (linking it to your email address(s)). Once registered, your avatar will follow you throughout cyberspace.
I also activated Avatars in my comment section. Being technologically challenged, I opted for a plugin. The one I am using is named “Easy Gravatars” and was created by Dougal Campbell. Thank you Dougal!
This plugin is download as all others. Once activated, I changed the “Default Image URL”, (under options – Easy Avatar). My image URL now matches the default avatar. The default avatar will display in the event you have not registered an avatar with Gravatar.com.
Remember….your avatar becomes your “brand”, so choose wisely.
An added note: According to Web Tools Collection, avatars will be included (preloaded) in WordPress version 2.5 (which is currently being tested).
Today’s Assignment
What are your thoughts on avatars?
Are you using them in your social networks? Comments?
If not, do you have questions?