Well, WordPress has some functionality for the default gravatars that will be displayed if the user leaving a comment does not have one.
Please make sure to backup your functions.php file before attempting to make the change.
Now, the WP default gravatars are not the best and we can create our own and use them instead. This makes a huge difference and one can be very creative with the gravatar used.
I know many have their gravatars set, but many don’t. I posted about it sometime ago and maybe you should go read up more about gravatars.
This post was inspired by a post about default gravatars over at dynamicwp.net. They posted how to create your own and get it working by selecting it via the admin backend.
The steps to follow are very easy and you should be done within a couple of minutes. Yes, maybe 5 to 10 minutes and you are done and your blog will look so much better.
I have done it already here on this blog and you can see the 2 different examples below for the post comments as well as the widget for comments.
Cusomt Defualt Gravatar - Post Comments
Cusomt Defualt Gravatar - Comments Widget
The change just involves adding a custom function to your functions.php file and thats it. You can simply just copy their code and paste it and then you are almost done. I say almost done as you will still need to create the gravatar image yourself.
Final Thought
Would you change the default gravatar used on your site/blog to personalize it? Have you already done this? How long did it take you to make the change?
Do you think it’s not worth it? Your feedback is important to us, so have your say.
Other Interesting posts that you might want to also look at. I have only listed a few below, so browse some more.
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Article by George Serradinho
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, this is something I was thinking about and you just wrote it. I will soon implement it on Blogging With Success.
Ishan´s last blog ..How A Laptop Made Me A Better Blogger
@Ishan – glad to hear, good luck and shout if you need help.
I have my default set to the Gravatar avatar, but having a custom one does appeal to me and would give the blog that special touch, thanks for showing how to do this, will have to consider it for Blazing Minds
Karen´s last blog ..Do You Share The Blog Posts That You Read?
@Karen – it creates abetter outlook and more personalised
Let me know so that I can check.
I changed it over a month ago to help my blog branding.
Arafat Hossain Piyada´s last blog ..10 Tips Not to Get Fired from Existing Job
Great post George. Even though I already have my own Wordpress Default Gravatar, I know this is something that would definitely be useful to many of the beginners out there.
Ali iBlogPlanet.com´s last blog ..Does Automation Equal Success In The Online World?
@Ali – this was for beginners, but you never know who might like it and use it. Thanks for your feedback
I haven’t change it. I don’t intend to change mine since most of my readers are just coming from search engine. I odn’t think that they would notice the difference since most of them are not familiar to it.
Machida´s last blog ..Maxene Magalona: Ampalaya Anonymous no more!
@Machida – it’s not if the users notice it, but more that it makes your blog/site a bit more unique.
Ohh wow! I never knew that this was possible. I can see how personalized the new (non-default) gravatar look.. Thanks for this one..Working on creating a cool image now!!
Rohit Sane´s last blog ..Extract and Download MP3 Audio from Youtube videos
I never thought about changing the default gravatar image, but I like how it personalizes my blog. Now to go and create one. Thanks.
Paul´s last blog ..Speed Up Your Web Site By Using CSS Sprites
@Paul – yes, it makes a difference and it just looks so much better than the WP default ones.