Gravatar stands for "Globally Recognized Avatar" and is a free online service that allows users to upload a personal online avatar and associate it with their email address. An avatar is an image that represents you online, and a Gravatar is a globally recognized avatar that is associated with your email address and can be used on any website that supports Gravatar. Gravatar was created by Tom Preston-Werner in 2005 and has been owned by Automattic since 2007.
Gravatar is integrated into many web-based applications and content management systems, including WordPress, Redmine, Drupal, and MODX. A Gravatar image can be up to 2048 pixels wide and is always square, displayed at 80 by 80 pixels by default. Each Gravatar is rated with an MPAA-style age recommendation, allowing webmasters to control the content of the Gravatars displayed on their website.
Gravatar is useful because it saves you the trouble of uploading a new avatar for each website you comment on. When you comment on websites that integrate with Gravatar, your photo or brand logo will display, and people can identify with your logo, resulting in brand consistency across different websites. Gravatar is free for everyone and offers many possibilities through open standards.
