Now With Nifty Gravatars!

As a new incentive for my readers to post comments, I have incorporated a gravatars plugin into my commenting interface. The comments from this old post of mine gives an idea of what it looks like.

A gravatar is an avatar – that is, a small picture you use to represent yourself – that appears next to your posts or comments on any site that uses the gravatar service. On the official site they say the term gravatar stands for “globally recognized avatar.” I suppose that makes sense, but I prefer to think of a gravatar as an avatar imbued with a particular aura of prestige and authority.

Now all I need to do is hope you guys sign up and make your own gravatars (it’s free). I personally get a kick out of how they have you assign an MPAA – style rating to your finished gravatar, i.e., G, PG, R, or X. Currently I have this blog configured to show gravatars rated G, PG, or R. So there it is, people – don’t bring your X-rated gravatars here, ’cause C&B ain’t havin’ it. There are plenty of places on the web to post dirty pictures without me providing another one, anyway.

What would a gravatar have to consist of to justify a PG rating as opposed to a G? If we’re really using the MPAA as a guide, then I guess Humphrey Bogart with a lit cigarette between his lips would get you a PG. As for an R, I for one can’t conceive of representing myself with an image that would require a web user under the age of 17 to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. But whatever floats your boat, I guess. An R gravatar would have to show… I don’t know, maybe the word “fuck?” According to the ridiculously arbitrary MPAA quasi-guidelines, I guess someone’s head getting blown off would be OK, but an animated GIF of two people having sex showing three or more thrusts would be an automatic X.

So enjoy your non-X-rated gravatars, good people. Mine is rated G; maybe it’ll make me as popular as Finding Nemo. I’m aware that many knowledgeable bloggers would say that if I want more comments I should forget about gravatars and, you know, post more frequently. Point taken, but with all due respect that’s “inside-the-box” thinking. What good is killer content without bells and whistles? …OK, on second thought, don’t answer that.

No, no, do. Do answer it. I like comments.