If you are blogging, especially with a dofollow blog, then you are probably aware of how prevalent faceless commenting has become.
You may have also experienced what I have, having had days when you log in to your blog and have 40 or more comments from faceless people.
What exactly is faceless commenting?
Faceless commenting is the phenomena of leaving a comment on a blog without your picture on the comment.
What’s the big deal?
The picture on the comment speaks volumes about the person commenting, and it brings the comment to life when you can see the person’s actual face.
You wouldn’t expect to meet someone offline and have a conversation with them if they were hiding their face. Many people wonder what faceless commentators are trying to hide.
Many bloggers are making the decision to block comments from faceless comments. Bloggers such as Ilka Flood, Mavis Nong and Jym Tarrant for example. If you click on their names you will find their posts where they discuss why they have chosen this route. Read their comments and you’ll find that other bloggers are in agreement with them.
I’m considering it as well because this blog is about personal development, not zombie development. I generally don’t mind if the image is something other than your face, though your face is best. I love to see who I’m talking to!
How do I get my face on my comments?
That one is easy! It’s so easy that you’ll wonder why you never did this before!
- Go to gravatar.com and set up a free account. It will only take a couple of minutes.
- Make sure that you set up your account with the email address that you use for commenting!! That is how it works, you have to type in the same email address in the comment boxes as you use for your gravatar account.
- Upload the mug shot of your choice to your gravatar account.
- Save and make sure everything is correct.
- Go comment and show off your face!
What is your take: is faceless commenting bad blogging manners? Do you think that it’s okay to have a picture of your dog or your blog logo or should people strictly have their faces in their comments?
To Your Success,
photo credit: Masked-Bob
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Commenting with a face or not doesn’t really count as much as what they are talking about.
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 14th, 2011 at 7:50 am
Ade,
That’s definitely why I have been accepting and responding to the good ones. I don’t mind if the gravatar necesssarily has the person’s face on it. If someone is going to be posting blog comments they should have an gravatar of something at least. I also understand that new commenters might not know how.
Thanks for adding to the discussion!
Stacy
[Reply]
Hi Stacy,
thanks for sharing this. I will ban faceless comments from my blog as well. In rare instances, it’s probably ignorance, but in most cases it’s the strategy of spammers. In these cases, the quality of the comment and the facelessness go hand in hand.
Take care
Oliver
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Hi Oliver,
I’ve noticed that it is an effective way to spot spammers, though I don’t want to weed out the people who have something to add but don’t know how to add a gravatar.
Thanks for sharing,
Stacy
[Reply]
Hi Stacy, I tried to say hi on blog engage but you took off to fast lol. So I decided to swing by and see what you were up to.
I think the majority of bloggers not using their face are still new at the whole social media blogging thing. I’m not sure why they would even comment with no face I mean where is the relationship building and branding in that right?
Gravatar is the best I recommend it to everyone.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:44 pm
Hi Brian,
Yes, my times online are definitely limited these days. I’m in and out in the blink of an eye lately.
I agree, everyone should get a gravatar! It should be a priority when starting a blog!
Thanks,
Stacy
[Reply]
I agree that using photo is really a great idea so that some other blogger can see your face..Gravatar is the best..
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
Hi Ashley,
You should get one, it would be great to see your face! It only takes a few minutes and then you’re good to go!
Stacy
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thanks for this great post, keep posting, keep adding value
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
Thank you, Bless
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I guess I am guilty of having a somewhat faceless gravatar because I prefer to use a logo. In my opinion I don’t really care about what kind of Avatar a person uses so long as they use one. The spammers almost never bother to go through the trouble of getting one. Unfortunately some new bloggers also don’t bother to get one which results in them getting accidentally labeled as spammers.
I do prefer when people use real faces. I admit it. I don’t like to use one though because I would rather keep at least a little bit of anonymity. I guess maybe I’m not really sure what I am afraid of. You just might see a real mugshot of me before long.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
Hi Ted,
I much prefer a logo to no gravatar at all. It shows effort at least!
It would be great to see your face!
Stacy
[Reply]
I know what you mean, Stacy. I guess that to me, like some of your other commentators, I think it depends more on what they person is saying. If I can tell they are spam or link juice gremlins, then that pisses me off. Otherwise, I kind of understand it. There are some people who comment who are not comfortable with their face all over the internet. As a blogger, I figure I’m a pseudo-public personality, so I just figure that goes with the territory. But for a very private person, I can understand their hesitancy.
I switched to Disqus for my commenting system a while ago because my theme didn’t have the nested commenting capabilities that I wanted. I had to go through some annoying hacks to make my blog “do follow” since I”m using this system. Ultimately, it helps cut down on spam and generally the people commenting have thought out their comments because it takes a little effort to create a disqus identity.
Maybe I have lost commentators who would have commented otherwise, but I don’t really think so.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Hi Steve,
I can see how Disqus can really help with that! One thing that I dislike about the faceless comments is that I spent so much time figuring out if they are legit or not. Reading the post, looking at the name, checking the links.
[Reply]
Having a gravitar is nice but I don’t think that it is necessary. We got to remember that gravitars are still somewhat new. They were not always around and thus are a great additions, some people are still stuck in the old ways.
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:50 pm
Hi Sara,
I definitely understand that people new to blogging are unfamiliar with gravatars. Serious blogger should definitely have one if they want to be taken seriously.
Stacy
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People use their blog logo or site logo while commenting to create branding of their site, I think it’s not bad as you get to know that person belongs to such blog or site. But faceless comments always seems like spam unless they don’t comment something valuable.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Hi Aaron,
I agree! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Stacy
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I LOVE it when people have accounts set up so that their pictures show. However, I also know that many of my friends/family are not as into setting up accounts like this and they are more interested in reading my content than having their image appear on the Internet. I have my accounts set up properly but, every once in a while, I will enter the wrong data (usually email address) when I am on a blog and my image doesn’t appear. THAT happens to drive me crazy!
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Hi Lauren,
I’ve had that happen several times too! I’ve gone as far as leaving another comment asking the blogger if they would edit my email address in the previous comment so my gravatar would show up.
Stacy
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Sure I will upload my picture so the actual communication can take place among the bloggers.
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
It’s great to see your face, Azhar!
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Hi Stacy: I’m glad you included the instructions of adding a photo on Gravatar.
What I try not to forget is that there are newbies arriving every day that simply don’t know yet how to add a avatar.
Also, sometimes it doesn’t work. Although I’ve added Blogger, for some reason when I visit blogs on Blogger, my Gravatar does not show up. It’s the only place I have that problem.
I have a lot of followers that are “faceless” who are loyal and great followers so I haven’t taken the step to block them. My site is all about making it simple so maybe you gave me an idea for a new post-thanks.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Hi Cathy,
That is why I always read all of my comments because I don’t want to assume that a faceless comment is a spammer.
It took me a while to get my photo to show up on blogger too. I had to create a blogger profile, upload a picture and now I have no problems!
Stacy
[Reply]
Hi, Stacy!
So many persons have already invited other bloggers to make their gravatar and still there are people “without faces” commenting around, as if they cannot recognize the value of speaking to someone “face to face”. So, answering to your question-yes, I do think that faceless commenting is a way of bad manner. Of course, sometimes it is not intentionally done, but I cannot understand why are some persons uncomfortable of having their faces shown.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Hi Kristina,
I think that if someone is uncomfortable with their picture they could take a picture that is far away or even with their sunglasses on.
Stacy
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Hi Stacy,
As you can see, I have my logo as my Avatar. I prefer that to my personal photo just to maintain a sense of privacy in my real life. However, I think that at the very least a logo or some other form of a personal avatar is much better than the faceless anonymous poster icon.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Hi Richard,
I do prefer a logo to nothing at all! It does show effort being made!
Thanks for sharing,
Stacy
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Hi Stacy,
I guess I’m going against the grain here… My blog appeals to all kinds of people, not just bloggers. The bloggers are just a lot more apt to comment (we are writers, it’s easy for us, and we often have an incentive to do so). But non-bloggers often have no idea that Gravatar exists, nor do they care. It can be really hard to get regular folks to leave a comment. I receive a lot of emails from people who have great things to say, but are too intimidated to leave a public comment, because they aren’t bloggers (they’re afraid that their comment won’t have as much value, or that they can’t express themselves as well as the bloggers can). I won’t ban them for not having a gravatar, I want to do all I can to provide a safe environment and encourage them to get involved.
I guess if a blog is mostly geared at other bloggers (or if a blog is getting tons of comments), banning faceless comments makes sense. But since mine is geared to a wider audience, I won’t go that route. There are other ways to recognize Spam. We have to remember that not everyone uses the internet the way we do. We (bloggers) have made a decision to put ourselves out there. We put our bios, our pictures, our thoughts online. “Regular” folks never made the decision to be that transparent. Putting yourself out there to millions of people is scary (I remember when I uploaded my first about page. I was really nervous). Normal folks don’t necessarily want to disclose that much about themselves just to share a thought. Sure, it leaves the door open to trolls and spam, but that’s a price I’m willing to pay in order to give the shy, normal readers a chance to get involved in a way that’s not too intimidating.
Just my opinion, of course.
What an interesting topic.
Hugs!
Melody
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Hi Melody,
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts! I’m in a similar boat as you are, not all of the people commenting on my blog are necessarily bloggers. That’s why I have always taken the time to make sure that a post is not spam because I don’t want to accidentally weed out a true comment.
That’s also why I opened this topic up for discussion. I really wanted to see everyone’s opinons.
Thanks,
Stacy
[Reply]
Hi Stacy,
I think the golden rule can be applied in blogging too. If you enjoy reading comments from real people with a real face then do the same.
Those who leave a faceless comment have a “what’s in it for me” mindset and forget the basics of marketing: trust and consistency in promoting your message. If I see a person’s face on my blog 2-3 times, I naturally tend to know more about him and visit his blog as well.
This is the benefit of commenting with a “real face”.
Thanks for sharing,
Radu
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Hi Radu,
Great points! I think that with the marketing posts a person really should have the gravatar because they are more than likely looking for the backlinks.
Whereas the personal development posts will draw more people who aren’t necessarily even blogging so they would naturally not have a gravatar.
Thanks!
Stacy
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Stacy,
If the person leaving a comment is another blogger than yes they should have their face attached with their comment.
If it is a regular person who found my blog through a search engine than there does not need to be a gravatar with it.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Hi Justin,
I agree with that! It depends on what kind of person the person commenting is. Which can take a little digging on our part!
Stacy
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I don’t know if it’s bad blogging manners, or if it’s just people being too paranoid about putting themselves out there. I like seeing faces when I look at comments. It helps me to know when people are real vs. when I’ve been spammed creatively. But I guess I’ve never thought about it much because most of the comments I get are from people I have real connections with anyway. If I had a bigger blog and more comments, I might feel differently.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Hi Karen,
Thank you for sharing your perspective! I really appreciate it! You bring up some good points.
Stacy
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It is my first visit on your blog but I have came here with face.It is my own pic. I love this pic a lot in my life.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Hi Maja,
Welcome to my blog!
Stacy
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I have to agree with Melody. When I read the faceless comments that is on my blog I can tell who are spammers, people who do not have a website and just like to comment and new bloggers who just did not know about gravatar.com
Faceless commenting is becoming a bit much, but we have to have good judgement on which faceless commenter we should keep on our post.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Hi Tisha,
Great to see you again! I agree, that is one way to be able to tell the difference between spammers and genuine comments.
Stacy
[Reply]
Tisha Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Awwww…Thanks, Stacy.
Tisha invites you to read… Learn to Visualize What You Want and Set Your Intention to Manifest It
[Reply]
I think it’s okay to not show your face when commenting. Some people simply don’t feel comfortable with it. I still remember first signing up to Facebook and think ‘Do I really want my pic posted on the Internet!?’… I guess some people still have those thoughts.
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Yes, I know several people who feel that way!
[Reply]
Hi Stacy,
– Maybe I should write a post as well about it in the future, if I am having lots and lots of visits, that is.
I agree with you. It’s quite frustrating sometimes to see people who leave good comments without Gravatars while there are others that have Gravatars but you can easily see that their comments are definitely spam. I normally send emails to the faceless people who comment on my blog and tell them the benefits of having a gravatar. It turns out that they are new to commenting and after they received my email, their comments now have a face to go with
Thanks for sharing!
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Hi Johanna,
That’s a great idea! Thank you for sharing it!
Stacy
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You are right Stacy. My comments were not approved or took a long time in approval when I did value but faceless comments. Then, I joined gravatar.com and uploaded my pic. All my comments with picture got approved within a day or day. I believe everyone should do this.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Hi Leo,
Thank you for sharing your experiences! I agree, it makes it a lot easier on the person commenting if they want their comments approved!
Stacy
[Reply]
Hi Stacy.
It’s every blogger’s right to block comments from faceless people. I just don’t see the point. If a blogger wants to spam and realizes you delete his comments just for this reason, he’ll eventually get a gravatar.
But what if a real person reads the article and wants to leave a comments? He’ll get his comment deleted just because he doesn’t know or have time to get a gravatar. Was his comment less meaningful for that? Will he come back tomorrow and try to comment again? I doubt that. I know i wouldn’t.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
Hi Beth,
Thank you for sharing your opinions! You bring some great points to the discussion!
Stacy
[Reply]
Yes I too agree with it, that your comments will add value, if you have uploaded your image and e-mail ID. I believe people feel easy in approving the comments of those who have an image associated with a comment. Otherwise, the comment may get ignored, even when it may have value.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
So true, Rosalia! Thank you for sharing!
[Reply]
Hello Stacy,
I am new to blogging and haven’t set up a Gravatar yet, but after reading your article and all the comments, I am going to get one ASAP! I read many blogs, mostly to learn all about blogging, and marketing, so I have done a lot of commenting. I feel that if I get advice or information from the post, that it is only polite to comment thoughtfully and thank them. I do see your point about having a picture, and I have read so many obviously spammy comments, that I never want to get lumped in with that group because I don’t have a picture. Thank you for emphasizing the need for a gravatar.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Hi Monica,
You really should get a gravatar, it only takes a couple of minutes!
Stacy
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Yeah, it’s a bit bothersome, but I still let it slide. But only if their comment and link is legit.
I have recently been turning many down because their website is different from their commentluv link. Many times the link is in a different language.
I am also preventing comments with no name. For example; ‘removing wisdom teeth’ just to get the backlink. The problem is that the comment was really friendly and totally acceptable. No name, no approval.
Ahh common blogging courtesy.
Fun, isn’t it? lol
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
Hi Brock,
Oh yes, those ‘names’! They seem to scream, “I just want the backlinks!” So much thought goes into approving comments!
Stacy
[Reply]
Thanks for the mention Stacy!
I thought quite long and hard about this, and as noted in my Comments Policy, no Gravatar is not a reason for deleting or spamming the comment in itself, but certainly doesn’t look good.
If someone leaves a genuine comment on my site, I’ll allow it and from now in, may add a gentle reminder. If someone leaves a Spam Comment with or without a Gravatar, I’ll send them to spam and report their IP address to a global cloud security system (no holds barred at my place anymore!)
I think adding a Gravatar shows that you are actually entering the conversation, and that you’re a real person, not an SEO company. I notice a few SEO companies using names and faces too (it’s still obvious with a tiny bit of digging) so it’s not a clear cut gauge of whether a comment is spam.
So – nothing conclusive from me – it is good manners to show your face, and give your name, but at the end of the day, all genuine comments are welcome, all spam is not…
Thanks for using my Comments Policy as an example, and for posing this questions which affects all of us in the blogosphere!
Jym @ Blog Commenting invites you to read… How to use Strategic Blog Commenting to Market Your Blog
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Hi Jym,
I’m glad to give the mention! Yes, it does take a bit of digging in some instances but it is usually pretty obvious!
Thanks for sharing!
Stacy
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This tends to be a pro in using an external commenting system where they have to register or setup a profile typically they setup a profile pic, one and only really 1 major plus for something like the Facebook commenting system where you never get blank face images.
For some blogs and especially those that get high Google search traffic, the reader arrives via a Google search result page, this reader may not even be a blogger and may have been trying to find a review, guide or help for something, they comment because they liked the article. I see these commenters because they have no URL tied to their comment just name and email, these are the most common ones without Gravatar I find for my site.
Now that I switched to Livefyre I don’t see the lack of profile images very often because it requires sign in via Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn and will use the profile pic from that service for the comment, so one is rarely ever missing.
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Hi Justin,
I have not heard of Livefyre, I am curious to look into it! Thanks for sharing!
Stacy
[Reply]
Justin Germino Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
I have become an expert in it lately, and can answer any question. Even the staff has appreciated my help. Note, it does allow DoFollow links for commenters in the commenter name with URL to their site if you want it, or you can choose NoFollow. It also has a similar feature to CommentLuv which shows you where you last commented but only shows the last “Livefyre blog” you commented on. So far I really like the system and the only lacking feature is no guest commenting which Disqus has. Livefyre however is adding this shortly.
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[Reply]
To be honest, I am nervous about having my picture floating around the internet. My Facebook has a picture of me but my page is private so people can only see my profile picture. It might sound weird, I just don’t feel comfortable putting pictures of myself up. I am working on a new blog right now and keep going back and forth about putting up pictures of myself or not…I have nothing to hide. That is just how I am. I do understand what you’re saying, though.
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:16 pm
Natasha,
I understand the apprehension, I used to feel that way too! Now my picture is right on the top of my blog!
Stacy
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Now no one has an excuse of not having an gravitar.
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Stacy Reply:
October 18th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Except the newbies who’ve never heard of them!
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Thanks for this post. I didn’t know the value (or harm rather) of not having a face. But it makes sense, you want to be able to establish a rapport with the person. I just set up my gravatar per your instructions and am proud to say that this is the first post using it.
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I use the logo from my blog when I comment, and have been doing so from the beginning. When I began blogging I wanted to brand my blog, and so I decided to go with a logo instead of my ugly mug.
I agree in that everyone should at least have a gravatar when commenting. While I don’t remove anyone with a gravatar, I am more suspicious of what type of comment they leave if they don’t have one. Very few spammers that I have seen have a gravatar, so they are easy to spot.
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People who comment that do not have faces on their comments have three different reasons: they are spammers, they just like to comment (no website), or they are new and do not know Gravatar.com.
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I’m SO glad you brought this up. I actually went as far as to email people commenting on my blog without a Gravatar and told ‘em that they should go and get a Gravatar or I won’t let their comments though. It too much work though and I couldn’t keep that up
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Thanks for the tips on gravatar, Stacy. I’ve been blogging for almost a year on blogger and have struggled to figure out how to have my picture appear beside comments on other blogs for most of that year. I’ve tried sharing my profile in the blogger settings but that just messes up the set up of my blog. After reading your instructions I’ve set up my gravatar and hope to see my picture appear beside these comments when I’m done!
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“personal development, not zombie development” LOL You know what you’ve got a point there! But I guess their main reason why they don’t put their face in their comments is because they are handling lots of blogs/sites. Maybe most of them are just after of links rather than building a good relationship to blog owners.
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Thank you for the advice. I now have a face for the world to see
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Stacy Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Looks good, Jon!
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I have been accepting and responding to the good ones.I went as for to email people commenting on my blog without Gravatar.I see these commenters because they have no URL tied to their comment just name and email these are the most common ones.
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Stacy Reply:
November 7th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
I would love to see your gravatar!
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There is a very good reason I do not use photos of myself online any more, do not require them of others, and encourage other bloggers to really think about whether or not that is wise: stalkers.
If you have ever had a dangerous person who won’t give up who can smooth talk or intimidate your personal information out of others or a loon making death threats you will quickly find out how easy you have made it for them to track you everywhere you go online AND OFF.
While I am well aware that many people believe they should put their name, address, details about their children, where they went to school, where they work, and who all their friends are online consider the source for the “you must use your photo and real name” advice and think about how much easier the SS could have rounded people up and shipped them off with all that information you’re filling databases up with.
I know that many will dismiss these thoughts as conspiracy theory or being paranoid, but if the people who died in death camps had been more suspicious and believed the rumors they would not have ended up the way they did. History DOES repeat itself and “Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it” ~ A Hooverville from the 1930′s and paraphrased in many famous quotes for good reason.
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[Reply]
Hi Stacy,
Great article about a very important topic.
I too, have considered not allowing comments with out a avatar.
I don’t accept friends on any of my social networks that don’t have a picture.
The power of a picture is amazing. Take your picture for example, who could resist your smiling face?
Thank you for your contribution,
Jeff
[Reply]
Great topic! I have an avatar and make good comments and sometimes my comments end up being marked as spam by askimet. Sometimes you cant win. You just continue to persevere!
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[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
December 9th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Jeff,
I’ve had the same thing happen, that’s why I now use GASP instead of akismet!
Stacy
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I know blogging but don’t have an avater, at least until now. Personally I don’t like having my photo taken never mind plastering it all over the web. But, just for you I’ve made an avatar specifically for this post. I don’t know if it will show properly or at all but I followed your instructions. Anyway, what do you think?
[Reply]
Stacy Reply:
December 20th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
I was nervous at first too, Barry. Great gravatar!
Stacy
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