After looking through my blog comments, I noticed how many people didn’t have Gravatars.

What is a Gravatar?

Gravatars are Globally Recognized Avatars created by Tom Werner. Your Gravatar is an image that follows you from site to site appearing beside your name when you do things like comment or post on a blog. They help identify your posts on blogs and web forums, and is recognized by your email address every time you leave a comment.

Leaving behind an avatar image on every blog comment is a relationship builder. It will also create awareness with the blog owner and other readers that come to that blog post. Most people can connect more with an image of a face or a logo than the default image place holder. It is much harder for people to connect with a default image because it lacks personalization.

If you are really active in leaving blog comments in niche communities you will get notice a lot by others in that community. If people see your comments everywhere it is like “Wow this gal or guy is everywhere!”

So how does Gravatar work?

You upload your image to the Gravatar website where it is stored on their computers. The Gravatar is attached to an email address that you specify during setup. Anytime you leave a comment on a blog and enter your email address you specified during the setup process, your Gravatar image appears next to your blog comment.

I’ve revamped my blog to include Gravatars to appear next to your comment(s) on my blog entry pages so sign up and start customizing your Gravatar!

Visit Gravatar.com to customize your globally recognized avatar.

Interested in having Gravatars appear on your blog? Check out WordPress Codex to learn more.

With summer just around the corner, I’m anxious to break into a new pair of shades! But what’s the right style for me? Follow this little guide to find your perfect match.

Aviators

Works for every face! This timeless shape has survived decades of trend cycles and is as chic as ever. Just but be sure to choose a version that covers your eyebrows.

Over-sized Squares

Flatters round and heart-shaped faces. You’ll look like a modern-day Jackie O hiding behind these large frames.

Wayfarer

Balances a strong jawline. These classic-cool shades will add the perfect dose of rock ‘n’ roll to your look.

Wrap-around

Good for a long, slim face. This sporty option adds a touch of style when you’re out to brunch or sitting in the bleachers at a soccer game.

I’ve been looking all over for a simple iPhone holder that can prop my phone up at an angle so I can watch movies while I’m working on something at my desk. I’ve tried the business card holder only to be disappointed when I realized its too flimsy and could be easily crushed by the weight of my iPhone. I’ve tried twisting and bending paper clips but they snap apart too easily and warp out of shape if I’m not careful about finding a good place to tuck it away when I’m not using it.

So I’ve come up with something that’s easy and only takes seconds to put together. Behold, my iPhone holder made of two binder clips!

All you need is two binder clips: a large one and a smaller one. I had some 1.25″ and 3/4″ wide clips, so I used those. You can substitute and go with a larger binder clip but I wouldn’t recommend going any smaller than a 1.25″ wide clip for stability and support.

First, clasp the smaller clip’s hands together and then bend the body upwards. You’ll have to hold the arms, or they will flip apart.

Then, insert the small arms into the big clip’s jaws. Don’t insert them all the way because you want to create a little crevasse for the edge of your iPhone to rest into.

And that’s it! Make several and keep them at home, work, and in your backpack. Simple enough, the stand supports the iPhone vertically too and is quite sturdy.

You can now view your iPhone at a comfortable angle. Enjoy!

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms everywhere, especially mine, pictured here in Canoga Park, California with me in her arms, in 1984.

Also, to my grandma on my father’s side who raised me and watched me grow, I’m fortunate to have her in my life today.

To my Aunt Elaine, always an important and influential figure in my life. How could I be the person I am today if it weren’t for you to teach me failure and success, and to push me to strive for the best in life.

To my late mother-to-be, you are always so sweet and patient with me. I miss you every day.

And of course, to my kind, wise, and loving great grandmother… I love you and miss you always.

You are all amazing.

I’m sincerely grateful and thankful for everyone who’s taken an interest in reading my blog and leaving friendly comments every now and then. Until today, I was unaware that commenters on my blog didn’t receive any type of notification that I had responded to their comments. Those of you who’s left questions and remarks are probably feeling a bit ignored due to this oversight. My blog is a work-in-progress and I’m a real newbie when it comes to blogging with WordPress.

So I found and installed a plugin that will now allow commenters the ability to subscribe to the blog entries they are interested in receiving email notifications. This way, commenters will receive my responses as well as future comments by other visitors.

For all you WordPress bloggers, check out this essential plugin:
Subscribe-to-Comments is a robust plugin that enables commenters to sign up for e-mail notification of subsequent entries. The plugin includes a full-featured subscription manager that your commenters can use to unsubscribe to certain posts, block all notifications, or even change their notification e-mail address!

To download and install for your WordPress blog, visit Tempus Fugit by Mark Jaquith.