Avatar Shared on Other Sites!

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A2K is supposed to be an anonymous site, correct? So why do I see my avatar"which I just stopped using"displayed on other sites and blogs??? What's up with this Gravatar business and why isn't there an option NOT to have your avatar spread all over the world wide web? Kinda blows the whole anonymous aspect of things, doesn't it?

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Type: Question • Score: 8 • Views: 4,865 • Replies: 34

from what i've experienced, if you leave a comment on a blog, or site and you have to include your e-mail address, and that site is linked to gravatar, your avatar will show up next to your comment (at least it's happened to me)

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I had this happen to me too, and it was even a real picture of myself.
Once I changed the email to a generic one, no avatar was shared.

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If you want privacy, you need to use a different email address for each site that you register for.

Just a thought... you could use email forwarding to set up a bunch of front email addresses. You would have a different email address for each identity (on each website) but you would have each of these addresses simply forward any email to these front email addresses to your real email account.

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@djjd62,

djjd62 wrote:

from what i've experienced, if you leave a comment on a blog, or site and you have to include your e-mail address, and that site is linked to gravatar, your avatar will show up next to your comment (at least it's happened to me)

This is just about correct.

For sites signed up with gravatar, if you use the same email address that you use on A2K, gravatar will pull the same avatar (it has, after all, only the one) and plant it there. Hence, use a second email address.

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@jespah,

Many of us would know that given the nature of how it works. But, since many would not I am wondering why this information wasn't given when people were told to use Gravatar to display their avatar.

In my opinion, that would have been an up front thing to do.

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@Intrepid,

The information was given on the blog page.

"Gravatars are “Globally Recognized Avatars” and were developed by the folks responsible for Word Press. It works as a third party provider of avatars that allows you to use the same avatar on multiple sites."
http://blog.able2know.org/2008/08/15/gravatars-on-able2know/

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@TTH,

So, it's just tough **** that your cover is blown on this site when your avatar shows up on another site with your name listed? I'm questioning the breach in anonymity here. Surely this was taken into consideration before the deal was struck?

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@eoe,

eoe
I can see why members would be upset!! I was upset over the use of that system mainly because people signed me up on sites with my email address and I am not a member of those sites. That is why I won't use gravatar.

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@eoe,

that's why i never use my full name, if the ask for a name i just use joe (my actual first name), or some times djjd, but never a last name, and i always check to see what it has to say about the anonymity of the email ( though i've never seen one published that wasn't in the body of the comment)

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@djjd62,

It was also talked about here:
http://able2know.org/topic/120899-1

...and in other areas.

djjd62 you don't have to use your full name, it is already on the internet just like most of the veteran members on this site.

1 Reply

@TTH,

could be, i don't see the fuss, i got nothing to hide, and i've said some horrible things about just about every politician and religious figure around

come and get me suckers

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@eoe,

Quote:

So, it's just tough **** that your cover is blown on this site when your avatar shows up on another site with your name listed?

many of us know each other's actual names via facebook, yet i still feel a sense of anonymity when i'm here...

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@Region Philbis,

That's fine Region. But many of us don't know each others actual names. We're not friends in that respect and don't wish to be. I've discussed some very delicate things on this site throughout the years. The last thing I want is a link to A2K through some other site and my identity exposed.

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@eoe,

eoe wrote:

The last thing I want is a link to A2K through some other site and my identity exposed.

when you sign up to create an avatar at gravatar they make it blindingly obvious that anything you do tied to the e-ddress you use there will be linked by way of that avatar - I'm honestly surprised that you hadn't been aware of this

1 Reply

@eoe,

eoe wrote:

What's up with this Gravatar business and why isn't there an option NOT to have your avatar spread all over the world wide web?

you should be taking that up with Gravatar

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@ehBeth,

ehBeth wrote:

when you sign up to create an avatar at gravatar they make it blindingly obvious that anything you do tied to the e-ddress you use there will be linked by way of that avatar - I'm honestly surprised that you hadn't been aware of this

You're absolutely right. It's right there in black and white. But who would think that a site that promotes anonymity would sign up with another that promotes linking and connecting info from one site to the other? Again, the anonymous factor here has been seriously breached and I would dare say that many posters here are as unaware of it as I was.

1 Reply

@TTH,

TTH wrote:

The information was given on the blog page.

"Gravatars are “Globally Recognized Avatars” and were developed by the folks responsible for Word Press. It works as a third party provider of avatars that allows you to use the same avatar on multiple sites."
http://blog.able2know.org/2008/08/15/gravatars-on-able2know/

You are correct. I had forgotten that. My apologies to anyone whom I may have offended or otherwise alluded to as not being up front.

However, I too wonder why Gravatar was used for avatar purposes.

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@eoe,

eoe wrote:

a site that promotes anonymity

A2K promotes anonymity? that's news to me

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

ehBeth wrote:

eoe wrote:
a site that promotes anonymity

A2K promotes anonymity? that's news to me

well, why else the false monikers and avatars? I thought one of the big plusses of A2K was allowing posters to ask questions, make comments, get info, etc. anonymously.

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