Gravatar URLs in the format of this: http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/3b3be63a4c2a439b013787725dfce802
...are just requests for images that may or may not exist. The idea behind a gravatar image is that the site (or gadget) displaying it doesn't get to know whether or not you actually have a gravatar image to display -- they just try to display it if they can. This URL is unique to an email address, so any site with your email address can ask for your Gravatar, but any site with *anyone's* email address can ask for theirs. So anyone adding a gadget or visiting a blog that uses gravatars will get at least one such request per user displayed with an avatar image. In blogs, this often means that there will be one gravatar request per comment on any page you visit. As a web designer, you should be expected to visit a number of blogs that will make calls to gravatar.com. For example, all of these pages make many calls to gravatar.com, but are very reasonable for a web designer to read: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/08/23/50-useful-new-jquery-techniques/ http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/24/tweetphoto-iphone-app-rejected-because-logo-resembles-polaroid-shot/ http://nicewebtype.com/notes/2009/04/23/css-font-stacks/ http://www.uxbydesign.org/2009/07/15/5-common-usability-testing-mistakes-to-avoid/ Techcrunch pages also make calls to Meebo (chat/social network) and Tweetmeme (Twitter API interface). Any site that uses Facebook Connect for their comment system will also be making calls to http://www.facebook.com/extern/login_status.php even if you are not a facebook member (much less logged in). I got this list by pulling 6 of the first web design-related links from my "to read" list -- essentially, 66% of related blogs! If the company fired you for doing your job and keeping up on the current design trends and techniques, then I suggest you start your own business -- soon they will be in a position where all their web stuff is crap and outdated, their in-house staff has been thoroughly de-brained, and you are not only familiar with their systems but on top of the trends. You can sell your work to them at four times the rate you get as an employee. On Aug 21, 2009, at 3:29 AM, elmarko wrote: > > Hi, as you can tell from the subject I'm not having a great time right > now. I've just been dismissed by my company for gross misconduct > relating to me using a social networking sites which are banned at my > work. The thing is, I haven't, what I think has happened is they are > seeing some noise that my igoogle is sending back and forth from > google to my machine so I was wondering if anyone could help shed a > little light on the subject. > > My IT department, who are entirely inept, are saying that something > which is showing up in my internet logs - www.gravatar.com - is a > social networking site. Now, I've taken a look at this and it appears > to be an avatar site which sticks to a profile, I'm pretty sure my > google account will have a picture linked to it, is this what this > will be? As I've personally never been on gravatar.com until I was > told about this. > > Secondly they are saying that there is a lot of traffic from > talkgadget.google.com. Now, I'm assuming this is the built in igoogle > chat functionality and this is something that has recently just > appeared in igoogle in the U.K. and I'm wondering if it's this whats > showing up in their logs. > > For example: > > http://talkgadget.google.com/.../test > http://talkgadget.google.com/.../bind > http://talkgadget.google.com/.../msg > http://talkgadget.google.com/.../bind > > Where it reads bind my work are saying that that means I am typing a > message into a chat function and anything that ends in msg is a > message being sent or received by myself. And this literallly shows up > all the way through the logs. Now I know I haven't been writing > messages at these times (mostly as I haven't used it apart from when > the functionality first appeared as a test with an online marketer at > my place of work; I am a web designer) as I've been out on my lunch at > some of these points but if anyone on this developer forum could help > shed some light on what these addresses point to it could really help > my case. > > I can be contacted on [email protected] if anyone would like the > full internet log in word doc format. > > Thanks for your time and help. > Mark > > > -- Ben Curtis : webwright bivia : a personal web studio http://www.bivia.com/ v : 818 507 6613 im: BiviaBen --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iGoogle Developer Forum" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Google-Gadgets-API?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
