The Open Graph #5
Welcome to The Open Graph, a newsletter by Gravatar that’s all about helping you create better user experiences on the internet. You’ll also learn how Gravatar can be the foundation to making your users’ lives better on your application and across the whole web. Read on, and become part of our mission to create a more open, connected, and user-centric internet.
Digital identity and real-world networking have traditionally existed in separate spheres. At Gravatar, we’re changing that with our new free QR Code Badges feature – a powerful tool that transforms how your users connect at events while streamlining lead generation and user onboarding for your platforms.
How Gravatar QR Codes Work
The concept is elegantly simple: event badges with QR codes linked directly to attendees’ Gravatar profiles. Here’s the magic behind it:
- Event organizers generate QR codes based on attendees’ email addresses (we make this easy!)
- These codes are printed on event badges
- When scanned, the QR code opens the person’s Gravatar profile
- For emails without an existing Gravatar, the scan leads to a “Claim your Profile” page
No special apps needed – just the camera on any smartphone.
Use Cases for Developers and Platform Owners
Lead Generation with Rich Context
For marketers and sales teams, each scan provides more than just an email address – it delivers a complete Gravatar profile with context about who your leads are. This rich data can be integrated directly into your CRM systems.
Workshop and Session Management
Running a multi-track conference? QR codes can manage workshop sign-ups, track attendance, and provide personalized experiences based on a user’s Gravatar profile data.
Community Building
For platforms focused on community, QR codes create seamless bridges between online forums and in-person meetups, strengthening the connection between digital and physical communities. And it is then easy to use Gravatar profiles for listing attendees and speakers.
Real-World Success: WordCamp Asia
We recently partnered with WordCamp Asia 2025 to implement Gravatar QR codes on all attendee badges, and the results were impressive. Sponsors particularly appreciated using the codes for lead capture, raffles, and follow-ups.
“Once people understood the feature, they loved it. Many were surprised to learn that Gravatar isn’t just for avatars—they didn’t know it could be used for networking and storing contact details.”
If you want to implement QR Code Badges at your next event, here are some key lessons we learnt along the way:
- Pre-event communication is crucial – make sure attendees know about the feature
- Train registration staff to introduce the QR code functionality
- Create clear signage explaining how to use the feature
- Encourage sponsors to incorporate QR scanning into their event strategy
Ready to Transform Your Next Event?
Our developer documentation has everything you need to implement Gravatar QR codes for your next event or platform. Whether you’re running a small meetup or a major conference, this free service can help you create more meaningful connections between attendees while streamlining your digital onboarding process.
Get Started with Gravatar QR Codes →
P.S. Using Gravatar QR codes at your event? We’d love to hear about it – reply to this email and share your experience!
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