Starting today you’ll notice a new feature at the bottom of all WordPress.com blog posts. We’ve enabled a “Like” button, which, when clicked, shows a Gravatar image for all the bloggers who like a post.
When you “like” a post two core things happen. First, the blog post’s author sees your “like” and can click-through to your Gravatar profile. Second, clicking “like” saves the post in your homepage dashboard (in the “Posts I Like” section), so you can share it with others, or just keep it around for future reference. If you’re interested in keeping track of how many likes your own blog posts are receiving, there’s a new “like count” column on the “Posts > Edit Post” screen. This will show you the total like count on each of your posts, right next to the total comment count.
We’re hoping this will be an awesome new way to discover other interesting bloggers, and start new conversations with people who — literally! — like you. If you haven’t updated your Gravatar profile yet, now would be a great time to upload a picture, a link to your blog, and any other details. Editing your profile is easy, just remember that all of your profile information is public.
If you’d prefer not to display likes on any of your blog posts we’ve provided an option to turn them off under “Appearance > Extras.” You can still enable or disable likes selectively on individual posts through the “Show likes on this post” checkbox when editing or writing a new post.
To help you get fully up to speed, check out the new support document on the likes system.
Update:
To turn off the Like button you will now need to go into Settings > Sharing. You can read more about this move here.
WordPress.com News 
Nice! I love it 🙂
I accidentally liked a post on my own blog and would like to undo it. Possible? How?
Yes, you can remove posts on the “Posts I Like” tab on the WordPress.com home page.
It’s like the thing that one site does? What was it? Some little independent site somewhere. It’s an awesome feature either way, glad to see it growing.
Clever idea, this is nice to offer quick feedback when you don’t have tome to write down a comment.
I like it BUT……….out of hundreds of readers, only a couple actually comment on my blog, so the vast majority will never see the button. It would be really fantastic if it could be placed at the bottom of each post – without having to enter the comments section. Thanks.
The “Like it” button is a wonderful idea, but there is a big disadvantage for some of us.
My whole posts can be read in the main page of the blog, meaning that there is no “Read More” at the bottom of each post. The “Like it” button appears only in if you click on a post to read it on a separate page by itself and does not appear in the main page. Since everyone can read the whole posts in the main page, there’s no need for them to click on the title of the post or the “read more” link. Thus, “like it” button is useless for my blog.
Short version:
Make “like it” button appear at the bottom of the posts in the main page.
Thank you!
I appreciate that the WP team is always working on new features. But being more like Facebook is not a plus in my book. I think “like” is lame there, and will definitely turn it off on my blog. (Thank you for including the option!)
If the comments (and “likes”) are an indication, I guess I’m in the minority on this. As LinkedIn adds “follow,” Twitter adds suggestions (Facebook style) for suggested people to follow, and WP adds “likes,” it’s like social media sites are becoming blandly interchangeable.
The “Like” button is a good idea. From facebook? Ahh, who cares…I might even enable it if my blog gets more popularity 🙂
I don’t like this! It seems like everybody is copying facebook now. Just like how YouTube had to regrettably go and change their awesome five-star rating system to a barbaric ‘like’ system. Now WordPress has to go and do this too? Noooooo. Ugh.
There’s something annoying about “liking.” Where did it start? It’s all over facebook. To me, iIt’s goes with awesome and interesting and really. Do I want really want to be liked in an awesome interesting kinda way? Way.
Neat idea! Is there a way to see which posts have been “liked” without looking at one post at a time?
You can view “like” counts on the “Posts > Posts” panel on your dashboard. The number under the star symbol column indicates how many times each post was “liked”.
WordPress is doing splendid indeed making easy for global people to communicate their respective views as that they are doing so within the global village, hence I like it.
I don’t like it. It’s another feature that makes the post look messy. How do I disable it?
It can be disabled for your site in Settings > Sharing in your Dashboard.
I disabled the like button. I think this might be a great feature for some blogs, but it would just clutter up an area on my post where I prefer to list links to other articles, websites and blogs of my choosing.
Seems like a GREAT idea! Being able to LIKE AND rate most posts is just great!
I have a question, can I see who likes what post on my own blog?
If you look at your own post, the list of gravatars will give you an indication (to a certain point). It’s not possible to see beyond that list.
First the “thumbs up” button, now the “like” button.
Good stuff.
One this note, still waiting on the Facebook “like” button.
Keep up the great work WP!
Can you only view the like button when you click on a single post or is there a way to make it show up for every post on your blog?
It currently only appears when looking at a single post.
like this!!!
and that re-blog, i’ll try to use that too
Next thing you know WP will have a “Notes” section on the bottom of every post.
Why isn’t there a function to have it so you ‘Like’ it on Facebook?
Or is there one and I’m just missing it?
like facebook 😉
what an awesome “LIKE” to like…
because I like it…
Good idea. Will use!
OK – nice addition. Thank you
@Andy – question. If the “like” button at the bottom of a post is for logged in WP users, and there is another “LIKE” at the top, isn’t this a little redundant? Perhaps all those who “like” and/or “LIKE” could be combined?
The two buttons perform exactly the same action, it doesn’t matter which you press.
LIKE!!
I would much rather see something like this that links to Facebook.
Smart, smart, smart. I think this feature is very beneficial in that the post creator(s) get instant feedback as to the content they are putting out. Thanks for the add-on.
How about a “Like” button for static pages as well, and for an entire blog that you admire?
Good idea, but two comments/questions:
1) I think you shold eventually extend it to non-logged in users.
2) Is it possible to aggregate other people’s ‘likes’ (i.e. not your own) somewhere on the stats page, otherwise you have to scroll through all your posts to see which ones got likes and how many ?
Thanks for your continuing development work on our behalf.
thanks to WP…! 🙂
Great idea! I like it very much!
I may be a dinosaur, but I love this thing called Internet. It’s getting better every day!
Excellent Idea Guys
Really ‘like’ this … so I went to my ‘appearance’ to be sure I had the ‘like’ feature enabled. I do. Yet this does not show up on my blog posts. Help! – thanks in advance.
This “Like” feature is confusing… Many websites are using the “Like” feature as part of integration with Facebook. When I first saw the “Like” feature in my blog, I thought people will be able to “Like” a blog post into Facebook, like all other websites are already doing. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and so I disabled it to prevent confusion with my Facebook friends. It is not fair that people have to have a WordPress.com account in order to use the “Like” button.
As a “temporary” solution, I’m using this Firefox plugin:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/162124/
I hope WordPress’ Like button will be integrated with Facebook, since WordPress can post into Facebook (and Twitter), automatically.
Who writes all these gushing plaudits for you? Your Like button is nice enough but what people (by which I mean “I”) really want is the Facebook “like” button. That way traffic lies…
I miss the Facebook like button! Many blogs and sites show this button now – why not WordPress?
great idea and nice..,
thank you
WordPress.com is becoming greater and greater every day with these initiatives.
it is such as good idea and people will get additional fun from the function
Great idea 🙂
I like it, keep ’em coming please! Anything that gives me an excuse to have a play with WordPress can’t be bad.
that is really great. thanks. 😉
Thanks for the new Like Button. I’d like it expanded for all my readers [more of them than bloggers] and visible all the time. THANKS! –jim
I am a new comer to wordpress blogs and I have to say that the ” I like it ” button seems a great idea I have already found some interesting posts and I am hoping that others find my posts as interesting.
How do I turn this off? Because I don’t want it.
You can turn it off from “Settings > Sharing” in your dashboard.