Following the footsteps of Blogger and OnSugar (a Drupal blog service), it looks like Automattic has finally embraced social buttons for WP.com fans.
While this feature was long overdue, Automattic has also announced that they will be porting this feature for those who choose to self host.
Starting today there is a new way for your readers to share the posts on your blog with friends. This feature allows you to add sharing functionality from a range of services to the bottom of your blog posts. […]
We have also added stats for all activity around this feature so you will be able to see what content people are sharing and on what services. Check out the sharing support article for more information on getting setup. Note: We will also be realizing [sic] this as a WordPress.org plugin next week. (Official WordPress Blog)
Although WordPress.org fans can already install various social buttons (like Twitter and the Facebook Like button) via plugins, more often than not the buttons are an eyesore.
As one can see in the video below, Automattic’s implementation should help resolve that issue by presenting a more elegant interface.
Combined with the promised reblog feature, Automattic seems to be once again blurring the line between WordPress.com and WordPress.org blogs (which could lead to more confusing conversations with WordPress newcomers).
Either way this is a welcome development for the WordPress community, although a few third party sharing services may not be too pleased with WordPress “entering their turf” (as WP.org fans may opt for an “official plugin” over a developers).
