The WordPress.com Year in Review (and Resolutions for 2018)

It was quite a year for the WordPress.com community, and we’ve got a lot to look forward to.

January 3, 2018

Mark Armstrong

Some years go by slowly — not because they’re busier, but maybe there’s just more out there in the world to stop and notice. We hope the WordPress.com and Jetpack community offered you some of those moments this year.

Maybe it was a helpful chat with someone on our Happiness team, or maybe you discovered a cool new feature that made business or blogging even easier. Perhaps you read something on WordPress.com that inspired you. We just want to say thanks for being here, and we’re excited to see what you all accomplish in 2018 and beyond.

Below are some highlights from the year in WordPress.com — and make sure you check out WordPress.com Discover to see more favorite moments from 2017. Happy New Year!

Viral Hits and Notable Moments

• TIME, powered by WordPress.com VIP, announced its Person of the Year — The Silence Breakers.

• WordPress.com blogger Hospey used an online resume to score an internship with Chance the Rapper:

• Baby Ellie became the youngest person to thru-hike all 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail! She made the trip with her mom Bekah and her dad Derrick, who wrote about their adventure.

• One user got a nice surprise: JK Rowling tweeted their blog post:

• Robert E. Kelly and his family became worldwide celebrities when his appearance on the BBC was interrupted by his children. “We are just a regular family, and raising two young children can be a lot of work. Because of that, it seems that the video has resonated with parents around the world,” he wrote on his blog.

• Over at Longreads, Laurie Penny wrote the site’s most popular story of the year — The Unforgiving Minute.

• We wished a happy 11th anniversary to Smitten Kitchen, one of the web’s most popular and longest-running food blogs.

• INFJoe, the cartoon persona of artist and blogger Aaron Caycedo-Kimura, released his book Text, Don’t Call: An Illustrated Guide to the Introverted Life.

The Year in Building Your Business

This year we worked to make it even easier to create the perfect website for business and ecommerce — from fashion to fitness, salons to school fundraisers.

In March we introduced unlimited themes for Premium and Business plan users so you can experiment with more designs — including the new Radcliffe 2 theme for small business. We made it easy for you to collaborate in Google Docs and publish straight to WordPress.com and Jetpack-powered sites. In May we launched Business plan support for third-party plugins and themes, giving you total control over customizing and monetizing your site:

Of course, no website is an island: it’s more important than ever to distribute your blog posts and pages across social media, so in July we introduced social media scheduling, allowing you to plan tweets and Facebook posts far in advance and resurface popular posts from your archives:

social scheduling

Then in August, we made it even easier to earn money from your site with the new Simple Payment feature:

To top it all off, we teamed up with Rebrand Cities to bring 10,000 small businesses online, and we partnered with inspiring folks like Creative Mornings and legendary designers like Michael Bierut and Marian Bantjes to create new sites with students in Appalachia as part of Project A3.

The Year in Photos (and Making It Easier to Post the Perfect Shot)

You published some incredible images and illustrations in 2017! Take a look:

Ascending the Andes

“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb – Nelson Mandela.” Thirdeyemom ascended the Andes, and captured this stunning photograph.

Illustrations by Jeremy Graboyes

We fell in love with the illustrated work of Jeremy Graboyes, a Washington, D.C.-based artist who specializes in pen-and-ink and watercolor.

Child laborers of Bangladesh

Photographer Sophia Hsin documented the child laborers of Bangladesh. The Vancouver-based Hsin is using the project to raise awareness among consumers about how some products enter their food chain.

Street photography in Puerto Rico

Omar Z. Robles brought dance and street photography together. Robles captures moments with dancers around the world, from the streets of Cuba to Hong Kong. (Above: dancer Courtney Stohlton in Puerto Rico.)

We also wanted to simplify the process of sharing your gorgeous images: You can now connect your Google Photos account and insert images straight from Google, as well as export photos from Lightroom straight to WordPress.com.

The Year in Publishing on the Go

mobile apps

Photoblogging is even better with a world-class mobile app. We made a ton of improvements to WordPress for iOS and Android, with a brand new editor, new features to manage your site, and a whole lot more.

A Warm Welcome to WordPress!

Did you know that nearly 30% of all sites on the internet are powered by WordPress? Here’s just a small sampling of the new sites we welcomed to WordPress.com, Jetpack, and WordPress.com VIP in 2017:

Resolutions for 2018

We resolve to keep working to make the web a better place — and work with all of you in the WordPress.com community to keep building your dreams.

What do you want to accomplish in the coming year? Tell us in the comments.

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58 Comments

Comments are closed.

  1. RahulYuvi Jan 3rd at 1:54 pm

    Whoa ! so much of info so well written..Kudos to WordPress for giving fellow writers / bloggers such a wonderful platform to express themselves & reach masses !!

    Liked by 18 people

  2. mphadventuregirl Jan 3rd at 1:55 pm

    By the end of the school year, which is in May, I hope to have 500 followers. I want to continue growing my blog as the year continues. My goal for followers by the end of the year hasn’t been decided, but depends on if I reach that 500 follower goal or not.

    Liked by 16 people

  3. joshi daniel Jan 3rd at 1:57 pm

    Great 🙂

    Liked by 9 people

  4. teddythedogtalks Jan 3rd at 2:00 pm

    I would like to keep being inspired by my dog and the people who come into my life 🐶💜

    Liked by 10 people

  5. Mark Jan 3rd at 2:08 pm

    That was an amazing post! I’m committed to spreading awareness of depression and how it impacts society. I’m thankful for WordPress and the ability to blog because it helps my anxiety so much!

    Liked by 19 people

  6. Carolyn Thomas Jan 3rd at 2:26 pm

    A great year for WordPress.com, and also a great year for my WordPress blog-turned-book!

    In 2015, I was approached by Johns Hopkins University Press (oldest academic press in North America) who asked: “Have you ever considered writing a book based on your excellent Heart Sisters blog? We would love to discuss…”

    In November 2017, my book “A WOMAN’S GUIDE to LIVING with HEART DISEASE” (part memoir, part evidence-based primer on women’s #1 killer, part comedic companion) was published to terrific advance reviews from both patients and cardiologists! Essentially, it’s the book I was looking for – but couldn’t find – after I survived what doctors call a “widowmaker heart attack”. Yesterday, JHUP told me that we’re already into the second printing after being named #1 New Release for Amazon’s Medicine/Public Health books!

    And it all started back in 2009 after I launched my little WordPress blog!
    Thank you WordPress team!

    Carolyn Thomas
    http://www.myheartsisters.org

    Liked by 21 people

  7. MrUpbeat Jan 3rd at 2:29 pm

    I will keep looking at the world with a positive attitude as i have always been. I would love to know new people and culture and keep sharing my views and experiences on daily life. Love you all and Wish you a great year ahead.

    Liked by 14 people

  8. enochered Jan 3rd at 2:55 pm

    Once upon a time, when I was a mere child learning how to spell ‘b-l-o-g, WordPress made a practice of letting us know how well we had been doing during the previous twelve months. Sadly those days appear to have gone. I wonder if it would be worth starting a petition, calling for them to reinstate the annual end of term results report, for Mummy and Daddy? Apart from that, as usual I am overjoyed with the efforts of the WordPress team and with the high quality of their services. By the by, you forgot your promise to give me at last one mention on Freshly Pressed before I die.

    Liked by 12 people

  9. Leya Jan 3rd at 3:06 pm

    I think I will keep on blogging…even if my photo space is going out. Blogging has become a social habit, a contact sheet, an exchange of thoughts, text and photos – and a Must. So many great people I would never have met – if not for WordPress. Thank you for giving people from all countries and cultures in the world this possibility! I believe you play a part in making us all understand and appreciate each other better. ♥

    Liked by 15 people

  10. Stephen Liddell Jan 3rd at 3:25 pm

    Miss the statistics Monkeys, they have been on a 2 year break now 😦

    Liked by 7 people

  11. mjamoreblog Jan 3rd at 3:42 pm

    This is so fascinating, I had no idea about many of these. Thanks for sharing!

    Liked by 11 people

  12. Golf is Mental Jan 3rd at 4:04 pm

    Keep up the great work, guys! More than happy to pay for a service when the people you’re paying are working hard to make it better for you. Happy New Year!

    Cheers
    Josh

    Liked by 10 people

  13. ~Curiosity~ Jan 3rd at 4:05 pm

    Very well written post, thank you!
    Started blogging towards end of last year, enjoying it a lot and will continue writing. Also, I will make an effort to learn a lot more about real estate investments this year 🙂

    Liked by 10 people

  14. helenscreativeworldblog Jan 3rd at 4:12 pm

    Conquer social media!! 😀 jokes. For a shire county English girl who has more fingers than the times I have visited the big capital in my own country (London), it is eye opening how my post reach people around the world and that they are interested in what I have to share. I just want to continue sharing my creations with the world and continue to find enjoyment in creating my blogs and images in them.

    Thanks WordPress for this facility and I hope the success of it continues in 2018!

    Liked by 13 people

  15. susielindau Jan 3rd at 4:20 pm

    WordPress is the gift that keeps on giving. I tip my hat to all the Editors and Happiness Engineers that make my blogging community possible. Thank you!!!

    Liked by 11 people

  16. Manuscript Notes Jan 3rd at 4:21 pm

    I can only say how grateful I was for WordPress giving my humble jottings an unexpected boost as one of its Editors Picks. It has spurred me to continue! Thank you and very best wishes for 2018.

    Liked by 10 people

  17. blboss Jan 3rd at 4:27 pm

    That was an astonishing post! I’m focused on spreading attention to gloom and how it impacts society. I’m grateful for WordPress and the capacity to blog since it helps my tension to such an extent!

    Liked by 8 people

  18. turbolance Jan 3rd at 4:55 pm

    This is cool

    Liked by 6 people

  19. Ryan C Jan 3rd at 5:20 pm

    Reblogged this on Ryan C. and commented:

    Cheers to 2018!

    Liked by 7 people

  20. Riya 🙂 Jan 3rd at 5:33 pm

    Thank you so much…This was very inspiring. I like the information as well.

    Liked by 6 people

  21. fabricthatmademe Jan 3rd at 5:50 pm

    I am new to blogging but I have falling in love. It has really become so therapeutic for me. I am hoping this year my blog will reach more people and I will keep discovering more about myself and living a life that I can be proud of and share with others! I am so HAPPY I found WordPress!! Thank you! Thank you!

    Liked by 9 people

  22. darkovelcek Jan 3rd at 5:52 pm

    Thank you Mark.
    The WordPress certainly provides a goof platform for people to express themselves. I hope things continue improving as the world around us is changing. Love and light to us all.

    Liked by 10 people

  23. thespringboardclub Jan 3rd at 6:53 pm

    Thank you!

    Liked by 6 people

  24. Vaidehi Singh Jan 3rd at 7:17 pm

    I look forward to join Automattic and work with you all in making web a better place… till then, I will keep blogging. 🙂

    Liked by 8 people

  25. streamingthruamerica Jan 3rd at 9:28 pm

    Thanks for the virtual microphone, WordPress. The ease with which you allow us to express and promote ourselves while supporting us seems seamless.
    And kudos to all the Editors’ Picks and all the others yet undiscovered who continue to inform, entertain, and enrich us through their content.
    I am personally grateful to WordPress for being “Discovered” as an Editor’s Pick, as it has dramatically increased my circulation and global coverage, when all I set out to do originally was give friends and family a way to track my movements and adventures. StreamingThruAmerica.com has
    significantly improved my voyage over the past nine months by allowing me to share with so many road warriors and armchair travelers in search of community. Keep up the good work that ties us all together.

    Liked by 9 people

  26. Roseye Jan 3rd at 10:26 pm

    Honestly I been holding myself back from writing for some reason because I been distracted by a lot of unfortunate events, but I’m glad for everything bad thats happened to me, it’s given me something to write about and I’m grateful for all the lessons I’ve learned that helped me understand the dark place I seen many people in that I can help them out of it because I myself have been there.

    I wish you all many great years ahead😊

    I plan to keep blogging till the day I die (,:

    Liked by 7 people

  27. emariem1 Jan 3rd at 10:42 pm

    i just hope to grow my page and influence others. i just started last night as well so i’m kind of impatient with this stuff. my dream is to write something that can be the base of a performance for like theatre or something. i hope that makes sense. but feel free to roam my page anytime you’d like. posting more soon!!

    Liked by 7 people

  28. jabrush1213 Jan 4th at 12:17 am

    Cheers to 2018!

    Liked by 1 person

  29. nora116308 Jan 4th at 12:46 am

    Happy New Year!

    Liked by 1 person

  30. glendabjack Jan 4th at 2:04 am

    Excellent Review. I know I have only begun to scratch the surface as to the layout and feature of my chosen theme. However I am so skeptical to play around with it. I’m afraid I’d lose what I already built up. I am secretly hooding that someone can reach out and take a critical look at my blog and work with me on improving same. However I am grateful for the outlet. I blog on travel but I am also scared that soon I’d exhaust my purpose but until then I’m happy to be here.

    Liked by 6 people

  31. ellesgot2know Jan 4th at 2:43 am

    Love just love my WORDPRESS

    Liked by 7 people

  32. Mark Jan 4th at 4:04 am

    Blogging and sharing my mind with the world has changed my life in so many ways. When I decided to start sharing my life regarding schizophrenia and bipolar I thought nobody would listen.. The entire world is listening and embracing me. I’m just speechless at times and so thankful for the higher power for giving me this audience and allowing me to inspire others. Totally blessed – can’t say it enough.

    Liked by 8 people

  33. Kabura Zakama Jan 4th at 9:57 am

    Great from WordPress!
    Although I am three days late, I am going to write at least one post daily on my blog in 2018! I will write posts today to catch up!
    Thank you, WordPress, for the inspiration!

    Liked by 1 person

  34. John Jan 4th at 3:59 pm

    Thanks for such a great and inspiring post! For 2018 I’ll be aiming to match my 52 weeks/52 posts record that I set in 2017 – small change to most, but a massive milestone for me! – and I’ll also be focussing on how I improve the quality of my content. You never know but I might get featured again on WordPress Discover! (one of the more humbling highlights of my year!) Thanks for all your advice, support and encouragement WordPress – it’s all much appreciated!

    Liked by 6 people

  35. glockt4 Jan 4th at 5:42 pm

    Thanks. Everything is starting to fall into place. Thanks for allowing me to express myself. I love this.

    Liked by 6 people

  36. Michael Jereld Jan 5th at 6:21 am

    Just a few months ago, in the later half of 2017, I launched two sites (RANDOM-ISH and The Social Introvert). They are both still very raw, but my goal for 2018 is to add as much content as possible, increase my followers both within the WordPress community & Social Media in hopes to have both or even just one featured in WordPress Discovery.

    Liked by 1 person

  37. Isha Garg Jan 5th at 7:11 am

    Thank-you for the inspiration! 😊🙌

    Liked by 1 person

  38. Agung Rangga Jan 5th at 10:21 am

    It has been 7 years I’ve blogging with WordPress.com. I’m very happy to be a part of this community. Also, WordPress.com is very popular blogging service in my country, Indonesia.
    I want to say many thanks to WordPress.com teams and happiness engineer for the best support they gift to bloggers in here.
    Happy new year to all of us!

    Liked by 7 people

  39. Anna Jan 5th at 11:16 am

    A great review! I used to blog frequently, but have just logged today after a lengthy absence. Here’s to 2018; the year I hopefully… write… something?

    Liked by 1 person

  40. kytwright Jan 5th at 4:47 pm

    Quite new to WordPress but I think it’s brilliant, I’m looking forward to finding like minds, reading more excellent blogs and posting some of my own.

    Liked by 7 people

  41. Willeke Jan 5th at 8:07 pm

    Thank you, WordPress for everything you do! I spend hours playing around with themes, trying to become a better writer and just enjoying the process of posting. I never thought of turning into a writer after the diagnosis of my illness, but WordPress has allowed me to venture into my own creativity and into blogging. In the meantime, it’s been proven that writing has eased some of my symptoms so for that, WordPress, you deserve a medal!

    Liked by 7 people

  42. Mark Armstrong Jan 5th at 9:17 pm

    Great post. And I’m not a bit surprised. Any post written by Mark Armstrong is bound to be a great post. : )

    Liked by 10 people

  43. brownkittycat Jan 5th at 9:25 pm

    I’m pretty simple! I just need to sleep early for my new year resolution lol! 🙈

    Liked by 9 people

  44. Gwendolyn Alley aka Art Predator Jan 6th at 12:38 am

    Thank you for the review! I posted a year in review before Jan 1 on Art Predator but I am working on what went down and what’s up for my Wine Predator blog and I think I will link to this useful post so I can refer to it later!

    Liked by 1 person

  45. Gwendolyn Alley aka Art Predator Jan 6th at 12:49 am

    Oh! And last year my goal was to publish 108 posts on my Wine Predator blog — and I exceeded that goal! As I averaged discussing 3 wines per post and I averaged about 1500 words per post, that’s a lot of wine and words: about 300 wines and150,000 words yes? The length of a novel or two? And probably 30 cases of wine! My goal for 2018 is to maintain that pace — 108 for the year means an average of 2 a week plus 108 is an auspicious number. My goal for Art Predator is to publish on average once a week (50-54x) which is about what I accomplished in 2017.

    Liked by 1 person

  46. deepanilamani Jan 6th at 7:41 am

    So much of information. Thank you very much. Wish you a Happy New Year 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  47. GODINTEREST - Christian magazine covering faith, culture and life Jan 6th at 4:47 pm

    So exciting. Here’s to a positive and even more successful 2018!

    Liked by 1 person

  48. prior.. Jan 6th at 5:33 pm

    so many interesting things here – love WP and very grateful for this platform. s

    Liked by 1 person

  49. priyammabanik Jan 7th at 6:52 am

    This was an inspiring information.Though i’m very much new to this platform.I wish to grow more here and get more followers as well:)

    Liked by 1 person

  50. The Crispy Lipstick Jan 8th at 12:21 pm

    Thanks wordpress💥

    Liked by 1 person

  51. pedmar10 Jan 8th at 6:21 pm

    Thank you WordPress for making my time worthwhile, love my blog and the opportunity to write about it with you. Happy New Year and best wishes for 2018 and beyond. Cheers from France!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  52. a magic moment with holly Jan 8th at 11:20 pm

    I love wordpress. Well i guess I do at least when I manage to overcome technical challenges. Blogging on WordPress has put me in communication with like-minded people from all over the globe-I love it! Thanks for creating such a good platform for sharing our enthusiasms.
    Angel in the Dust

    Liked by 1 person

  53. Copper Harris Jan 9th at 4:12 pm

    This April my blog will be two. So, with that in mind, it’s time for a makeover.

    I’d also like to help more readers stop procrastinating and start a regular drawing habit, as I’m proof that anyone can, (and I’d like an online sketchbook/portfolio to go with my blog).

    Liked by 11 people

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