The Image Widget, Plus News from Support

Last month, the Support team (also known as Happiness Engineers) got together to brainstorm new ways of providing you with the features and resources you need.

Out of that meetup came a number of improvements and features, like the RSS Links Widget, introduced earlier this month. Another is the Image Widget, launching today.

In the past, it was necessary to use HTML in a text widget to display images in your sidebar. Now all you have to do is plop a URL in the image widget. The rest is done for you. If you’d like to set a title, alternate text, and image size, it’ll do that, too.

image-widget-example

And there’s more cool stuff coming your way:

We’ve made some improvements to the Support contact form, and a better search for Support is in the works. We’ve made some internal changes, too, that will help our growing team answer your questions even more efficiently.

There’s now a Hugs page to display some of the positive feedback we receive from those of you who write in to Support. It brightens our day to hear that we’ve helped out, so we’re sharing a bit of that love. 🙂

Maybe most excitingly, we’re going to start providing Support in other languages — a much-requested feature. The first of these will be French, with several others to follow. We’ll post announcements here when each is launched.


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127 Comments

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  1. pochp

    As always, another excellent move. Bravo WP!

    Like

  2. sensico

    cool, about time lol and I can’t access the hugs page, it shows blank so I’ll just leave my hug here and write, Thanks for the new widget and new features *hugs*

    Like

  3. ismailimail

    This seems static. A better idea would be to have a dynamic image widget where an already posted picture would rotate daily from blog archives allowing visitors to click on it to read the blog post from the past. Perhaps I’m talking about a different widget altogether but I think it would be more useful.

    Like

  4. ileaneb

    Cool. Maybe WP will add a slideshow widget next. Thanks!

    Like

  5. trollboy

    almost as awesome as unicorns!

    Like

  6. xcobar

    That is so great ; )
    Now people who had difficulty with HTML will find it easy to place images in the sidebar!
    The Hugs page is a pretty nice idea, too.
    Cheers

    Like

  7. Petros Haritatos

    Must it be an image which is stored on *another* website?

    Can’t I use one of the images you have stored for my WordPress blog, e.g. embedded in a page or a post?

    And if yes, can you please provide an example?

    Like

    • Nick

      You can use any image URL. An example is the image used in this post. The URL is `https://wordpress.com/blog/files/2009/09/image-widget-example.png`

      Like

  8. Mary

    Wonderful!

    Like

  9. Wintery Knight

    You guys do such a great job. THANK YOU.

    Like

  10. Guy

    Cute 🙂

    Better support for the win! 🙂

    Like

  11. ERA In The Smokies

    Does the widget allow to have the clickable URL to open in a new window? That would make it perfect!

    Like

  12. Just Another Film Buff

    A big HUG from my side too….

    Like

  13. javcasta

    Ok. I have tried it and it works fine

    Like

  14. ljubomirgatdula

    Gotta love widgets 😀

    Like

  15. ana pauper

    every visual feature is like a lavish chocolate topping on the blog 😀 *hugs*

    Like

  16. theplainblog2

    You guys are making this blogging thing a little too easy. 😀

    Like

  17. Aaron Aiken

    Awesome!!

    Like

  18. Shaquille

    It’s cool. I think it would be more useful.
    I love it 🙂

    Like

  19. Vikas Gupta

    The image widget will come in handy. Waiting for the more “cool stuff” in the pipeline! 🙂

    I keep hugging you [though not as warmly as most of them in that page]! Hope to see myself in the ‘hall of fame’ sometime! Please also start an appreciation page for people who have been most helping in the forums. 🙂

    P.S.: My blog views have crossed 50K and I am soon moving to .org! 😀

    Like

  20. Amrita

    That is awesome! Thanks so much!

    Oh and if some brain comes up with a way to do what Ismailimail said, that would be super cool too!

    Like

  21. barbara_y

    ten thousand thank-yous for the imagewidgie

    Like

  22. art predator

    you folks read my mind–thank you! looking forward to using this!

    Like

  23. delaorden

    yes, awesome. Though I still do not understand why WP.com do not accept javascript… In my opinion I just can’t understand why this could be happenning in the biggest blog plataform. There’s nothing more to prove or to avoid so why not to enable full features for professional bloggers. Another point is why to collect (I know is a low price) for making template modifications (CSS…). I am not willing to migrate to another plataform but TODAY I can see many features at Blogger that, hard to believe, WP.com do not make available… Congratulations for any improvement but still very shy ones…

    thanks

    Like

  24. e Chíp

    thanks

    Like

  25. Harper

    Very good; I’ll take it (grin).

    Like

  26. espartan1047

    thats its so cool and great 4 the inexpert people in html

    Like

  27. Moses

    ah much easier! 🙂

    Like

  28. hungrygoat

    awesome guys, I can’t wait to test it.

    Like

  29. wattsupwiththat

    The innovations at WP are always appreciated. This make life much easier for me with several live weather images I use.

    Like

  30. Zaeriuraschi 11098 (pronounced zay-ree-ooh-ras-chee)

    Sweet! Now I don’t have to use the Text Widget to post pictures! :mrgreen:

    Like

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  32. raincoaster

    Spiffulosity! Up with unicorns and widgets!

    Like

  33. Gerry

    The image widget is going to make my life MUCH more interesting. OK, not my whole life, just the blogging part of it. I have already thought of twelve new things to try and I haven’t even gone over to look at it yet. Now about a widget to make coffee . . .

    Like

  34. waltjr

    Love the Image widget it makes it a lot easier instead of the coding all the time. Thanks guys great job as usual.

    Like

  35. Kitten V

    YES! I was just thinking a few days ago that ya’ll needed to do this! Thanks!!!!

    Like

  36. J.J's Dolly Rockers

    once again WP never run out of ideas that is something special, I hope you are gazzilionares, you sure help my business XX

    Like

  37. saeed

    For the inexperienced blog user, this may be good, but for many of us, it doesn’t give us anything we weren’t already capable of doing.

    Given this could be done with HTML, how about giving us something that we couldn’t do with HTML. I agree with one of the other comments about something dynamic or let us emulate something that would normally require javascript to do, given that hosted wordpress doesn’t allow javascript.

    Like

  38. Garrett Oden

    I speak for the WordPress.com community when I say thank you for releasing new features regularly!
    Nice job once again!

    Like

  39. dahatriswanto

    it is ok, thanks

    Like

  40. O'Brien

    K-ewl! Thank you, people . . .

    🙂

    Like

  41. Aditya Kavoor

    As always WP is making simple things simpler.

    Like

  42. Bandew444

    About time! Great job.

    Like

  43. ian in hamburg

    Good move on the sidebar image widget. It’s a big help!

    Like

  44. bassitone

    Yay for easy images!

    Time to spice up the already-spicy political commentary 😛

    Like

  45. mrash

    WP just gets better and better.

    Like

  46. Beyond90Seconds

    Fantastic!

    Like

  47. Petros Haritatos

    @ Nick

    Thank you for the explanation.

    Like

  48. Katatunix

    But I need more than one picture (slide, album…). The “Text widget” doesn’t allow embed flash, iframe or javascript code 😦

    Like

  49. Jenn Besonia

    Thank you!

    I like the other name for support team — happiness engineers. haha. ❤

    Like

  50. contagiouscontent

    This is definitely a plus. WordPress gets better and better by the day!

    Like

  51. kimt08

    Awesome! Hope this goes for GIFs too ^^

    Like

  52. Yasir Imran

    that’s great, before I used text widget to put image, now that is an official way, thanks

    Like

  53. jkrincon

    I would love to help you do the Support in Spanish. If there is any way I can help, let me know 🙂

    Like

  54. jimmynorth

    thanks for improving yourself for us!

    Like

  55. Adrienne

    I love it! Makes the task so much easier. Thank you and God Bless.

    Like

  56. Cyndy Otty

    Shiny!

    Thanks, as always, for all your hard work, guys. Truly, we appreciate it.

    Like

  57. TylerGS

    Way to go, WordPress! w00t!!!

    Like

  58. cokluiser

    was needed.

    thanks

    Like

  59. dspwholesalers

    awesome 🙂

    Like

  60. cokluiser

    I propose that this widget has the choice of target.
    Example html: target=”_blank”

    But, we always can use text widget

    greetings

    Like

  61. superhare

    thanks a lot, it is pretty nice idea, like it
    is there anything else like this to wait?
    open the secret, what is upcoming?

    Like

  62. alamendah

    excellent
    excellent
    excellent
    excellent
    lanjutkan!!!!

    Like

  63. understandingcat

    This one is much needed and facilitates a lot for those of us who are not html-wizards. Palms together!

    Irina

    Like

  64. musicever

    hats off to this fantastic team…. m always wid WP

    Like

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  66. el

    holy cow, i love this. thank you! you guys are so great. thank you for all of your hard work.

    Like

  67. Njongo

    It is good, and i wish it can be more effective to many people.

    Like

  68. IslandMeri

    Well done team! It just gets better and better! Thank you.

    Like

  69. Project Sole

    Saving us time and making life simple. Thanks.

    Like

  70. R.

    awesome improvement!! Thank heaps WP!! ❤

    Like

  71. Kira

    Awesome WordPress!!

    Like

  72. Lisa Hill

    Yes, nice idea and thank you…
    And to those complaining about javascript stuff, yes, I’d like to have it too, but I would *not* like to have the problems that friends of mine on other hosting services have had because of javascript. WP is stable and secure, and that matters more to me than any fancy widget.
    Thanks again, team:)

    Like

  73. unmallya

    Great………, This is going to very useful for Photo blogging. I will try this. I am still waiting for excellent photo blogging theme.

    Like

  74. nathanwells

    Cool – I’m going to try out the image widget! It is exactly what I needed!
    Thank you!
    -nathan

    Like

  75. Martha Warner

    I’m right behind these guys… headin’ over to try out the new image widget! Woo Hoo! Thanks! You guys are the best! <>

    Like

  76. Heather

    A slideshow widget would be cool. But this is pretty cool too. 🙂

    I’ve bounced around between different blog hosts since 2003, and let me just say that I think WordPress is by FAR the BEST. 🙂 You guys do more stuff to make the user experience so cool. Great job. 🙂

    Like

  77. Exodus

    wow wow wow, thanks heaps for making our lives on this WPLand easier and easier. ❤

    Like

  78. SL

    hay salamat. (thanks, i mean).

    Like

  79. Pothi

    A long awaited feature finally here. Thanks so much!

    Like

  80. José Andrés Pizarro Gascón

    I inserted a live webcam of the city i’m living in just using the Image Widget. It is straight forward to use it!
    Thanks!

    Like

  81. فضل

    cool 😎

    Like

  82. denotchka

    I’ll check it out.

    Like

  83. Jason B Gordon

    Gonna start playing around with this asap.

    Like

  84. Pingback: Widget de Imagem e notícias do Suporte « Blog « WordPress.com
  85. custombladeworks

    Thanks,wordpress is really great

    Like

  86. katyallgeyer

    WordPress, you rock!!

    Like

  87. ronakorn

    Yeh. Thanks a lot! I like this widget. Next time for slide show widget.

    Like

  88. American Elephant

    HOT DIGGITY DAMN! I use tons of images on my blog so this is PERFECT!

    Thanks wordpress!

    (Now how about you make it possible to use the WordPress audio player in the sidebar 🙂 )

    Like

  89. Lauren

    I know you creative and very thoughtful WordPress geniuses are working to make your Image Upload screen fully interactive with Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice-recognition software for those of us with blog-burned hands. I will promise a positively gushy comment to your Hugs line!

    Like

  90. Alisa

    Oooh, that’s fabulous!!

    Like

  91. Jennifer

    Very helpful for the HTML challenged-two thumbs up!

    Like

  92. indian

    the wordpress is really great platform for make the blog….Its updates are high tech….

    Like

  93. ideagirlconsulting

    Ive been waiting for you guys to do an image thing that was easier! I liked the changes they made on blogspot, you just do one thing instead of 4 like in wordpress. Hopefully this will cut down on things and save us time..

    thanks for making our posting easier.. we appreciate it 🙂

    Like

  94. دست نوشته

    makes it easy
    tnx

    Like

  95. ahrcanum

    if the image is stored on your computer it has no url. did i miss something?

    Like

  96. mmjaye

    What a wonderful coincidence! I was playing around with the text widget image insertion and I had difficulties so I gave up and now you’re giving me an easy solution. The wordpress fairy heard my pleas! Thanks so much!

    Like

  97. King faj

    Wow things just cant be hard in here…Thanks loads WP!!!!…

    Like

  98. eideard

    Just added it. A valuable addition to the Flickr access I offer in the sidebar.

    Now, I can add whatever happens to be my latest fave photo from one of my walks here in La Cieneguilla. Regular visitors already love it.

    Like

  99. keezrha

    Yey!

    Like

  100. N60storm4

    Thanks sooo much! I know HTML but this is AMAZING!

    Like

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