When publishing a post on WordPress.com these days, authors receive a new sidebar alongside their post. The most interesting feature in this sidebar is a game-like progress bar.

Arbitrary goals are now being set on WordPress.com to encourage blogging. Publish a post, level up. WordPress.com just got gamified (I hope players don’t lose points for using a made up word).

It’s gratuitous, unnecessary and fun. And the carefully curated quotes below the progress bar bring the pursuit of post count irrationally close to a noble quest.

I think it’s good use of gamification. WordPress.com need all the content they can get to boost page views. That said, I’m quite surprised to see this feature added in light of Automattic’s strategy to simplify the blogging experience on WordPress. Here’s to experimentation though and I hope it works.