Unable to "like" a connection's activity anywhere other than news feed

Recently I've found that when viewing a connection's profile, the LIKE button doesn't appear on activities unless they already have some likes.  If i open a connection's activity I can see the LIKE button but when I click it it doesn't "like" their activity.  The only place I can "like" someone's activity, if they have zero likes,  is in the news feed. Is this a new feature? A bug? Is it just me?