There are two ways to create a WordPress site - 1) Upload the software from WordPress.org (it’s free!) to your own domain or 2) create a free site on WordPress.com. For many the choice may be confusing, but it really does become clear when you know what you intend to do with your site.

Wordpress.org

Wordpress.org offers free WordPress software, plugins, themes, and the guidance needed to set up a WordPress site. Before you do anything, you’ll need to find a hosting service that will host your WordPress site. Wordpress.org has a list of hosts but there are many that can host your WordPress blog, provided they meet the minimum requirements.

Tip on choosing a host: If you’re new to the Net and/or technically challenged, who you select as a host is extremely important. Don’t make a choice on your host based on price alone. Customer service is extremely important, especially to the novice. Be cautious of the hosts who only provide an email address for support purposes. It may be an economic plus for hosts (although I would argue even that), it is definitely not recommended for most customers.If you have a host that you’re happy with, check to see if they meet the requirements for a WordPress site. They may even offer a WordPress blog package. If you don’t have a host, consider the folks at Hostmysite.com (this is not an affiliate link; I don’t profit at all). I’ve been dealing with them for years, and I recommend them to all of my customers . Why? Because they offer competitive hosting packages, but more importantly they have the best customer service I’ve experienced. You can phone them (and a human answers from Newark, DE), you can email them, or you can chat with them in real time. They also have a great WordPress blog package - $45/year and that comes with a free domain name. Understand that problems occur, but it’s how those problems are dealt with that separate good hosts from great ones.

Now according to the folks from Blogger Help, the pros and cons of using Wordpress.org are:

Pros

1. You can select your own domain name.
2. You can leverage a huge amount of plugins that will add functionality to your site.
3. You can run Adsense, other advertising services, affiliate links etc and thus monetize your blog
4. You have a myriad of blog themes to choose from.

Cons

1. Hosting and the domain name can cost you money (Hosting: normally up to $10/month for a new blog and Domain: up to 10$/year) .
2. You’ll need some technical knowledge to install the software and its plugins.
3. You are responsible for backing up your blog.
4. You are responsible for upgrading to new Wordpress.org versions .
5. You might encounter a quality of service issue (your blog might even be unavailable) during spikes.

Wordpress.com

Wordpress.com is a free, fully-hosted blogging platform that is built with the Worpress.org software . Domain names of blogs hosted by Wordpress.com will be “yourname.wordpress.com,” Because it’s a fully-hosted service, you won’t need to find an hosting service, nor setup the Wordpress software on your own.

According to Blogger Help, the pluses and negatives of using a blog on the Wordpress.com site are:

Pros

1. It’s free, even the hosting!!
2. They take care of blog setup, backup, security and upgrades, so you don’t need any technical knowledge.

Cons

1. You’re limited by their Terms of Service.
2. (At the time of this writing), WordPress.com won’t let you monetize your blog, that means no Adsense ads or other advertising services. They plan to allow you to in the future, but you’ll pay a premium to do this.
3. A limited number of themes to choose from.
4. Your blog url contains the *.wordpress.com suffix, not your own domain name.

So what should you do? If your blog is going to be a personal site and you have no intention of monetizing it, I’d recommend you use the WordPress.com service. It’s also an easy way to get started using the WordPress software and to become familiar with its features. In all other cases, I’d choose the Wordpress.org option, choose a domain name (you don’t need to buy it yet, use this link to see what is available), and start looking for a host.

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Tags: WordPress advantages, Wordpress cons, Wordpress disavantages, Wordpress negative, Wordpress plus, Wordpress pros, WordPress pros cons, wordpress.com, wordpress.org

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One Response to “Choosing a WordPress.com or WordPress.org Blog”

1. SchoolSyte.com says:
   

   Getting Started with WordPress…

   According to WordPressforWomen.com, there are two ways to create a WordPress site - 1) You can either upload the free software from WordPress.org to your own domain ,or 2) you can create a free site on WordPress.com. You may not know what path to take …

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