Are you thinking about starting a blog?
When starting out, this question comes to the mind of every blogger. Is it better to pick the self-hosted WordPress.org or the free WordPress.com?
In this series, we will look at the pros and cons of both options. We will also show you how to use both on your Doteasy.com account, and also how to move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is an open source content management system most often used as a blog publishing application.
WordPress is available in two forms: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Both are free.
What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
With WordPress.com, the hosting and managing of the blog application is taken care of by the WordPress team.
With WordPress.org, you will need to install the blog application on your own server or web hosting provider.
Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress, uses this analogy to compare the two services, “It’s the difference of owning a home and just renting an apartment.”
Benefits of WordPress.com
- It’s free to setup
- Everything is taken care of by the WordPress team: setup, upgrades, backups, security, etc.
- You get extra traffic from WordPress’ Blog of the Day and tags
WordPress.com Cons
- Although there are currently over 100 themes available to choose from, you cannot run your own custom theme (unless you upgrade to the VIP program on WordPress.com)
- You cannot use it to post Adsense ads or affiliate links (unless you upgrade to the VIP program on WordPress.com)
- You cannot customize the PHP code
- You cannot upload plugins (unless you upgrade to the VIP program on WordPress.com)
How to run your WordPress.com blog on the free Doteasy Basic Hosting account?
While you won’t be able to install the WordPress software on your Basic Hosting account, you can use the free Domain Forwarding function to forward your website to your WordPress.com blog so that when visitors type in your domain name in their browsers, they will be redirected to your WordPress.com blog.
To do so:
- Login to your Member Zone.
- Under the “Domain” section, select “Setup Domain Forward”
- Enter your WordPress.com blog URL into the “Destination URL” field.
- If you do not want your visitors to see your WordPress.com blog URL in their browser address bar, select the “Show yourdomain.com on browser’s address bar” option.
- When ready, click on the “Save Changes” button.
WordPress.com is ideal for…
WordPress.com is ideal for hobby bloggers – completely free but less options and freedom.