Datasheet

Introducing Blogging and WordPress

chapter

My Web Site

Key Differences: Appearance

WordPress.com offers more than 60 layout designs, called themes, but

they are good ones. If you want to customize your theme by editing the

cascading style sheet, or CSS, you must pay an annual fee. With a self-

hosted WordPress blog, you can choose among countless free themes

or purchased themes, or create your own.

This

Contact

Forn

Contact

Form

Comments

Here

Your

Key Differences: Plugins

Plugins are program-like extensions that work with WordPress to add

functionality. You can have as many as you want on your independent

WordPress blog. WordPress.com does not let you add plugins, although

many of the WordPress.com widgets provide plugin functions. A widget

allows you to arrange sidebar information without writing code.

Key Differences: Ads

With a self-hosted WordPress blog, you can have zero to endless

amounts of advertising. At WordPress.com, the blog host itself

occasionally posts ads on your blog, unless you pay a no-ad fee.

Also,WordPress.com does not allow certain types of ads.

Key Differences: Cost

The blogging software is free, whether you host your own blog or put it

on WordPress.com. If you self-host, you must pay for space on a Web

server, although that can be as little as a few dollars a month. If you go

with WordPress.com, you may wind up paying fees to edit the CSS,

eliminate ads, or post videos, costs absent for independent blogs.

Key Differences: Support

WordPress.com has a clearly written support section plus forums and a

contact form for support. The support documentation for WordPress.org

blogs is called the codex. It is written by WordPress volunteers, and its

quality is inconsistent. There is no support contact except for the

WordPress.org forums, but they are excellent.