Verulam Web Design

Verulam Web Design

WordPress .org or .com?

wordpress blogging and cms platformSomething that regularly causes confusion is the difference between the .org and .com versions of WordPress. So let’s clear that up. Frst what is WordPress?

“WordPress is an open source blog tool and publishing platform powered by PHP and MySQL. It’s often customized into a Content Management System (CMS). It has many features including a plug-in architecture and a template system. WordPress is used by over 14% of the 1,000,000 biggest websites.” – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPress

Pretty impressive? So why two versions?

Well, wordpress.org provide the open-source software that anyone can download and install on a server (or have it done for you). Custom themes can be created to give your website the exact look and layout you require. Possibly the most impressive aspect of the wordpress platform is the huge amount of plugins that can be downloaded and modified that has enabled so many small to medium sized companies to enjoy functionality-rich websites for relatively modest cost.

wordpress logoSo how is wordpress.com different? Well, on wordpress.com anyone cane create a basic website suitable for blogging. You will get a URL of the form yourname.wordpress.com. You can choose between a small number of standard themes and you cannot add plugins. This is a commercial venture, so if you want to have anything more than the most basic setup, you have to pay.

For many users – bloggers in particular, this is enough. You can add basic content to your website, but you cannot control it, add plugin functionality or upload your own customised theme.

So for an individual blogger on a budget  you may want to use the .com version. For a small to medium sized company that needs their website to reflect their branding and existing design materials, be functionally rich and extendable, you need the .org version. If that’s you, please contact us today and we’ll be happy to discuss how WordPress can help your business.